South Korea vs Taiwan: Per capita CO₂ emissions by source
South Korea
4.78 tonnes per person
in 2024
Taiwan
6.08 tonnes per person
in 2024
South Korea rank
9th
Taiwan rank
6th
Per capita CO₂ emissions by source over time
- South Korea
- Taiwan
How they compare
Taiwan currently reports 6.08 tonnes per person against 4.78 tonnes per person in South Korea, a difference of 1.3 tonnes per person.
That makes Taiwan's figure about 1.3 times South Korea's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 115 shared years of data; in 1905 it was Taiwan ahead.
South Korea ranks 9th and Taiwan ranks 6th of 179 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, South Korea averaged higher in 2 and Taiwan in 11.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | Taiwan | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.0005 tonnes per person | 0.1186 tonnes per person | 0.1182 tonnes per person | Taiwan |
| 1910s | 0.0021 tonnes per person | 0.3605 tonnes per person | 0.3585 tonnes per person | Taiwan |
| 1920s | 0.0061 tonnes per person | 0.9927 tonnes per person | 0.9866 tonnes per person | Taiwan |
| 1930s | 0.0195 tonnes per person | 0.9125 tonnes per person | 0.8929 tonnes per person | Taiwan |
| 1940s | 0.0613 tonnes per person | 0.8325 tonnes per person | 0.7711 tonnes per person | Taiwan |
| 1950s | 0.2141 tonnes per person | 0.5993 tonnes per person | 0.3852 tonnes per person | Taiwan |
| 1960s | 0.604 tonnes per person | 0.8541 tonnes per person | 0.2501 tonnes per person | Taiwan |
| 1970s | 0.8799 tonnes per person | 0.5654 tonnes per person | 0.3145 tonnes per person | South Korea |
| 1980s | 1.89 tonnes per person | 1.37 tonnes per person | 0.5265 tonnes per person | South Korea |
| 1990s | 2.48 tonnes per person | 3.12 tonnes per person | 0.6439 tonnes per person | Taiwan |
| 2000s | 4.38 tonnes per person | 6.11 tonnes per person | 1.73 tonnes per person | Taiwan |
| 2010s | 6.41 tonnes per person | 6.91 tonnes per person | 0.495 tonnes per person | Taiwan |
| 2020s | 5.22 tonnes per person | 6.55 tonnes per person | 1.33 tonnes per person | Taiwan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher per capita co₂ emissions by source, South Korea or Taiwan?
- Taiwan, at 6.08 tonnes per person against 4.78 tonnes per person in South Korea as of 2024.
- What is the difference in per capita co₂ emissions by source between South Korea and Taiwan?
- 1.3 tonnes per person, with Taiwan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and Taiwan?
- 115 years are reported by both, from 1905 to 2024.
- How do South Korea and Taiwan rank globally for per capita co₂ emissions by source?
- South Korea ranks 9th and Taiwan ranks 6th of 179 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Carbon Budget (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Per capita CO₂ emissions by source. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Annual emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) from coal, measured in tonnes per person.