Per capita consumption-based CO₂ emissions in South Korea
South Korea: Per capita consumption-based CO₂ emissions was 13.7 tonnes per person in 2023. ▲ Rising
Per capita consumption-based CO₂ emissions 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
In 2023, per capita consumption-based co₂ emissions in South Korea stood at 13.7 tonnes per person.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.8% on the previous year and up 2.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, per capita consumption-based co₂ emissions 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.
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
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.2% (2100)
- Population growth -0.1% (2025)
- Population, total 51.68 million (2025)
- Urban population growth -0.1% (2025)
- Urban population 41.95 million (2025)
- Urban population 81.2% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 11.29 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 20.71 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 11.29 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 11.29 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is per capita consumption-based co₂ emissions in South Korea?
- Per capita consumption-based co₂ emissions 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 per capita consumption-based co₂ emissions recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 14.51 tonnes per person in 2018.
- What is the lowest per capita consumption-based co₂ emissions recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.51 tonnes per person in 1990.
- How does South Korea rank for per capita consumption-based co₂ emissions?
- South Korea ranks 15th out of 120 countries with data for 2023.
- Is per capita consumption-based co₂ emissions 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 Per capita consumption-based CO₂ emissions. 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.