Co2 intensity in South Korea
South Korea: Co2 intensity was 0.2839 in 2022. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2022)
0.2839
Change on year
down 4.0%
World rank
46th
of 164 countries
All-time high
0.5819
in 1980
All-time low
0.0011
in 1911
Years of data
109
1911–2022
Co2 intensity in South Korea, 1911–2022
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2022, co2 intensity in South Korea stood at 0.2839.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 4.0% on the previous year and down 25.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, co2 intensity in South Korea peaked at 0.5819 in 1980 and was at its lowest, 0.0011, in 1911.
South Korea ranks 46th of 164 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Co2 intensity in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1911 | 0.0011 | — |
| 1912 | 0.0014 | +25.0% |
| 1913 | 0.0014 | +6.5% |
| 1914 | 0.0019 | +31.3% |
| 1915 | 0.0023 | +22.5% |
| 1916 | 0.0018 | -21.5% |
| 1918 | 0.0016 | -12.0% |
| 1919 | 0.002 | +22.0% |
| 1920 | 0.0024 | +22.0% |
| 1921 | 0.0024 | +2.3% |
| 1922 | 0.0024 | -1.1% |
| 1923 | 0.0028 | +16.3% |
| 1924 | 0.0031 | +9.1% |
| 1925 | 0.0047 | +51.6% |
| 1926 | 0.0047 | +1.8% |
| 1927 | 0.0046 | -3.0% |
| 1928 | 0.0056 | +22.7% |
| 1929 | 0.0064 | +13.2% |
| 1930 | 0.0054 | -15.0% |
| 1931 | 0.0057 | +5.4% |
| 1932 | 0.0066 | +16.0% |
| 1933 | 0.0075 | +13.7% |
| 1934 | 0.0098 | +29.5% |
| 1935 | 0.0108 | +10.1% |
| 1936 | 0.013 | +21.0% |
| 1937 | 0.0117 | -10.4% |
| 1938 | 0.016 | +37.6% |
| 1939 | 0.025 | +55.6% |
| 1940 | 0.026 | +4.1% |
| 1941 | 0.0267 | +3.0% |
| 1942 | 0.0373 | +39.3% |
| 1943 | 0.0347 | -6.8% |
| 1946 | 0.0275 | -20.9% |
| 1947 | 0.0482 | +75.3% |
| 1948 | 0.0759 | +57.6% |
| 1949 | 0.0906 | +19.3% |
| 1950 | 0.105 | +15.9% |
| 1951 | 0.1414 | +34.7% |
| 1952 | 0.1592 | +12.6% |
| 1953 | 0.1693 | +6.3% |
| 1954 | 0.1768 | +4.4% |
| 1955 | 0.2119 | +19.9% |
| 1956 | 0.2481 | +17.1% |
| 1957 | 0.2477 | -0.2% |
| 1958 | 0.2552 | +3.1% |
| 1959 | 0.3008 | +17.8% |
| 1960 | 0.3269 | +8.7% |
| 1961 | 0.3513 | +7.5% |
| 1962 | 0.4032 | +14.8% |
| 1963 | 0.4502 | +11.7% |
| 1964 | 0.4322 | -4.0% |
| 1965 | 0.4538 | +5.0% |
| 1966 | 0.4864 | +7.2% |
| 1967 | 0.5221 | +7.3% |
| 1968 | 0.4886 | -6.4% |
| 1969 | 0.4871 | -0.3% |
| 1970 | 0.5601 | +15.0% |
| 1971 | 0.5525 | -1.3% |
| 1972 | 0.5308 | -3.9% |
| 1973 | 0.5604 | +5.6% |
| 1974 | 0.5295 | -5.5% |
| 1975 | 0.5307 | +0.2% |
| 1976 | 0.5347 | +0.8% |
| 1977 | 0.5392 | +0.8% |
| 1978 | 0.5218 | -3.2% |
| 1979 | 0.565 | +8.3% |
| 1980 | 0.5819 | +3.0% |
| 1981 | 0.5634 | -3.2% |
| 1982 | 0.5248 | -6.8% |
| 1983 | 0.4909 | -6.5% |
| 1984 | 0.479 | -2.4% |
| 1985 | 0.4668 | -2.5% |
| 1986 | 0.4385 | -6.1% |
| 1987 | 0.4099 | -6.5% |
| 1988 | 0.4169 | +1.7% |
| 1989 | 0.4127 | -1.0% |
| 1990 | 0.4212 | +2.1% |
| 1991 | 0.4229 | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 0.4363 | +3.2% |
| 1993 | 0.4527 | +3.8% |
| 1994 | 0.4496 | -0.7% |
| 1995 | 0.4457 | -0.9% |
| 1996 | 0.4577 | +2.7% |
| 1997 | 0.4599 | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 0.4162 | -9.5% |
| 1999 | 0.4088 | -1.8% |
| 2000 | 0.405 | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 0.4041 | -0.2% |
| 2002 | 0.3957 | -2.1% |
| 2003 | 0.3945 | -0.3% |
| 2004 | 0.3835 | -2.8% |
| 2005 | 0.3771 | -1.7% |
| 2006 | 0.3645 | -3.3% |
| 2007 | 0.3606 | -1.1% |
| 2008 | 0.3605 | -0.0% |
| 2009 | 0.364 | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 0.3803 | +4.5% |
| 2011 | 0.3874 | +1.9% |
| 2012 | 0.3811 | -1.6% |
| 2013 | 0.3733 | -2.0% |
| 2014 | 0.3587 | -3.9% |
| 2015 | 0.3516 | -2.0% |
| 2016 | 0.3435 | -2.3% |
| 2017 | 0.3417 | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 0.34 | -0.5% |
| 2019 | 0.3206 | -5.7% |
| 2020 | 0.2986 | -6.8% |
| 2021 | 0.2956 | -1.0% |
| 2022 | 0.2839 | -4.0% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 0.2839 is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.1825, 1.6× the median. (54 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 0.2839 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.2839, 1.0× the median. (17 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Co2 intensity in South 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1947 | +75.3% | 0.0275 | 0.0482 |
| 1948 | +57.6% | 0.0482 | 0.0759 |
| 1939 | +55.6% | 0.016 | 0.025 |
| 1925 | +51.6% | 0.0031 | 0.0047 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910s | 0.0017 | 0.0011 | 0.0023 | 8 |
| 1920s | 0.0039 | 0.0024 | 0.0064 | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.0111 | 0.0054 | 0.025 | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.0459 | 0.026 | 0.0906 | 8 |
| 1950s | 0.2015 | 0.105 | 0.3008 | 10 |
| 1960s | 0.4402 | 0.3269 | 0.5221 | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.5425 | 0.5218 | 0.565 | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.4785 | 0.4099 | 0.5819 | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.4371 | 0.4088 | 0.4599 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.381 | 0.3605 | 0.405 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.3578 | 0.3206 | 0.3874 | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.2927 | 0.2839 | 0.2986 | 3 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More climate change data for South Korea
- Share co2 vs population 0.2146 (2100)
- Co2 gdp growth, annual growth rate -49.74 % change on previous year (2025)
- Co2 gdp pop growth, annual growth rate -273.02 % change on previous year (2025)
- 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)
- Urban population 81.2% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is co2 intensity in South Korea?
- Co2 intensity in South Korea was 0.2839 in 2022, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest co2 intensity recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 0.5819 in 1980.
- What is the lowest co2 intensity recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0011 in 1911.
- How does South Korea rank for co2 intensity?
- South Korea ranks 46th out of 164 countries with data for 2022.
- Is co2 intensity rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Co2 intensity. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 109 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).