Carbon dioxide emissions by income level, per square kilometre in North Korea
North Korea: Carbon dioxide emissions by income level, per square kilometre was 519.48 tonnes per square kilometre in 2024. ▼ Falling
Carbon dioxide emissions by income level, per square kilometre in North Korea, 1961–2024
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in tonnes per square kilometre.
Analysis
North Korea recorded 519.48 tonnes per square kilometre for carbon dioxide emissions by income level, per square kilometre in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 57.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, carbon dioxide emissions by income level, per square kilometre in North Korea peaked at 1,738 tonnes per square kilometre in 1989 and was at its lowest, 219.47 tonnes per square kilometre, in 1961.
That places North Korea 61st out of 204 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Carbon dioxide emissions by income level, per square kilometre in North Korea, year by year
| Year | tonnes per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 219.47 tonnes per square kilometre | — |
| 1962 | 254.86 tonnes per square kilometre | +16.1% |
| 1963 | 272.62 tonnes per square kilometre | +7.0% |
| 1964 | 295.81 tonnes per square kilometre | +8.5% |
| 1965 | 367.26 tonnes per square kilometre | +24.2% |
| 1966 | 395.31 tonnes per square kilometre | +7.6% |
| 1967 | 435.11 tonnes per square kilometre | +10.1% |
| 1968 | 492.23 tonnes per square kilometre | +13.1% |
| 1969 | 532.18 tonnes per square kilometre | +8.1% |
| 1970 | 610.22 tonnes per square kilometre | +14.7% |
| 1971 | 892.39 tonnes per square kilometre | +46.2% |
| 1972 | 743.33 tonnes per square kilometre | -16.7% |
| 1973 | 808.28 tonnes per square kilometre | +8.7% |
| 1974 | 843.88 tonnes per square kilometre | +4.4% |
| 1975 | 893.81 tonnes per square kilometre | +5.9% |
| 1976 | 913.8 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.2% |
| 1977 | 943.98 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.3% |
| 1978 | 898.67 tonnes per square kilometre | -4.8% |
| 1979 | 915.73 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.9% |
| 1980 | 947.45 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.5% |
| 1981 | 950.08 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.3% |
| 1982 | 970.73 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.2% |
| 1983 | 1,039 tonnes per square kilometre | +7.1% |
| 1984 | 1,118 tonnes per square kilometre | +7.6% |
| 1985 | 1,198 tonnes per square kilometre | +7.2% |
| 1986 | 1,303 tonnes per square kilometre | +8.7% |
| 1987 | 1,459 tonnes per square kilometre | +12.0% |
| 1988 | 1,655 tonnes per square kilometre | +13.4% |
| 1989 | 1,738 tonnes per square kilometre | +5.0% |
| 1990 | 983.17 tonnes per square kilometre | -43.4% |
| 1991 | 936.96 tonnes per square kilometre | -4.7% |
| 1992 | 813.76 tonnes per square kilometre | -13.1% |
| 1993 | 744 tonnes per square kilometre | -8.6% |
| 1994 | 677.55 tonnes per square kilometre | -8.9% |
| 1995 | 631.89 tonnes per square kilometre | -6.7% |
| 1996 | 550.55 tonnes per square kilometre | -12.9% |
| 1997 | 528.85 tonnes per square kilometre | -3.9% |
| 1998 | 487.91 tonnes per square kilometre | -7.7% |
| 1999 | 532.71 tonnes per square kilometre | +9.2% |
| 2000 | 574.41 tonnes per square kilometre | +7.8% |
| 2001 | 595.2 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.6% |
| 2002 | 570.07 tonnes per square kilometre | -4.2% |
| 2003 | 582.53 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.2% |
| 2004 | 595.65 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.3% |
| 2005 | 622.96 tonnes per square kilometre | +4.6% |
| 2006 | 632.59 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 527.18 tonnes per square kilometre | -16.7% |
| 2008 | 584.05 tonnes per square kilometre | +10.8% |
| 2009 | 561.91 tonnes per square kilometre | -3.8% |
| 2010 | 542.77 tonnes per square kilometre | -3.4% |
| 2011 | 397.53 tonnes per square kilometre | -26.8% |
| 2012 | 388.3 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.3% |
| 2013 | 300.18 tonnes per square kilometre | -22.7% |
| 2014 | 330.74 tonnes per square kilometre | +10.2% |
| 2015 | 259.76 tonnes per square kilometre | -21.5% |
| 2016 | 284.33 tonnes per square kilometre | +9.5% |
| 2017 | 578.92 tonnes per square kilometre | +103.6% |
| 2018 | 519.96 tonnes per square kilometre | -10.2% |
| 2019 | 577.3 tonnes per square kilometre | +11.0% |
| 2020 | 544.61 tonnes per square kilometre | -5.7% |
