Carbon intensity: CO₂ emissions per dollar of GDP in North Korea

North Korea: Carbon intensity: CO₂ emissions per dollar of GDP was 1.39 kilograms per international-$ in 2022. ▲ Rising

Latest (2022)
1.39 kilograms per international-$
Change on year
up 4.5%
World rank
1st
of 164 countries
All-time high
2.36 kilograms per international-$
in 1990
All-time low
0.0542 kilograms per international-$
in 1913
Years of data
34
1913–2022

Carbon intensity: CO₂ emissions per dollar of GDP in North Korea, 1913–2022

00.511.522.51913196720221913: 0.054 kilograms per international-$1990: 2.4 kilograms per international-$1991: 2.3 kilograms per international-$1992: 2.2 kilograms per international-$1993: 2.1 kilograms per international-$1994: 1.9 kilograms per international-$1995: 1.9 kilograms per international-$1996: 1.7 kilograms per international-$1997: 1.8 kilograms per international-$1998: 1.7 kilograms per international-$1999: 1.7 kilograms per international-$2000: 1.8 kilograms per international-$2001: 1.8 kilograms per international-$2002: 1.7 kilograms per international-$2003: 1.7 kilograms per international-$2004: 1.7 kilograms per international-$2005: 1.8 kilograms per international-$2006: 1.8 kilograms per international-$2007: 1.5 kilograms per international-$2008: 1.6 kilograms per international-$2009: 1.6 kilograms per international-$2010: 1.5 kilograms per international-$2011: 1.1 kilograms per international-$2012: 1.1 kilograms per international-$2013: 0.821 kilograms per international-$2014: 0.895 kilograms per international-$2015: 0.71 kilograms per international-$2016: 0.749 kilograms per international-$2017: 1.6 kilograms per international-$2018: 1.5 kilograms per international-$2019: 1.6 kilograms per international-$2020: 1.6 kilograms per international-$2021: 1.3 kilograms per international-$2022: 1.4 kilograms per international-$

Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025); Bolt and van Zanden – Maddison Project Database 2023 – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in kilograms per international-$.

Analysis

In 2022, carbon intensity: co₂ emissions per dollar of gdp in North Korea stood at 1.39 kilograms per international-$.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.5% on the previous year and up 29.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, carbon intensity: co₂ emissions per dollar of gdp in North Korea peaked at 2.36 kilograms per international-$ in 1990 and was at its lowest, 0.0542 kilograms per international-$, in 1913.

That places North Korea 1st out of 164 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1910s 0.0542 kilograms per international-$ 0.0542 kilograms per international-$ 0.0542 kilograms per international-$ 1
1990s 1.96 kilograms per international-$ 1.65 kilograms per international-$ 2.36 kilograms per international-$ 10
2000s 1.72 kilograms per international-$ 1.52 kilograms per international-$ 1.83 kilograms per international-$ 10
2010s 1.16 kilograms per international-$ 0.7103 kilograms per international-$ 1.64 kilograms per international-$ 10
2020s 1.45 kilograms per international-$ 1.33 kilograms per international-$ 1.62 kilograms per international-$ 3

Countries ranked near North Korea

  1. 2 Turkmenistan 1.05 kilograms per international-$ compare
  2. 3 Trinidad and Tobago 0.9995 kilograms per international-$ compare
  3. 4 Mongolia 0.9026 kilograms per international-$ compare

See the full ranking of 164 places →

More climate change data for North Korea

All data for North Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is carbon intensity: co₂ emissions per dollar of gdp in North Korea?
Carbon intensity: co₂ emissions per dollar of gdp in North Korea was 1.39 kilograms per international-$ in 2022, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025); Bolt and van Zanden – Maddison Project Database 2023 – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest carbon intensity: co₂ emissions per dollar of gdp recorded in North Korea?
The highest recorded value was 2.36 kilograms per international-$ in 1990.
What is the lowest carbon intensity: co₂ emissions per dollar of gdp recorded in North Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 0.0542 kilograms per international-$ in 1913.
How does North Korea rank for carbon intensity: co₂ emissions per dollar of gdp?
North Korea ranks 1st out of 164 countries with data for 2022.
Is carbon intensity: co₂ emissions per dollar of gdp rising or falling in North Korea?
Over the last ten years it is up 29.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this North Korea data come from?
The figures come from Global Carbon Budget (2025); Bolt and van Zanden – Maddison Project Database 2023 – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Carbon intensity: CO₂ emissions per dollar of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Carbon intensity: CO₂ emissions per dollar of GDP
Unit
kilograms per international-$
Source
Global Carbon Budget (2025); Bolt and van Zanden – Maddison Project Database 2023 – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
164 places, 14,672 data points, 1820–2022
Last refreshed

Annual total emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), excluding land-use change, measured in kilograms per dollar of GDP (2011 international-$).