Data or statistical facts on the situation and perspectives of agri-food systems and the impact of policies
Four-fifths of all life on Earth lives in the ocean: it feeds three billion people (FAO, 2023).
Less than 5% of total Caribbean fisheries production in 2021 was a product of aquaculture (FAO, 2024).
16.9% of LAC aquaculture in 2021 came from Brazil, the third largest producer of tilapia, tambaqui and whiteleg shrimp (FAO, 2024).
23.3% of LAC aquaculture in 2021 came from Ecuador, the second largest producer of whiteleg shrimp and tilapia (FAO, 2024).
37.5% of LAC aquaculture in 2021 came from Chile, the main producer of Atlantic salmon, mussels and coho salmon (FAO, 2024).
At least 16% of employment associated with capture fishing is in the hands of women (FAO, 2024).
2.8 million direct jobs and three times more indirect jobs are generated by fishing and aquaculture in LAC (FAO, 2024).
4.3% of global aquaculture comes from LAC, with 3.8 million tonnes in 2021, 20% of its total fishery production (FAO, 2024).
26 of 45 LAC countries have climate adaptation instruments, but only 15 apply them to aquaculture (FAO, 2024).
93% of aquaculture production in Latin America and the Caribbean is concentrated in six countries, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico and Peru (FAO, 2024).
