South Korea vs United States: Primary energy from low-carbon energy per person
South Korea
13,063 kilowatt-hours per person
in 2025
United States
12,630 kilowatt-hours per person
in 2025
South Korea rank
8th
United States rank
9th
Primary energy from low-carbon energy per person over time
- South Korea
- United States
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 13,063 kilowatt-hours per person against 12,630 kilowatt-hours per person in United States, a difference of 433 kilowatt-hours per person.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 61 shared years of data; in 1965 it was United States ahead.
South Korea ranks 8th and United States ranks 9th of 80 countries.
United States has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | United States | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 32.64 kilowatt-hours per person | 1,476 kilowatt-hours per person | 1,444 kilowatt-hours per person | United States |
| 1970s | 90 kilowatt-hours per person | 3,745 kilowatt-hours per person | 3,655 kilowatt-hours per person | United States |
| 1980s | 1,521 kilowatt-hours per person | 6,828 kilowatt-hours per person | 5,306 kilowatt-hours per person | United States |
| 1990s | 4,706 kilowatt-hours per person | 10,092 kilowatt-hours per person | 5,386 kilowatt-hours per person | United States |
| 2000s | 8,597 kilowatt-hours per person | 10,939 kilowatt-hours per person | 2,342 kilowatt-hours per person | United States |
| 2010s | 9,696 kilowatt-hours per person | 11,655 kilowatt-hours per person | 1,959 kilowatt-hours per person | United States |
| 2020s | 12,171 kilowatt-hours per person | 12,190 kilowatt-hours per person | 18.58 kilowatt-hours per person | United States |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher primary energy from low-carbon energy per person, South Korea or United States?
- South Korea, at 13,063 kilowatt-hours per person against 12,630 kilowatt-hours per person in United States as of 2025.
- What is the difference in primary energy from low-carbon energy per person between South Korea and United States?
- 433 kilowatt-hours per person, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and United States?
- 61 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2025.
- How do South Korea and United States rank globally for primary energy from low-carbon energy per person?
- South Korea ranks 8th and United States ranks 9th of 80 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Primary energy from low-carbon energy per person. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured in kilowatt-hours of total energy supply per person.