Annual PM2.5 emissions from wildfires in South Korea
South Korea: Annual PM2.5 emissions from wildfires was 974.35 tonnes in 2026. ▲ Rising
Annual PM2.5 emissions from wildfires in South Korea, 2003–2026
Source: Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 974.35 tonnes for annual pm2.5 emissions from wildfires in 2026. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
The figure is down 89.0% on the previous year and down 69.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual pm2.5 emissions from wildfires in South Korea peaked at 8,853 tonnes in 2025 and was at its lowest, 974.35 tonnes, in 2026.
That places South Korea 123rd out of 248 countries with data for 2026, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
Annual PM2.5 emissions from wildfires in South Korea, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 1,628 tonnes | — |
| 2004 | 3,520 tonnes | +116.3% |
| 2005 | 2,928 tonnes | -16.8% |
| 2006 | 2,238 tonnes | -23.6% |
| 2007 | 2,394 tonnes | +7.0% |
| 2008 | 2,505 tonnes | +4.6% |
| 2009 | 2,806 tonnes | +12.0% |
| 2010 | 2,554 tonnes | -9.0% |
| 2011 | 3,435 tonnes | +34.5% |
| 2012 | 2,471 tonnes | -28.1% |
| 2013 | 2,229 tonnes | -9.8% |
| 2014 | 2,899 tonnes | +30.1% |
| 2015 | 2,579 tonnes | -11.0% |
| 2016 | 3,226 tonnes | +25.1% |
| 2017 | 2,643 tonnes | -18.1% |
| 2018 | 5,093 tonnes | +92.7% |
| 2019 | 3,185 tonnes | -37.5% |
| 2020 | 5,820 tonnes | +82.7% |
| 2021 | 2,856 tonnes | -50.9% |
| 2022 | 5,350 tonnes | +87.3% |
| 2023 | 5,890 tonnes | +10.1% |
| 2024 | 5,534 tonnes | -6.0% |
| 2025 | 8,853 tonnes | +60.0% |
| 2026 | 974.35 tonnes | -89.0% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 974.35 tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 221.26 tonnes, 4.4× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 974.35 tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 301.22 tonnes, 3.2× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 2,574 tonnes | 1,628 tonnes | 3,520 tonnes | 7 |
| 2010s | 3,031 tonnes | 2,229 tonnes | 5,093 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 5,040 tonnes | 974.35 tonnes | 8,853 tonnes | 7 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More climate change data for South Korea
- Spring temperature anomalies 1.1 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.7164 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month -0.8996 °C (2026)
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.2% (2100)
- Population, total, annual growth rate -0.1285 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population, total, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, annual growth rate -0.1214 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, per capita 0.8117 units per person (2025)
- Precipitation anomalies, annual growth rate -78.08 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual pm2.5 emissions from wildfires in South Korea?
- Annual pm2.5 emissions from wildfires in South Korea was 974.35 tonnes in 2026, according to Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual pm2.5 emissions from wildfires recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 8,853 tonnes in 2025.
- What is the lowest annual pm2.5 emissions from wildfires recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 974.35 tonnes in 2026.
- How does South Korea rank for annual pm2.5 emissions from wildfires?
- South Korea ranks 123rd out of 248 countries with data for 2026.
- Is annual pm2.5 emissions from wildfires rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 69.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Global Wildfire Information System (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual PM2.5 emissions from wildfires. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
PM2.5 emissions represent the quantity of fine particulate matter (diameter less than 2.5 micrometers) released by wildfires, in tonnes. The 2026 data is incomplete and was last updated 18 September 2026.