There is an estimate of 1 billion ornamental fish being exported annually worldwide. In this 1 billion, there are over 4000 species of freshwater ornamental species and over 1400 species of saltwater species being traded. The top three places that import the greatest number of ornamental fish are North America, Japan, and Europe. While over 90% of freshwater ornamental fish are farm-raised in Southeast Asia, most saltwater ornamental fish are caught wild. In the US, the two most popular ornamental fish are the guppy and the neon tetra.

In 1996, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations reported approximately $207 million USD in export value and approximately $321 million USD in import value globally. The ornamental fish trade has been growing by 14% annually ever since 1985. The industry is worth an estimated $15 billion USD.