Germany vs South Korea: Share of global CO₂ emissions from coal
Germany
1.0%
in 2024
South Korea
1.6%
in 2024
Germany rank
11th
South Korea rank
8th
Share of global CO₂ emissions from coal over time
- Germany
- South Korea
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 1.6% against 1.0% in Germany, a difference of 0.6%.
That makes South Korea's figure about 1.5 times Germany's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 115 shared years of data; in 1905 it was Germany ahead.
Germany ranks 11th and South Korea ranks 8th of 179 countries.
Across the 13 decades both report, Germany averaged higher in 12 and South Korea in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Germany | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 16.2% | 0.0% | 16.2% | Germany |
| 1910s | 15.8% | 0.0% | 15.8% | Germany |
| 1920s | 14.5% | 0.0% | 14.5% | Germany |
| 1930s | 15.2% | 0.0% | 15.2% | Germany |
| 1940s | 13.5% | 0.0% | 13.5% | Germany |
| 1950s | 14.6% | 0.1% | 14.5% | Germany |
| 1960s | 13.6% | 0.3% | 13.2% | Germany |
| 1970s | 9.2% | 0.5% | 8.6% | Germany |
| 1980s | 7.2% | 1.0% | 6.2% | Germany |
| 1990s | 5.0% | 1.3% | 3.7% | Germany |
| 2000s | 3.3% | 1.9% | 1.5% | Germany |
| 2010s | 2.2% | 2.2% | 0.0% | Germany |
| 2020s | 1.3% | 1.8% | 0.4% | South Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher share of global co₂ emissions from coal, Germany or South Korea?
- South Korea, at 1.6% against 1.0% in Germany as of 2024.
- What is the difference in share of global co₂ emissions from coal between Germany and South Korea?
- 0.6%, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Germany and South Korea?
- 115 years are reported by both, from 1905 to 2024.
- How do Germany and South Korea rank globally for share of global co₂ emissions from coal?
- Germany ranks 11th and South Korea ranks 8th of 179 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 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 as a percentage of global emissions of CO₂ from coal in the same year.