Share of CO₂ emissions covered by a carbon price in South Korea

South Korea: Share of CO₂ emissions covered by a carbon price was 82.1% in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
82.1%
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
11th
of 200 countries
All-time high
82.1%
in 2022
All-time low
0.0%
in 1989
Years of data
37
1989–2025

Share of CO₂ emissions covered by a carbon price in South Korea, 1989–2025

0204060801989200720251989: 0 %1990: 0 %1991: 0 %1992: 0 %1993: 0 %1994: 0 %1995: 0 %1996: 0 %1997: 0 %1998: 0 %1999: 0 %2000: 0 %2001: 0 %2002: 0 %2003: 0 %2004: 0 %2005: 0 %2006: 0 %2007: 0 %2008: 0 %2009: 0 %2010: 0 %2011: 0 %2012: 0 %2013: 0 %2014: 0 %2015: 68.4 %2016: 67.4 %2017: 66.5 %2018: 70.7 %2019: 68.4 %2020: 65.8 %2021: 81.1 %2022: 82.1 %2023: 82.1 %2024: 82.1 %2025: 82.1 %

Source: Dolphin and Merkle (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2025, share of co₂ emissions covered by a carbon price in South Korea stood at 82.1%. That is the highest value across all 37 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 20.0% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of co₂ emissions covered by a carbon price in South Korea peaked at 82.1% in 2022 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1989.

South Korea ranks 11th of 200 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Share of CO₂ emissions covered by a carbon price in South Korea, year by year

Annual values for Share of CO₂ emissions covered by a carbon price in South Korea, 1989 to 2025.
Year % Change
1989 0.0%
1990 0.0%
1991 0.0%
1992 0.0%
1993 0.0%
1994 0.0%
1995 0.0%
1996 0.0%
1997 0.0%
1998 0.0%
1999 0.0%
2000 0.0%
2001 0.0%
2002 0.0%
2003 0.0%
2004 0.0%
2005 0.0%
2006 0.0%
2007 0.0%
2008 0.0%
2009 0.0%
2010 0.0%
2011 0.0%
2012 0.0%
2013 0.0%
2014 0.0%
2015 68.4%
2016 67.4% -1.5%
2017 66.5% -1.3%
2018 70.7% +6.3%
2019 68.4% -3.2%
2020 65.8% -3.8%
2021 81.1% +23.2%
2022 82.1% +1.2%
2023 82.1% +0.0%
2024 82.1% +0.0%
2025 82.1% +0.0%

South Korea compared with similar countries

  • South Korea's 82.1% is above the median for high income countries, which is 37.8%, 2.2× the median. (67 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 1
1990s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 10
2000s 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% 10
2010s 34.1% 0.0% 70.7% 10
2020s 79.2% 65.8% 82.1% 6

Countries ranked near South Korea

  1. 8 Uruguay 86.5% compare
  2. 9 New Zealand 86.1% compare
  3. 10 France 85.4% compare
  4. 12 Austria 80.8% compare
  5. 13 Mexico 80.3% compare
  6. 14 Sweden 78.8% compare

See the full ranking of 200 places →

More climate change data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of co₂ emissions covered by a carbon price in South Korea?
Share of co₂ emissions covered by a carbon price in South Korea was 82.1% in 2025, according to Dolphin and Merkle (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of co₂ emissions covered by a carbon price recorded in South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 82.1% in 2022.
What is the lowest share of co₂ emissions covered by a carbon price recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1989.
How does South Korea rank for share of co₂ emissions covered by a carbon price?
South Korea ranks 11th out of 200 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of co₂ emissions covered by a carbon price rising or falling in South Korea?
Over the last ten years it is up 20.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Korea data come from?
The figures come from Dolphin and Merkle (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of CO₂ emissions covered by a carbon price. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of CO₂ emissions covered by a carbon price in South Korea. Statizoid, drawing on Dolphin and Merkle (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 24 September 2026, from https://climate.statizoid.com/stat/carbon-tax-trading-coverage/korea-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of CO₂ emissions covered by a carbon price
Unit
%
Source
Dolphin and Merkle (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
200 places, 7,400 data points, 1989–2025
Last refreshed

Carbon dioxide emissions are included in this figure if they are covered by a carbon tax or trading system.