South Koreans eat more seafood than any other country in the world, data showed.

South Korea’s per capita consumption of seafood topped the global list in 2011 at 78.5 kilograms a year, according to a study by Joint Research Centre (JRC), the European Commission’s science and knowledge service.

Korea was followed by Norway (66.6 kg), Portugal (61.5 kg), Myanmar (59.9 kg), Malaysia (58.6 kg) and Japan (58 kg). The global per head consumption of seafood has more than doubled in five decades, from 10 kg in 1960 to 22.3 kg in 2014.

China ranked the highest in terms of absolute volume, with 65 million tonnes consumed in 2011. It was followed by the European Union (13 million tonnes), Japan (7.4 million tonnes), Indonesia (7.3 million tonnes) and the United States (7.1 million tonnes).

The latest JRC study aimed to examine the impact of seafood supply chains across national boundaries by creating the first-ever measure of national footprint based on seafood consumption, rather than production. The global seafood consumption footprint is expected to help encourage international collaboration in promoting long-term sustainability of seafood production.

Seafood is an important source of animal protein for many countries. About 20 percent of the world population takes in about one-fifth of its total animal protein intake from fish, according to the World Health Organization.

By Won Ho-sup and Kim Hyo-jin

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