Are consumption-based CO₂ per capita emissions above or below the global average? in South Korea
South Korea: Are consumption-based CO₂ per capita emissions above or below the global average? was 13.7 tonnes per person in 2023. ▲ Rising
Are consumption-based CO₂ per capita emissions above or below the global average? in South Korea, 1990–2023
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes per person.
Analysis
The most recent figure for are consumption-based co₂ per capita emissions above or below the global average? in South Korea is 13.7 tonnes per person, measured in 2023.
That represents a change of down 1.8% on the previous year and up 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, are consumption-based co₂ per capita emissions above or below the global average? in South Korea peaked at 14.51 tonnes per person in 2018 and was at its lowest, 7.51 tonnes per person, in 1990.
That places South Korea 15th out of 120 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Are consumption-based CO₂ per capita emissions above or below the global average? in South Korea, year by year
| Year | tonnes per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 7.51 tonnes per person | — |
| 1991 | 7.96 tonnes per person | +6.1% |
| 1992 | 9.41 tonnes per person | +18.2% |
| 1993 | 9.38 tonnes per person | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 9.75 tonnes per person | +4.0% |
| 1995 | 10.28 tonnes per person | +5.4% |
| 1996 | 11.02 tonnes per person | +7.3% |
| 1997 | 10.87 tonnes per person | -1.4% |
| 1998 | 7.95 tonnes per person | -26.9% |
| 1999 | 9.38 tonnes per person | +18.0% |
| 2000 | 10.74 tonnes per person | +14.5% |
| 2001 | 10.71 tonnes per person | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 11.43 tonnes per person | +6.7% |
| 2003 | 11.56 tonnes per person | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 11.8 tonnes per person | +2.1% |
| 2005 | 12.42 tonnes per person | +5.2% |
| 2006 | 12.76 tonnes per person | +2.7% |
| 2007 | 13.33 tonnes per person | +4.5% |
| 2008 | 13.33 tonnes per person | -0.0% |
| 2009 | 11.82 tonnes per person | -11.3% |
| 2010 | 13.42 tonnes per person | +13.5% |
| 2011 | 13.9 tonnes per person | +3.6% |
| 2012 | 13.41 tonnes per person | -3.6% |
| 2013 | 13.38 tonnes per person | -0.2% |
| 2014 | 13.75 tonnes per person | +2.8% |
| 2015 | 13.26 tonnes per person | -3.5% |
| 2016 | 13.05 tonnes per person | -1.6% |
| 2017 | 13.63 tonnes per person | +4.5% |
| 2018 | 14.51 tonnes per person | +6.4% |
| 2019 | 14.21 tonnes per person | -2.1% |
| 2020 | 13.15 tonnes per person | -7.4% |
| 2021 | 13.84 tonnes per person | +5.2% |
| 2022 | 13.96 tonnes per person | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 13.7 tonnes per person | -1.8% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 13.7 tonnes per person is above the median for high income countries, which is 8.42 tonnes per person, 1.6× the median. (52 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 13.7 tonnes per person is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 8.08 tonnes per person, 1.7× the median. (16 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9.35 tonnes per person | 7.51 tonnes per person | 11.02 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.99 tonnes per person | 10.71 tonnes per person | 13.33 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.65 tonnes per person | 13.05 tonnes per person | 14.51 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.66 tonnes per person | 13.15 tonnes per person | 13.96 tonnes per person | 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 are consumption-based co₂ per capita emissions above or below the global average? in South Korea?
- Are consumption-based co₂ per capita emissions above or below the global average? in South Korea was 13.7 tonnes per person in 2023, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest are consumption-based co₂ per capita emissions above or below the global average? recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 14.51 tonnes per person in 2018.
- What is the lowest are consumption-based co₂ per capita emissions above or below the global average? recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.51 tonnes per person in 1990.
- How does South Korea rank for are consumption-based co₂ per capita emissions above or below the global average??
- South Korea ranks 15th out of 120 countries with data for 2023.
- Is are consumption-based co₂ per capita emissions above or below the global average? rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Global Carbon Budget (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Are consumption-based CO₂ per capita emissions above or below the global average?. 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
Annual consumption-based emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), measured in tonnes per person.