| 2021 | 448.22 tonnes per square kilometre | -17.7% |
| 2022 | 467.48 tonnes per square kilometre | +4.3% |
| 2023 | 515.12 tonnes per square kilometre | +10.2% |
| 2024 | 519.48 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.8% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 519.48 tonnes per square kilometre is above the median for low income countries, which is 12.17 tonnes per square kilometre, 42.7× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 519.48 tonnes per square kilometre is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 356.9 tonnes per square kilometre, 1.5× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Carbon dioxide emissions by income level, per square kilometre in North Korea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | +103.6% | 284.33 tonnes per square kilometre | 578.92 tonnes per square kilometre |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 362.76 tonnes per square kilometre | 219.47 tonnes per square kilometre | 532.18 tonnes per square kilometre | 9 |
| 1970s | 846.41 tonnes per square kilometre | 610.22 tonnes per square kilometre | 943.98 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 1,238 tonnes per square kilometre | 947.45 tonnes per square kilometre | 1,738 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 688.73 tonnes per square kilometre | 487.91 tonnes per square kilometre | 983.17 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 584.66 tonnes per square kilometre | 527.18 tonnes per square kilometre | 632.59 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 417.98 tonnes per square kilometre | 259.76 tonnes per square kilometre | 578.92 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 498.98 tonnes per square kilometre | 448.22 tonnes per square kilometre | 544.61 tonnes per square kilometre | 5 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
- 58 United States 536.12 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 59 Faroe Islands 529.48 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 60 Thailand 524.11 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 62 Palau 491.52 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 63 France 490.13 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 64 Iran 488.52 tonnes per square kilometre compare
More climate change data for North Korea
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.2% (2100)
- Population, total 26.57 million (2025)
- Precipitation anomalies, annual growth rate 27.14 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban population, per capita 0.6419 units per person (2025)
- Urban population, annual growth rate 0.7919 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban population 17.06 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.8% (2025)
- Population growth 0.3% (2025)
- Population, total, annual growth rate 0.2725 % change on previous year (2025)
- Per capita CO₂ emissions vs. per capita energy use 2.36 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is carbon dioxide emissions by income level, per square kilometre in North Korea?
- Carbon dioxide emissions by income level, per square kilometre in North Korea was 519.48 tonnes per square kilometre in 2024, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest carbon dioxide emissions by income level, per square kilometre recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 1,738 tonnes per square kilometre in 1989.
- What is the lowest carbon dioxide emissions by income level, per square kilometre recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 219.47 tonnes per square kilometre in 1961.
- How does North Korea rank for carbon dioxide emissions by income level, per square kilometre?
- North Korea ranks 61st out of 204 countries with data for 2024.
- Is carbon dioxide emissions by income level, per square kilometre rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 57.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Carbon dioxide emissions by income level, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Carbon dioxide emissions by income level divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
Carbon dioxide emissions by income level ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- Carbon dioxide emissions by income level Global Carbon Budget (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Carbon dioxide emissions by income level divided by Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.