Year-on-year change in CO₂ emissions in South Korea
South Korea: Year-on-year change in CO₂ emissions was -5.50 million tonnes in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Year-on-year change in CO₂ emissions in South Korea, 1910–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
South Korea recorded -5.50 million tonnes for year-on-year change in co₂ emissions in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 68.9% on the previous year and down 5.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, year-on-year change in co₂ emissions in South Korea peaked at 56.52 million tonnes in 2010 and was at its lowest, -66.93 million tonnes, in 1998.
That places South Korea 204th out of 215 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 2,893 tonnes | -5,400 tonnes | 7,714 tonnes | 8 |
| 1920s | 9,989 tonnes | 965 tonnes | 33,169 tonnes | 10 |
| 1930s | 49,226 tonnes | -7,521 tonnes | 145,727 tonnes | 10 |
| 1940s | 155,312 tonnes | -1.01 million tonnes | 773,105 tonnes | 10 |
| 1950s | 904,505 tonnes | 7,358 tonnes | 2.21 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1960s | 3.12 million tonnes | 1.11 million tonnes | 5.27 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1970s | 9.04 million tonnes | 1.71 million tonnes | 19.75 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 9.06 million tonnes | 1.19 million tonnes | 25.60 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 18.70 million tonnes | -66.93 million tonnes | 37.33 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.73 million tonnes | 4.79 million tonnes | 29.46 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 10.83 million tonnes | -24.07 million tonnes | 56.52 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | -12.48 million tonnes | -48.47 million tonnes | 18.44 million tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More climate change data for South Korea
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.2% (2100)
- Population growth -0.1% (2025)
- Population, total 51.68 million (2025)
- Urban population growth -0.1% (2025)
- Urban population 41.95 million (2025)
- Urban population 81.2% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 11.29 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 20.71 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 11.29 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 11.29 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is year-on-year change in co₂ emissions in South Korea?
- Year-on-year change in co₂ emissions in South Korea was -5.50 million tonnes in 2024, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest year-on-year change in co₂ emissions recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 56.52 million tonnes in 2010.
- What is the lowest year-on-year change in co₂ emissions recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was -66.93 million tonnes in 1998.
- How does South Korea rank for year-on-year change in co₂ emissions?
- South Korea ranks 204th out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is year-on-year change in co₂ emissions rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Year-on-year change in CO₂ emissions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 113 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual growth in total emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), excluding land-use change, measured in tonnes.