Japan vs South Korea: Cumulative CO₂ emissions by source
Japan
524.97 million tonnes
in 2024
South Korea
243.01 million tonnes
in 2024
Japan rank
4th
South Korea rank
6th
Cumulative CO₂ emissions by source over time
- Japan
- South Korea
How they compare
Japan currently reports 524.97 million tonnes against 243.01 million tonnes in South Korea, a difference of 281.96 million tonnes.
That makes Japan's figure about 2.2 times South Korea's.
Across all 35 years both countries report, Japan has been ahead every year.
Japan ranks 4th and South Korea ranks 6th of 46 countries.
Japan has averaged higher in every one of the 4 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 91.98 million tonnes | 21.69 million tonnes | 70.28 million tonnes | Japan |
| 2000s | 249.69 million tonnes | 71.86 million tonnes | 177.83 million tonnes | Japan |
| 2010s | 401.31 million tonnes | 147.59 million tonnes | 253.72 million tonnes | Japan |
| 2020s | 501.39 million tonnes | 222.65 million tonnes | 278.75 million tonnes | Japan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher cumulative co₂ emissions by source, Japan or South Korea?
- Japan, at 524.97 million tonnes against 243.01 million tonnes in South Korea as of 2024.
- What is the difference in cumulative co₂ emissions by source between Japan and South Korea?
- 281.96 million tonnes, with Japan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and South Korea?
- 35 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2024.
- How do Japan and South Korea rank globally for cumulative co₂ emissions by source?
- Japan ranks 4th and South Korea ranks 6th of 46 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Cumulative CO₂ emissions by source. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Cumulative emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from other industry sources since the first year of available data, measured in tonnes.