South Korea vs Taiwan: Per capita CO₂ emissions relative to the global average
South Korea
11.29 tonnes per person
in 2024
Taiwan
11.3 tonnes per person
in 2024
South Korea rank
21st
Taiwan rank
20th
Per capita CO₂ emissions relative to the global average over time
- South Korea
- Taiwan
How they compare
Taiwan currently reports 11.3 tonnes per person against 11.29 tonnes per person in South Korea, a difference of 0.01 tonnes per person.
The two have swapped places 8 times across 116 shared years of data; in 1905 it was Taiwan ahead.
South Korea ranks 21st and Taiwan ranks 20th of 213 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 | 0.9968 tonnes per person | 0.9907 tonnes per person | Taiwan |
| 1930s | 0.0201 tonnes per person | 0.929 tonnes per person | 0.909 tonnes per person | Taiwan |
| 1940s | 0.0562 tonnes per person | 0.8137 tonnes per person | 0.7576 tonnes per person | Taiwan |
| 1950s | 0.2676 tonnes per person | 0.7812 tonnes per person | 0.5136 tonnes per person | Taiwan |
| 1960s | 0.8702 tonnes per person | 1.38 tonnes per person | 0.5106 tonnes per person | Taiwan |
| 1970s | 2.37 tonnes per person | 2.93 tonnes per person | 0.562 tonnes per person | Taiwan |
| 1980s | 4.12 tonnes per person | 4.41 tonnes per person | 0.2994 tonnes per person | Taiwan |
| 1990s | 7.82 tonnes per person | 7.74 tonnes per person | 0.0839 tonnes per person | South Korea |
| 2000s | 10.35 tonnes per person | 11.19 tonnes per person | 0.8357 tonnes per person | Taiwan |
| 2010s | 12.57 tonnes per person | 11.81 tonnes per person | 0.7605 tonnes per person | South Korea |
| 2020s | 11.56 tonnes per person | 11.6 tonnes per person | 0.0441 tonnes per person | Taiwan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher per capita co₂ emissions relative to the global average, South Korea or Taiwan?
- Taiwan, at 11.3 tonnes per person against 11.29 tonnes per person in South Korea as of 2024.
- What is the difference in per capita co₂ emissions relative to the global average between South Korea and Taiwan?
- 0.01 tonnes per person, with Taiwan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and Taiwan?
- 116 years are reported by both, from 1905 to 2024.
- How do South Korea and Taiwan rank globally for per capita co₂ emissions relative to the global average?
- South Korea ranks 21st and Taiwan ranks 20th of 213 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 relative to the global average. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from burning fossil fuels and industrial processes. This includes emissions from transport, electricity generation, and heating, but not land-use change.