Iran vs South Korea: Share of global CO₂ emissions vs. share of population
Iran
2.1%
in 2024
South Korea
1.5%
in 2024
Iran rank
7th
South Korea rank
9th
Share of global CO₂ emissions vs. share of population over time
- Iran
- South Korea
How they compare
Iran currently reports 2.1% against 1.5% in South Korea, a difference of 0.6%.
That makes Iran's figure about 1.4 times South Korea's.
The two have swapped places 10 times across 113 shared years of data; in 1911 it was Iran ahead.
Iran ranks 7th and South Korea ranks 9th of 215 countries.
Across the 12 decades both report, Iran averaged higher in 9 and South Korea in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iran | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 0.1% | 0.0% | 0.1% | Iran |
| 1920s | 0.3% | 0.0% | 0.3% | Iran |
| 1930s | 0.6% | 0.0% | 0.6% | Iran |
| 1940s | 0.8% | 0.0% | 0.8% | Iran |
| 1950s | 0.2% | 0.1% | 0.1% | Iran |
| 1960s | 0.5% | 0.2% | 0.3% | Iran |
| 1970s | 0.8% | 0.5% | 0.3% | Iran |
| 1980s | 0.7% | 0.8% | 0.1% | South Korea |
| 1990s | 1.1% | 1.5% | 0.4% | South Korea |
| 2000s | 1.6% | 1.7% | 0.1% | South Korea |
| 2010s | 1.8% | 1.8% | 0.0% | Iran |
| 2020s | 2.1% | 1.6% | 0.5% | Iran |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of global co₂ emissions vs. share of population, Iran or South Korea?
- Iran, at 2.1% against 1.5% in South Korea as of 2024.
- What is the difference in share of global co₂ emissions vs. share of population between Iran and South Korea?
- 0.6%, with Iran ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iran and South Korea?
- 113 years are reported by both, from 1911 to 2024.
- How do Iran and South Korea rank globally for share of global co₂ emissions vs. share of population?
- Iran ranks 7th and South Korea ranks 9th of 215 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Share of global CO₂ emissions vs. share of population. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Annual total emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), excluding land-use change, measured as a percentage of global emissions of CO₂ in the same year.