Spending by Europeans on fishery and aquaculture products reached €62.8 billion in 2024, a 4% increase from the previous year largely driven by higher prices.
Consumption of fresh fish at home fell by 5% in 2024, continuing a decline seen since 2021, according to the latest EU Fish Market report released by the European Commission on Monday.
Countries with the highest consumption — Spain, Italy, France, Portugal, and Germany — saw the most notable decreases.
Between 2020 and 2024, prices for fishery and aquaculture products rose by more than 25%, though this increase was still below that of other animal proteins, the report noted.
Trade trends and consumption patterns
Imports of fish and seafood from outside the EU reached 5.9 million tonnes, valued at €29.9 billion in 2024, the report informed.
This marks a 1% decrease in real-terms value but a 0.3% increase in volume compared to 2023, according to the latest figures.
Exports edged up by 1% to €8.25 billion, even as their volume dropped to the lowest level since 2019 at 2.2 million tonnes.
As a result, the EU’s trade deficit for fish and aquaculture products narrowed by 2% to €21.61 billion in 2024—the first decrease since 2018.
By comparison, the United States saw its deficit rise by 5%, while Japan’s deficit declined by about 3%.
Trade within the EU remained robust but slowed in 2024, with both the volume and value of intra-EU trade in fish and aquaculture products down by 1% to 5.8 million tonnes and €31.7 billion, respectively.
Salmon and cod together accounted for nearly 40% of the value of EU-internal trade, the report stated. The Netherlands posted the highest value of intra-EU fish trade, mainly due to its role as a key entry point for seafood products.
Self-sufficiency and per capita consumption
The EU’s self-sufficiency rate — the share of demand met by domestic production — rose to 38.1% in 2024, its highest level since 2018.
However, apparent consumption per person, incorporating production and import minus export, fell to 22.89 kg in 2023, the lowest in a decade and a 3% drop from the previous year, the EU Fish Market report indicated.
Consumption of wild-caught products reached 16.35 kg per person — the lowest in ten years — while farmed product consumption stood at 6.53 kg per person.
Portugal maintained the highest per capita consumption in Europe at 53.61 kg in 2023.
