Click any country to explore its species
Sea Surface Temp.
−2°C8°16°24°32°C
Production (tonnes)
10010k100k1M10M100M+
Environment
Species group
NEI Not Elsewhere Included — FAO catch-all for species not classified in a specific category
—
World total
220
Countries
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Species
Global Trends
Exclude top producers:
01
Global Production Breakdown
Each pie shows the top 10 farmed species within that category, measured in tonnes produced for the selected year. Hover a slice to see the species name, weight, and its share of that category's total. Use the "Exclude top producers" chips above to remove dominant countries and reveal the rest of the world.
02
Regional Trends
Click a continent to see which countries and species dominate farming there. Bars show total farmed tonnes for the year selected on the timeline. Use the year slider at the bottom to travel through time.
03
Key Species
Top 20 farmed species worldwide. Bars (left axis) = total tonnes produced. Line (right axis) = total reported market value in USD. A species with a tall bar but low line is a high-volume, low-price staple. A species with a high line but shorter bar is a premium product. Scroll right to see all 20.
NEI = Not Elsewhere Included — FAO catch-all for species not assigned to a more specific category
04
Premium vs Food Security
USD/t = US dollars earned per tonne farmed — a measure of how valuable a species is relative to its weight. Species above $5 000/t are considered premium (salmon, shrimp, abalone). Species below are high-volume staples that feed billions. Use the time window pills to see how countries have shifted their farming mix over the years. Click a continent in the scatter legend to filter all charts.
Most valuable to farm (USD/t)
Food security workhorses (USD/t)
NEI = Not Elsewhere Included — FAO catch-all for species not assigned to a more specific category
05
Species Diversity
How many distinct species each country has tried farming. Established = farmed consistently for ≥5 years with a peak production of ≥10 tonnes — a proven commercial species. Experimental = tried briefly or in tiny quantities — innovation or one-off attempts. Countries with more established species have a broader, more resilient aquaculture base.
Species in aquaculture over time
New species introduced per decade
Country species diversity — established vs experimental
Established = farmed ≥5 years with peak ≥10t · Experimental = tried briefly or in tiny quantities
Diversity vs country population · UN 2023 population estimates
Bubble size = total production — countries above the trend line farm more species relative to their population
Species counts include all FAO-recorded production including NEI groups
06
Growth & Momentum
Two stories of growth: concentration (are a few countries controlling more and more of world production?) and acceleration (which countries are growing fastest right now?). CAGR = Compound Annual Growth Rate — the average yearly growth percentage over the period. A country with +20%/yr doubles its output roughly every 3–4 years.
Market concentration over time — share of global output held by top producers
Top-3 dominance has grown from ~60% in 1980 to ~78% in 2024 — aquaculture is consolidating
Fastest growing producers · 2018–2024 · min 10 000 t
Ranked by average yearly growth rate (compound annual growth rate, CAGR) — how fast a country's production expanded each year on average between 2018 and 2024. Tonnes (t) = metric tons of aquaculture output.
Emerging producers · 2010 → 2024
Countries that were minor producers in 2010 but have since scaled up significantly. The × bigger column shows how many times larger their 2024 output is compared to 2010 — e.g. 5× means they produce 5 times more than they did in 2010.
07
Environment Shift
Aquaculture happens in three distinct water environments. Freshwater = rivers, lakes, and ponds (carp, tilapia, trout). Marine = open sea and coastal ocean (seaweed, oysters, salmon). Brackishwater = coastal areas where fresh and salt water mix, such as estuaries and shrimp ponds. Each environment has different species, economics, and environmental footprints.
Production by water environment 1950–2024
Stacked area — freshwater and marine are neck and neck; brackishwater (shrimp, seaweed) is rising fastest
Top species per environment in 2024
What actually drives each environment's production numbers
Hover to preview · Click a bubble to explore trends