Brazil vs South Korea: Cumulative CO₂ emissions
Brazil
18.20 billion tonnes
in 2024
South Korea
20.71 billion tonnes
in 2024
Brazil rank
19th
South Korea rank
16th
Cumulative CO₂ emissions over time
- Brazil
- South Korea
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 20.71 billion tonnes against 18.20 billion tonnes in Brazil, a difference of 2.51 billion tonnes.
That makes South Korea's figure about 1.1 times Brazil's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 116 shared years of data; in 1905 it was Brazil ahead.
Brazil ranks 19th and South Korea ranks 16th of 215 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, Brazil averaged higher in 11 and South Korea in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Brazil | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 72.90 million tonnes | 4,917 tonnes | 72.89 million tonnes | Brazil |
| 1910s | 104.34 million tonnes | 101,027 tonnes | 104.24 million tonnes | Brazil |
| 1920s | 145.64 million tonnes | 540,324 tonnes | 145.10 million tonnes | Brazil |
| 1930s | 200.62 million tonnes | 2.15 million tonnes | 198.48 million tonnes | Brazil |
| 1940s | 262.70 million tonnes | 8.57 million tonnes | 254.13 million tonnes | Brazil |
| 1950s | 444.58 million tonnes | 39.36 million tonnes | 405.22 million tonnes | Brazil |
| 1960s | 905.94 million tonnes | 188.76 million tonnes | 717.18 million tonnes | Brazil |
| 1970s | 1.91 billion tonnes | 728.53 million tonnes | 1.18 billion tonnes | Brazil |
| 1980s | 3.62 billion tonnes | 2.03 billion tonnes | 1.59 billion tonnes | Brazil |
| 1990s | 5.87 billion tonnes | 4.66 billion tonnes | 1.20 billion tonnes | Brazil |
| 2000s | 9.14 billion tonnes | 9.05 billion tonnes | 87.03 million tonnes | Brazil |
| 2010s | 13.56 billion tonnes | 14.81 billion tonnes | 1.25 billion tonnes | South Korea |
| 2020s | 17.23 billion tonnes | 19.52 billion tonnes | 2.29 billion tonnes | South Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher cumulative co₂ emissions, Brazil or South Korea?
- South Korea, at 20.71 billion tonnes against 18.20 billion tonnes in Brazil as of 2024.
- What is the difference in cumulative co₂ emissions between Brazil and South Korea?
- 2.51 billion tonnes, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Brazil and South Korea?
- 116 years are reported by both, from 1905 to 2024.
- How do Brazil and South Korea rank globally for cumulative co₂ emissions?
- Brazil ranks 19th and South Korea ranks 16th of 215 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Cumulative CO₂ emissions. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Total cumulative emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), excluding land-use change, since the first year of available data, measured in tonnes.