CO₂ emissions from transport in South Korea
South Korea: CO₂ emissions from transport was 105.46 million tonnes in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
105.46 million tonnes
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
15th
of 191 countries
All-time high
105.99 million tonnes
in 2019
All-time low
43.74 million tonnes
in 1990
Years of data
34
1990–2023
CO₂ emissions from transport in South Korea, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 105.46 million tonnes for co₂ emissions from transport in 2023.
That represents a change of down 0.4% on the previous year and up 16.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, co₂ emissions from transport in South Korea peaked at 105.99 million tonnes in 2019 and was at its lowest, 43.74 million tonnes, in 1990.
South Korea ranks 15th of 191 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
CO₂ emissions from transport in South Korea, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 43.74 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 49.04 million tonnes | +12.1% |
| 1992 | 54.52 million tonnes | +11.2% |
| 1993 | 61.50 million tonnes | +12.8% |
| 1994 | 64.57 million tonnes | +5.0% |
| 1995 | 72.47 million tonnes | +12.2% |
| 1996 | 76.37 million tonnes | +5.4% |
| 1997 | 78.07 million tonnes | +2.2% |
| 1998 | 65.17 million tonnes | -16.5% |
| 1999 | 71.80 million tonnes | +10.2% |
| 2000 | 77.78 million tonnes | +8.3% |
| 2001 | 81.00 million tonnes | +4.1% |
| 2002 | 86.38 million tonnes | +6.6% |
| 2003 | 88.30 million tonnes | +2.2% |
| 2004 | 88.91 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 86.02 million tonnes | -3.3% |
| 2006 | 85.91 million tonnes | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 88.58 million tonnes | +3.1% |
| 2008 | 84.13 million tonnes | -5.0% |
| 2009 | 84.99 million tonnes | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 86.56 million tonnes | +1.8% |
| 2011 | 85.08 million tonnes | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 87.52 million tonnes | +2.9% |
| 2013 | 90.80 million tonnes | +3.7% |
| 2014 | 92.38 million tonnes | +1.7% |
| 2015 | 98.37 million tonnes | +6.5% |
| 2016 | 101.18 million tonnes | +2.9% |
| 2017 | 103.33 million tonnes | +2.1% |
| 2018 | 101.42 million tonnes | -1.8% |
| 2019 | 105.99 million tonnes | +4.5% |
| 2020 | 98.74 million tonnes | -6.8% |
| 2021 | 103.04 million tonnes | +4.4% |
| 2022 | 105.91 million tonnes | +2.8% |
| 2023 | 105.46 million tonnes | -0.4% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 105.46 million tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 12.23 million tonnes, 8.6× the median. (60 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 105.46 million tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.11 million tonnes, 33.9× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 63.73 million tonnes | 43.74 million tonnes | 78.07 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 85.20 million tonnes | 77.78 million tonnes | 88.91 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 95.26 million tonnes | 85.08 million tonnes | 105.99 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 103.29 million tonnes | 98.74 million tonnes | 105.91 million tonnes | 4 |
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 co₂ emissions from transport in South Korea?
- Co₂ emissions from transport in South Korea was 105.46 million tonnes in 2023, according to Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest co₂ emissions from transport recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 105.99 million tonnes in 2019.
- What is the lowest co₂ emissions from transport recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 43.74 million tonnes in 1990.
- How does South Korea rank for co₂ emissions from transport?
- South Korea ranks 15th out of 191 countries with data for 2023.
- Is co₂ emissions from transport rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of CO₂ emissions from transport. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Emissions are measured in tonnes.