Japan vs South Korea: Electricity generation from low-carbon sources
Japan
336.82 terawatt-hours
in 2025
South Korea
249.6 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Japan rank
8th
South Korea rank
10th
Electricity generation from low-carbon sources over time
- Japan
- South Korea
How they compare
Japan currently reports 336.82 terawatt-hours against 249.6 terawatt-hours in South Korea, a difference of 87.22 terawatt-hours.
That makes Japan's figure about 1.3 times South Korea's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 55 shared years of data; in 1971 it was Japan ahead.
Japan ranks 8th and South Korea ranks 10th of 209 countries.
Japan has averaged higher in every one of the 6 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 109.03 terawatt-hours | 2.27 terawatt-hours | 106.76 terawatt-hours | Japan |
| 1980s | 233.81 terawatt-hours | 22.85 terawatt-hours | 210.96 terawatt-hours | Japan |
| 1990s | 364.69 terawatt-hours | 72.85 terawatt-hours | 291.84 terawatt-hours | Japan |
| 2000s | 391.34 terawatt-hours | 137.91 terawatt-hours | 253.43 terawatt-hours | Japan |
| 2010s | 207.23 terawatt-hours | 166.43 terawatt-hours | 40.8 terawatt-hours | Japan |
| 2020s | 287.58 terawatt-hours | 229.48 terawatt-hours | 58.11 terawatt-hours | Japan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher electricity generation from low-carbon sources, Japan or South Korea?
- Japan, at 336.82 terawatt-hours against 249.6 terawatt-hours in South Korea as of 2025.
- What is the difference in electricity generation from low-carbon sources between Japan and South Korea?
- 87.22 terawatt-hours, with Japan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and South Korea?
- 55 years are reported by both, from 1971 to 2025.
- How do Japan and South Korea rank globally for electricity generation from low-carbon sources?
- Japan ranks 8th and South Korea ranks 10th of 209 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Electricity generation from low-carbon sources. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours. Low-carbon sources correspond to renewables and nuclear power, that produce significantly less greenhouse-gas emissions than fossil fuels. Renewables include solar, wind, hydropower, bioenergy, geothermal, wave, and tidal.