North Korea vs Vietnam: Cumulative CO₂ emissions
North Korea
5.49 billion tonnes
in 2024
Vietnam
5.67 billion tonnes
in 2024
North Korea rank
39th
Vietnam rank
38th
Cumulative CO₂ emissions over time
- North Korea
- Vietnam
How they compare
Vietnam currently reports 5.67 billion tonnes against 5.49 billion tonnes in North Korea, a difference of 176.22 million tonnes.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 116 shared years of data; in 1905 it was Vietnam ahead.
North Korea ranks 39th and Vietnam ranks 38th of 215 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, North Korea averaged higher in 9 and Vietnam in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | North Korea | Vietnam | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 88,515 tonnes | 9.01 million tonnes | 8.92 million tonnes | Vietnam |
| 1910s | 1.82 million tonnes | 18.20 million tonnes | 16.38 million tonnes | Vietnam |
| 1920s | 9.73 million tonnes | 42.20 million tonnes | 32.48 million tonnes | Vietnam |
| 1930s | 38.67 million tonnes | 88.09 million tonnes | 49.42 million tonnes | Vietnam |
| 1940s | 136.44 million tonnes | 133.30 million tonnes | 3.14 million tonnes | North Korea |
| 1950s | 179.13 million tonnes | 151.42 million tonnes | 27.71 million tonnes | North Korea |
| 1960s | 420.78 million tonnes | 233.13 million tonnes | 187.65 million tonnes | North Korea |
| 1970s | 1.18 billion tonnes | 443.99 million tonnes | 737.57 million tonnes | North Korea |
| 1980s | 2.39 billion tonnes | 626.53 million tonnes | 1.77 billion tonnes | North Korea |
| 1990s | 3.67 billion tonnes | 865.51 million tonnes | 2.80 billion tonnes | North Korea |
| 2000s | 4.37 billion tonnes | 1.47 billion tonnes | 2.91 billion tonnes | North Korea |
| 2010s | 4.95 billion tonnes | 2.88 billion tonnes | 2.07 billion tonnes | North Korea |
| 2020s | 5.37 billion tonnes | 4.97 billion tonnes | 400.31 million tonnes | North Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher cumulative co₂ emissions, North Korea or Vietnam?
- Vietnam, at 5.67 billion tonnes against 5.49 billion tonnes in North Korea as of 2024.
- What is the difference in cumulative co₂ emissions between North Korea and Vietnam?
- 176.22 million tonnes, with Vietnam ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for North Korea and Vietnam?
- 116 years are reported by both, from 1905 to 2024.
- How do North Korea and Vietnam rank globally for cumulative co₂ emissions?
- North Korea ranks 39th and Vietnam ranks 38th 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.