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The IUU Fishing Index Report provides a summary of the results of the Index and discusses their implications;

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About the IUU Fishing Index

The IUU Fishing Index provides a measure of the degree to which states are exposed to and effectively combat IUU fishing. The Index provides an IUU fishing score for all coastal states of between 1 and 5 (1 being the best, and 5 the worst). The Index allows countries to be benchmarked and ranked, and assessed for their vulnerability, prevalence and response to IUU fishing.

On the basis of its diverse indicators, the Index provides a measure of the risk of IUU fishing in and by different countries. The Index cannot be used as the basis for computing the incidence of IUU fishing in individual countries, or perpetration of IUU fishing by given fleets. It merely identifies areas of better and poorer state performance, and associated domains of higher and lower IUU risks.

The Index has been developed by Poseidon Aquatic Resource Management Ltd., a fisheries and aquaculture consultancy company working globally, and the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime, a Geneva-based NGO network of experts working on human rights, democracy, governance, and development issues where organized crime has become increasingly pertinent.

Explore IUU score Map →
2.24

World overall 2021
IUU score

More about the maps

Maps allow for IUU fishing scores to be visualised at country, regional, ocean basin and global levels, either at an aggregated level, or for indicators related to state ‘responsibilities’ (flag, coastal, port, and general) as shown here for the 2021 version of the Index. You can also view maps by indicator ‘types’, relating to vulnerability, prevalence and response to IUU fishing. Darker shades of colour indicate poorer performance and/or higher exposure.

View Map →
2.28

World overall 2021
Port score

1.96

World overall 2021
Flag score

2.45

World overall 2021
Coastal score

2.31

World overall 2021
General score

More about the methodology

The IUU Fishing Index comprises a suite of 40 indicators, with each indicator relating to both a ‘responsibility’ and a ‘type’. Coastal responsibilities relate to a state’s management of its exclusive economic zone. Flag responsibilities relate to duties states should honour in managing their fleets. Port responsibilities relate to state control of fishing activity in ports. ‘General’ indicators are those that address responsibilities shared by all state types. Types of indicators relate to: ‘vulnerability’ – elements that increase the risk of IUU fishing occurring; ‘prevalence’ – where IUU fishing is known or suspected to take place ; and ‘response’ – measures taken by a state to combat IUU fishing. Data for the indicators are derived from primary (survey) and secondary (published) sources, and elicited expert opinion.

Read Full Methodology → Download the dataset →

Rankings

The rankings page organises IUU fishing scores by country, region, or ocean basin, showing best and worst performing countries. It also allows you to view rankings filtered by indicator responsibility and type. Some examples for the 2021 version of the Index are shown here.

Rankings by type and responsibility are critical to understand in which domains individual states of given regions, or bordering given ocean basins, face the most important risks.

View Rankings →

Country with highest IUU score

3.86

China

Ocean basin with highest IUU score

2.37

Western Pacific

Region with highest IUU score

2.51

Asia

Country with the lowest IUU score

1.62

Estonia

Ocean with the lowest IUU score

2.15

East Atlantic

Region with the lowest IUU score

1.98

Europe

Country profiles

This page provides detailed data for all 152 coastal countries, with total country scores provided along with scores for all individual indicators and indicator groups. The profiles show the country’s rank compared to its region and ocean basin. You can download pdfs of the country profiles from this webpage. Scores are provided for both 2019 and 2021 editions of the Index. Examples of indicator scores for two countries from the 2021 version of the Index are shown here.

View Full List →

Read our Reports

The IUU Fishing Index Report synthesizes and analyzes the findings of the IUU Index. It provides information on the problem of IUU fishing, explains the reasons for developing the IUU Fishing Index and its uses. It provides a summary of the methodology used, and the scores for countries, regions, and ocean basins for different types of state responsibilities (coastal, flag, port, and general). It discusses the implications of the Index scores in terms of the need for action, and the targets and indicators on IUU fishing under Sustainable Development Goal 14, Life Below Water.

Download 2021 report → Download 2019 report →

Watch this for a quick summary of the Index

Africa

Algeria Angola Benin Cameroon Cape Verde Comoros Isl. Congo (DRC) Congo, R. of Cote d'Ivoire Djibouti Egypt Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Gabon Gambia Ghana Guinea Guinea-Bissau Kenya Liberia Libya Madagascar Mauritania Mauritius Morocco Mozambique Namibia Nigeria Sao Tome & Principe Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Somalia South Africa Sudan Tanzania Togo Tunisia

Asia

Bangladesh Brunei Darussalam Cambodia China India Indonesia Japan Korea (North) Korea (Rep. South) Malaysia Maldives Myanmar Pakistan Philippines Singapore Sri Lanka Taiwan Thailand Timor-Leste Vietnam

Caribbean & Central America

Antigua & Barbuda Bahamas Barbados Belize Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Republic El Salvador Grenada Guatemala Haiti Honduras Jamaica Mexico Nicaragua Panama Saint Kitts & Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent & the Grenadines Trinidad & Tobago

Europe

Albania Belgium Bosnia & Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Greece Iceland Ireland Italy Latvia Lithuania Malta Monaco Montenegro Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia Slovenia Spain Sweden Ukraine United Kingdom

Middle East

Bahrain Georgia Iran Iraq Israel Jordan Kuwait Lebanon Oman Qatar Saudi Arabia Syria Turkey United Arab Emirates Yemen

North America

Canada USA

South America

Argentina Brazil Chile Colombia Ecuador Guyana Peru Suriname Uruguay Venezuela

Oceania

Australia Cook Islands Fiji Kiribati Marshall Isl. Micronesia (FS of) Nauru New Zealand Palau Papua New Guinea Samoa Solomon Isl. Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu