Spain is a major consumer (and producer) of fish. Moreover, since Covid-19, fish consumption is on the rise, given its nutritional properties and the growing interest in eating healthy products.
But Spain is not the biggest fish-consuming country in the world.
Do you want to know which are the top 10? We tell you about them below.
- Japan
Yes, this small Asian country leads the world in fish consumption because it bases its diet on fish. It consumes fish in all its forms, but as everyone knows, especially raw, in sushi. 53.68 kilos of fish are consumed per person per year on average in Japan.
- Spain
The Spanish are not the first, but we are the second largest consumers of fish in the world. Both fresh, frozen and canned. It is consumed all year round and is the main ingredient in many of the most popular recipes in our gastronomy.
- Portugal
The neighbouring country is consuming more and more fish and in a very similar way to the Spanish, incorporating it into their daily diet.
- Iceland
Another country with a long tradition of fish consumption, where kæst skata, a typical Icelandic dish served with a side dish made with a smelly fermented skate, potatoes, boiled turnip, melted lamb fat and sweet rye bread, is very common. This is the start of Christmas.
- Norway
This fifth place should come as no surprise, as this Scandinavian country is a major fish producer. Norwegian salmon is its main product. Herring is also widely consumed.
- Peru
No one should be surprised that the country that created cebiche is among the first places. A country with one of the best cuisines in the world, characterised, among other things, by its fusion with Japanese cuisine.
- Denmark
In recent years, Denmark has radically changed its fishing industry and has gone from being one of the major producers of fish for the manufacture of fish by-products to becoming more industrialised in fishing for human consumption.
- Philippines
Another Asian country, which is one of the largest producers of fish, although 90% of the fish produced there is destined for internal consumption by the Filipinos themselves.
- Greece
A country with around 6000 islands, Greece could not be missing from this ranking. A major producer and exporter, in fact, this country exports 80% of its aquaculture fish. The average Greek consumes 25 kilos of fish per year.
10. Malta
And finally, another tiny country, which despite its size, closes this ranking of the top 10 countries in the world in terms of fish consumption. In Malta, fish is one of the fundamental bases of the economy and of the diet, as an average of 29 kilos of fish is consumed per person per year.