Consumption-based CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita in South Korea
South Korea: Consumption-based CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita was 13.7 tonnes per person in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
13.7 tonnes per person
Change on year
down 1.8%
World rank
15th
of 120 countries
All-time high
14.51 tonnes per person
in 2018
All-time low
7.51 tonnes per person
in 1990
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Consumption-based CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 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
South Korea recorded 13.7 tonnes per person for consumption-based co₂ emissions per capita vs. gdp per capita in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.8% on the previous year and up 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, consumption-based co₂ emissions per capita vs. gdp per capita in South Korea peaked at 14.51 tonnes per person in 2018 and was at its lowest, 7.51 tonnes per person, in 1990.
South Korea ranks 15th of 120 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Consumption-based CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 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 consumption-based co₂ emissions per capita vs. gdp per capita in South Korea?
- Consumption-based co₂ emissions per capita vs. gdp per capita 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 consumption-based co₂ emissions per capita vs. gdp per capita recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 14.51 tonnes per person in 2018.
- What is the lowest consumption-based co₂ emissions per capita vs. gdp per capita recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.51 tonnes per person in 1990.
- How does South Korea rank for consumption-based co₂ emissions per capita vs. gdp per capita?
- South Korea ranks 15th out of 120 countries with data for 2023.
- Is consumption-based co₂ emissions per capita vs. gdp per capita 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 Consumption-based CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita. 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
Annual consumption-based emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂), measured in tonnes per person.