emissions of air pollutants, per capita in South Korea
South Korea: emissions of air pollutants, per capita was 0.0153 tonnes per person in 2022. ▼ Falling
emissions of air pollutants, per capita in South Korea, 1960–2022
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in tonnes per person.
Analysis
The most recent figure for emissions of air pollutants, per capita in South Korea is 0.0153 tonnes per person, measured in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 63 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.8% on the previous year and down 25.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, emissions of air pollutants, per capita in South Korea peaked at 0.0426 tonnes per person in 1960 and was at its lowest, 0.0153 tonnes per person, in 2022.
South Korea ranks 186th of 207 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 63 years of available data.
emissions of air pollutants, per capita in South Korea, year by year
| Year | tonnes per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 0.0426 tonnes per person | — |
| 1961 | 0.0385 tonnes per person | -9.7% |
| 1962 | 0.0345 tonnes per person | -10.3% |
| 1963 | 0.0307 tonnes per person | -11.0% |
| 1964 | 0.026 tonnes per person | -15.4% |
| 1965 | 0.0214 tonnes per person | -17.6% |
| 1966 | 0.0227 tonnes per person | +6.2% |
| 1967 | 0.022 tonnes per person | -2.9% |
| 1968 | 0.0201 tonnes per person | -8.6% |
| 1969 | 0.0192 tonnes per person | -4.8% |
| 1970 | 0.0188 tonnes per person | -1.7% |
| 1971 | 0.019 tonnes per person | +0.7% |
| 1972 | 0.0181 tonnes per person | -4.8% |
| 1973 | 0.0197 tonnes per person | +9.3% |
| 1974 | 0.019 tonnes per person | -4.0% |
| 1975 | 0.0182 tonnes per person | -4.1% |
| 1976 | 0.0195 tonnes per person | +7.5% |
| 1977 | 0.0218 tonnes per person | +11.5% |
| 1978 | 0.023 tonnes per person | +5.8% |
| 1979 | 0.0261 tonnes per person | +13.4% |
| 1980 | 0.0265 tonnes per person | +1.6% |
| 1981 | 0.0261 tonnes per person | -1.5% |
| 1982 | 0.0251 tonnes per person | -3.8% |
| 1983 | 0.0257 tonnes per person | +2.2% |
| 1984 | 0.0276 tonnes per person | +7.5% |
| 1985 | 0.029 tonnes per person | +4.8% |
| 1986 | 0.0296 tonnes per person | +2.3% |
| 1987 | 0.0302 tonnes per person | +2.0% |
| 1988 | 0.032 tonnes per person | +6.0% |
| 1989 | 0.0325 tonnes per person | +1.3% |
| 1990 | 0.0343 tonnes per person | +5.6% |
| 1991 | 0.0324 tonnes per person | -5.5% |
| 1992 | 0.0317 tonnes per person | -2.2% |
| 1993 | 0.0315 tonnes per person | -0.6% |
| 1994 | 0.0308 tonnes per person | -2.3% |
| 1995 | 0.03 tonnes per person | -2.6% |
| 1996 | 0.0298 tonnes per person | -0.7% |
| 1997 | 0.0294 tonnes per person | -1.1% |
| 1998 | 0.0267 tonnes per person | -9.4% |
| 1999 | 0.0263 tonnes per person | -1.4% |
| 2000 | 0.0264 tonnes per person | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 0.0246 tonnes per person | -6.9% |
| 2002 | 0.0234 tonnes per person | -4.9% |
| 2003 | 0.0229 tonnes per person | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 0.0231 tonnes per person | +0.5% |
| 2005 | 0.0218 tonnes per person | -5.4% |
| 2006 | 0.0226 tonnes per person | +3.9% |
| 2007 | 0.0215 tonnes per person | -4.8% |
| 2008 | 0.0199 tonnes per person | -7.7% |
| 2009 | 0.0215 tonnes per person | +7.9% |
| 2010 | 0.0214 tonnes per person | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 0.0208 tonnes per person | -2.6% |
| 2012 | 0.0205 tonnes per person | -1.5% |
| 2013 | 0.0203 tonnes per person | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 0.0193 tonnes per person | -5.2% |
| 2015 | 0.0188 tonnes per person | -2.6% |
| 2016 | 0.0181 tonnes per person | -3.7% |
| 2017 | 0.0179 tonnes per person | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 0.0178 tonnes per person | -1.0% |
| 2019 | 0.0167 tonnes per person | -6.1% |
| 2020 | 0.016 tonnes per person | -3.9% |
| 2021 | 0.0158 tonnes per person | -1.6% |
| 2022 | 0.0153 tonnes per person | -2.8% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 0.0153 tonnes per person is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.0387 tonnes per person, 40% of the median. (78 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 0.0153 tonnes per person is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.0278 tonnes per person, 55% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.0278 tonnes per person | 0.0192 tonnes per person | 0.0426 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1970s | 0.0203 tonnes per person | 0.0181 tonnes per person | 0.0261 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 0.0284 tonnes per person | 0.0251 tonnes per person | 0.0325 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.0303 tonnes per person | 0.0263 tonnes per person | 0.0343 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.0228 tonnes per person | 0.0199 tonnes per person | 0.0264 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.0192 tonnes per person | 0.0167 tonnes per person | 0.0214 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.0157 tonnes per person | 0.0153 tonnes per person | 0.016 tonnes per person | 3 |
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 emissions of air pollutants, per capita in South Korea?
- Emissions of air pollutants, per capita in South Korea was 0.0153 tonnes per person in 2022, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest emissions of air pollutants, per capita recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 0.0426 tonnes per person in 1960.
- What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants, per capita recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0153 tonnes per person in 2022.
- How does South Korea rank for emissions of air pollutants, per capita?
- South Korea ranks 186th out of 207 countries with data for 2022.
- Is emissions of air pollutants, per capita rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of emissions of air pollutants, per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 63 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
emissions of air pollutants divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
emissions of air pollutants ÷ Population, total
Computed from
- emissions of air pollutants Hoesly et al. (2024) – Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data
- Population, total World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN)
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
emissions of air pollutants divided by Population, total, matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.