We did some research on eating habits around the world and created a new list for you – 11 Countries That Consume the Most Fish. The health benefits of consuming fish are well-known; the world is getting more educated and aware, placing fish on the dining table more often.
Fish contains vitamins, proteins, healthy fatty acids and minerals, which boost health both mentally and physically. Fish is delicious, there are hundreds of thousands of recipes and unique meals prepared with it. How much fish do you eat?
The fish industry is worth around $200 billion annually, and its share is near 18% of the global meat market. Governments around the world recommend eating fish at least twice a week, and global statistic show that people don’t follow the recommendations much, despite this effort. Fish is consumed worldwide in many ways, and nothing supplements fish meal like a glass of good wine. Take a look at 11 Countries That Consume the Most Alcohol and see how well and where this combination performs.
Fish and seafood are a healthier alternative to the traditional meat, and they are also very tasty. Consuming fish instead of pork can lower your cholesterol levels in few weeks. Since the benefits of this diet are known well, let’s see which countries perform best on our list, and have better and healthier people.
11. Italy
Shoe-shaped European peninsula famous by soccer, great architectural monuments, pizza and pasta, and beautiful Venice is surrounded by Adriatic, Ionian and Tyrrhenian Sea. Therefore, the traditional Italian diet contains seafood, with fish and crabs eaten the most in this country. Consumption of fish by single person a year in Italy is around 63 lbs.
10. Finland
A typical Finnish diet contains milk, wholegrain, and lots of fish. Stews are common in the country as starters and main courses. Because of the harsh climate conditions, ice fishing is one of the most common ways of supplying fish for daily consumption. Herring, Whitefish, and Arctic char are the most popular breeds. People in Finland consume around 81 lbs of fish each year.
9. Spain
Around 96 lbs of fish for each person a year is consumed in Spain, relying on import as well as fishing for supplying. Among the biggest markets for seafood in Europe, and known as big fish gourmets, Spaniards enjoy fish mostly for the dinner, as the half of the eaten fish is consumed at home. Spaniards love to make their own fish recipes, and enjoy in meals with appetizing glass of wine.
8. Norway
The land of Fjords and sagas of Vikings and their raids, Nordic heritage, skiing, and geysers. Norway cuisine contains salmon, pickled herring, and mackerel the most. An interesting fact – lake and river fish are more eaten here than sea fish. Norwegians consume around 112 lbs of fish per person annually.
7. Antigua and Barbuda
Two islands in one country; this archipelago twin island territory is a home of many saltwater fishes who travel between Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. Naturally, fishing is a strong side of the economy of this archipelago country. Around 117 lbs of fish is eaten here annually per person. Their dried and specialities are exotic and delicious.
6. South Korea
Traditional Korean diet includes rice, vegetables and meat. Seafood is a major part of Korean cuisine; fish, shrimp, oysters and hogs are most eaten in this country. Average Korean eats around 130 lbs of seafood a year. This puts South Korea in the middle of the list of our countries that consume the most fish.
5. Japan
Have you heard of Sushi? Seafood chopped and served raw with spices and rice; this traditional Japanese meal is famous worldwide. Japanese people love fish, and eat it often. In one year, an average Japanese person eats around 1.2 times its own weight of seafood – 154, 5 lbs a year.
4. Greenland
Greenlanders consume lots of fish yearly, around 189 lbs per person. Seafood is a major source of their diet; salmon, redfish, lumpfish and cod are most consumed. People here eat whale meat and some species of sharks as well, which can be poisonous. Plants and herbs as spices, some water and fruit and vegetables and you have a fine Greenland meal. Accompany it with ice beer and you have a happy Greenlander.
3. Faroe Islands
Another archipelago country, between Norwegian Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, with around 50.000 inhabitants. Main ingredients of Faroese cuisine are lamb, fish, and whale meat with vegetables. People here eat around 193 lbs of fish per person annually, an impressive amount, earning Faroe Islands a respectable place on our list.
2. Iceland
Two champions on our list are countries that consume the most fish. Iceland is on second place, with 197.15 lbs of fish eaten annually per person. That means around 2,2 pounds of fish in three days. The Icelanders have preserved the culture and historic heritage of the Nordic ancestors; their diet, based on fish, vegetables, and water, enabled them to be strong, lean, and healthy for long years. Traditional Herring recipe is among the most popular ones in Iceland.
1. Maldives
The #1 overall country that consume the most fish might surprise you, but it is true; people of Maldives consume 308.4 lbs of fish annually per person. For this relatively small country (300.000 inhabitants) fish is the main source of food. Even though this country is small and doesn’t consume amounts of fish like other bigger countries, its per-person ratio is remarkable, putting it to the first place among Countries that Consume the Most Fish in the world.
