Iceland vs North Korea: Per capita CO₂ emissions from coal
Iceland
2.21 tonnes per person
in 2024
North Korea
2.16 tonnes per person
in 2024
Iceland rank
20th
North Korea rank
21st
Per capita CO₂ emissions from coal over time
- Iceland
- North Korea
How they compare
Iceland currently reports 2.21 tonnes per person against 2.16 tonnes per person in North Korea, a difference of 0.05 tonnes per person.
The two have swapped places 7 times across 84 shared years of data; in 1936 it was North Korea ahead.
Iceland ranks 20th and North Korea ranks 21st of 179 countries.
Across the 10 decades both report, Iceland averaged higher in 3 and North Korea in 7.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iceland | North Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0.1736 tonnes per person | 0.6636 tonnes per person | 0.4899 tonnes per person | North Korea |
| 1940s | 2.64 tonnes per person | 1.23 tonnes per person | 1.41 tonnes per person | Iceland |
| 1950s | 0.8257 tonnes per person | 0.5912 tonnes per person | 0.2346 tonnes per person | Iceland |
| 1960s | 0.1451 tonnes per person | 2.93 tonnes per person | 2.78 tonnes per person | North Korea |
| 1970s | 0.0298 tonnes per person | 5.7 tonnes per person | 5.67 tonnes per person | North Korea |
| 1980s | 0.7783 tonnes per person | 6.88 tonnes per person | 6.1 tonnes per person | North Korea |
| 1990s | 1.09 tonnes per person | 3.45 tonnes per person | 2.37 tonnes per person | North Korea |
| 2000s | 1.8 tonnes per person | 2.68 tonnes per person | 0.8862 tonnes per person | North Korea |
| 2010s | 1.99 tonnes per person | 1.76 tonnes per person | 0.2243 tonnes per person | Iceland |
| 2020s | 1.95 tonnes per person | 2.09 tonnes per person | 0.1404 tonnes per person | North Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher per capita co₂ emissions from coal, Iceland or North Korea?
- Iceland, at 2.21 tonnes per person against 2.16 tonnes per person in North Korea as of 2024.
- What is the difference in per capita co₂ emissions from coal between Iceland and North Korea?
- 0.05 tonnes per person, with Iceland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iceland and North Korea?
- 84 years are reported by both, from 1936 to 2024.
- How do Iceland and North Korea rank globally for per capita co₂ emissions from coal?
- Iceland ranks 20th and North Korea ranks 21st 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 from coal. 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.