Australia vs South Korea: Cumulative CO₂ emissions from oil
Australia
6.42 billion tonnes
in 2024
South Korea
7.83 billion tonnes
in 2024
Australia rank
19th
South Korea rank
17th
Cumulative CO₂ emissions from oil over time
- Australia
- South Korea
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 7.83 billion tonnes against 6.42 billion tonnes in Australia, a difference of 1.41 billion tonnes.
That makes South Korea's figure about 1.2 times Australia's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 115 shared years of data; in 1905 it was Australia ahead.
Australia ranks 19th and South Korea ranks 17th of 215 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, Australia averaged higher in 10 and South Korea in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Australia | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 1.55 million tonnes | 0 tonnes | 1.55 million tonnes | Australia |
| 1910s | 4.04 million tonnes | 0 tonnes | 4.04 million tonnes | Australia |
| 1920s | 12.17 million tonnes | 0 tonnes | 12.17 million tonnes | Australia |
| 1930s | 41.49 million tonnes | 0 tonnes | 41.49 million tonnes | Australia |
| 1940s | 96.70 million tonnes | 0 tonnes | 96.70 million tonnes | Australia |
| 1950s | 220.07 million tonnes | 5.00 million tonnes | 215.07 million tonnes | Australia |
| 1960s | 519.93 million tonnes | 35.98 million tonnes | 483.96 million tonnes | Australia |
| 1970s | 1.15 billion tonnes | 302.98 million tonnes | 850.95 million tonnes | Australia |
| 1980s | 1.95 billion tonnes | 979.19 million tonnes | 968.04 million tonnes | Australia |
| 1990s | 2.80 billion tonnes | 2.36 billion tonnes | 442.29 million tonnes | Australia |
| 2000s | 3.84 billion tonnes | 4.40 billion tonnes | 563.34 million tonnes | South Korea |
| 2010s | 5.10 billion tonnes | 6.19 billion tonnes | 1.09 billion tonnes | South Korea |
| 2020s | 6.14 billion tonnes | 7.49 billion tonnes | 1.35 billion tonnes | South Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher cumulative co₂ emissions from oil, Australia or South Korea?
- South Korea, at 7.83 billion tonnes against 6.42 billion tonnes in Australia as of 2024.
- What is the difference in cumulative co₂ emissions from oil between Australia and South Korea?
- 1.41 billion tonnes, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Australia and South Korea?
- 115 years are reported by both, from 1905 to 2024.
- How do Australia and South Korea rank globally for cumulative co₂ emissions from oil?
- Australia ranks 19th and South Korea ranks 17th 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 from oil. 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 oil since the first year of available data, measured in tonnes.