North Korea vs Malaysia: Annual CO₂ emissions from coal
North Korea
57.15 million tonnes
in 2024
Malaysia
97.57 million tonnes
in 2024
North Korea rank
19th
Malaysia rank
16th
Annual CO₂ emissions from coal over time
- North Korea
- Malaysia
How they compare
Malaysia currently reports 97.57 million tonnes against 57.15 million tonnes in North Korea, a difference of 40.42 million tonnes.
That makes Malaysia's figure about 1.7 times North Korea's.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 112 shared years of data; in 1905 it was Malaysia ahead.
North Korea ranks 19th and Malaysia ranks 16th of 179 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, North Korea averaged higher in 10 and Malaysia in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | North Korea | Malaysia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 81,572 tonnes | 104,424 tonnes | 22,852 tonnes | Malaysia |
| 1910s | 416,973 tonnes | 186,864 tonnes | 230,109 tonnes | North Korea |
| 1920s | 1.38 million tonnes | 1.08 million tonnes | 296,199 tonnes | North Korea |
| 1930s | 5.09 million tonnes | 1.14 million tonnes | 3.95 million tonnes | North Korea |
| 1940s | 12.08 million tonnes | 1.30 million tonnes | 10.78 million tonnes | North Korea |
| 1950s | 6.47 million tonnes | 212,920 tonnes | 6.25 million tonnes | North Korea |
| 1960s | 39.17 million tonnes | 72,172 tonnes | 39.10 million tonnes | North Korea |
| 1970s | 95.41 million tonnes | 104,791 tonnes | 95.31 million tonnes | North Korea |
| 1980s | 135.10 million tonnes | 1.28 million tonnes | 133.82 million tonnes | North Korea |
| 1990s | 76.70 million tonnes | 6.14 million tonnes | 70.57 million tonnes | North Korea |
| 2000s | 65.17 million tonnes | 24.76 million tonnes | 40.41 million tonnes | North Korea |
| 2010s | 45.04 million tonnes | 66.86 million tonnes | 21.81 million tonnes | Malaysia |
| 2020s | 54.93 million tonnes | 92.18 million tonnes | 37.25 million tonnes | Malaysia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual co₂ emissions from coal, North Korea or Malaysia?
- Malaysia, at 97.57 million tonnes against 57.15 million tonnes in North Korea as of 2024.
- What is the difference in annual co₂ emissions from coal between North Korea and Malaysia?
- 40.42 million tonnes, with Malaysia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for North Korea and Malaysia?
- 112 years are reported by both, from 1905 to 2024.
- How do North Korea and Malaysia rank globally for annual co₂ emissions from coal?
- North Korea ranks 19th and Malaysia ranks 16th of 179 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Annual CO₂ emissions from coal. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Annual emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from coal, measured in tonnes.