Iceland vs South Korea: Per capita GHG emissions vs. per capita CO₂ emissions
Iceland
10.46 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 2024
South Korea
12.01 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 2024
Iceland rank
22nd
South Korea rank
19th
Per capita GHG emissions vs. per capita CO₂ emissions over time
- Iceland
- South Korea
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 12.01 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person against 10.46 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in Iceland, a difference of 1.55 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person.
That makes South Korea's figure about 1.1 times Iceland's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 175 shared years of data; in 1850 it was South Korea ahead.
Iceland ranks 22nd and South Korea ranks 19th of 197 countries.
Across the 18 decades both report, Iceland averaged higher in 7 and South Korea in 11.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iceland | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 0.1501 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.6785 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.5284 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Korea |
| 1860s | 0.1471 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.6822 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.5351 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Korea |
| 1870s | 0.1596 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.6864 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.5267 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Korea |
| 1880s | 0.1824 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.692 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.5096 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Korea |
| 1890s | 0.211 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.6983 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.4873 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Korea |
| 1900s | 0.2457 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.7041 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.4585 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Korea |
| 1910s | 0.2692 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.7095 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.4402 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Korea |
| 1920s | 0.2839 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.7296 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.4456 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Korea |
| 1930s | 0.3225 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.7604 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.4379 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Korea |
| 1940s | 4.32 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.7939 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3.53 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Iceland |
| 1950s | 6.35 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.7354 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5.62 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Iceland |
| 1960s | 8.08 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.27 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 6.8 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Iceland |
| 1970s | 9.19 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.81 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 6.37 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Iceland |
| 1980s | 8.59 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 4.71 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 3.88 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Iceland |
| 1990s | 10.25 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 8.46 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.79 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Iceland |
| 2000s | 11.93 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10.92 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.01 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Iceland |
| 2010s | 11.68 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 13.12 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.44 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Korea |
| 2020s | 10.19 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 12.24 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.05 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | South Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher per capita ghg emissions vs. per capita co₂ emissions, Iceland or South Korea?
- South Korea, at 12.01 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person against 10.46 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in Iceland as of 2024.
- What is the difference in per capita ghg emissions vs. per capita co₂ emissions between Iceland and South Korea?
- 1.55 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iceland and South Korea?
- 175 years are reported by both, from 1850 to 2024.
- How do Iceland and South Korea rank globally for per capita ghg emissions vs. per capita co₂ emissions?
- Iceland ranks 22nd and South Korea ranks 19th of 197 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Per capita GHG emissions vs. per capita CO₂ emissions. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Greenhouse gas emissions are measured in tonnes per person of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.