emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in South Korea
South Korea: emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre was 8.13 tonnes per square kilometre in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
8.13 tonnes per square kilometre
Change on year
down 2.9%
World rank
55th
of 207 countries
All-time high
15.23 tonnes per square kilometre
in 1990
All-time low
6.27 tonnes per square kilometre
in 1969
Years of data
62
1961–2022
emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in South Korea, 1961–2022
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in tonnes per square kilometre.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 8.13 tonnes per square kilometre for emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in 2022.
That represents a change of down 2.9% on the previous year and down 23.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in South Korea peaked at 15.23 tonnes per square kilometre in 1990 and was at its lowest, 6.27 tonnes per square kilometre, in 1969.
South Korea ranks 55th of 207 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 62 years of available data.
emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in South Korea, year by year
| Year | tonnes per square kilometre | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 10.28 tonnes per square kilometre | — |
| 1962 | 9.48 tonnes per square kilometre | -7.7% |
| 1963 | 8.67 tonnes per square kilometre | -8.5% |
| 1964 | 7.53 tonnes per square kilometre | -13.2% |
| 1965 | 6.36 tonnes per square kilometre | -15.5% |
| 1966 | 6.92 tonnes per square kilometre | +8.9% |
| 1967 | 6.88 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.6% |
| 1968 | 6.44 tonnes per square kilometre | -6.5% |
| 1969 | 6.27 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.6% |
| 1970 | 6.3 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.5% |
| 1971 | 6.47 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.7% |
| 1972 | 6.28 tonnes per square kilometre | -3.0% |
| 1973 | 6.98 tonnes per square kilometre | +11.2% |
| 1974 | 6.82 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.4% |
| 1975 | 6.65 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.5% |
| 1976 | 7.26 tonnes per square kilometre | +9.2% |
| 1977 | 8.21 tonnes per square kilometre | +13.2% |
| 1978 | 8.82 tonnes per square kilometre | +7.4% |
| 1979 | 10.16 tonnes per square kilometre | +15.1% |
| 1980 | 10.49 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.2% |
| 1981 | 10.49 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 10.25 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.3% |
| 1983 | 10.63 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.7% |
| 1984 | 11.57 tonnes per square kilometre | +8.9% |
| 1985 | 12.25 tonnes per square kilometre | +5.9% |
| 1986 | 12.66 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.3% |
| 1987 | 13.04 tonnes per square kilometre | +3.0% |
| 1988 | 13.96 tonnes per square kilometre | +7.0% |
| 1989 | 14.28 tonnes per square kilometre | +2.3% |
| 1990 | 15.23 tonnes per square kilometre | +6.6% |
| 1991 | 14.53 tonnes per square kilometre | -4.6% |
| 1992 | 14.36 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.1% |
| 1993 | 14.42 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.4% |
| 1994 | 14.24 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.3% |
| 1995 | 14.01 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.6% |
| 1996 | 14.04 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.2% |
| 1997 | 14.02 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.2% |
| 1998 | 12.79 tonnes per square kilometre | -8.8% |
| 1999 | 12.71 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.7% |
| 2000 | 12.89 tonnes per square kilometre | +1.4% |
| 2001 | 12.05 tonnes per square kilometre | -6.5% |
| 2002 | 11.53 tonnes per square kilometre | -4.4% |
| 2003 | 11.35 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.5% |
| 2004 | 11.45 tonnes per square kilometre | +0.9% |
| 2005 | 10.85 tonnes per square kilometre | -5.3% |
| 2006 | 11.32 tonnes per square kilometre | +4.4% |
| 2007 | 10.82 tonnes per square kilometre | -4.4% |
| 2008 | 10.06 tonnes per square kilometre | -7.0% |
| 2009 | 10.9 tonnes per square kilometre | +8.3% |
| 2010 | 10.89 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.1% |
| 2011 | 10.69 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.8% |
| 2012 | 10.58 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 10.52 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.5% |
| 2014 | 10.04 tonnes per square kilometre | -4.6% |
| 2015 | 9.84 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.1% |
| 2016 | 9.51 tonnes per square kilometre | -3.3% |
| 2017 | 9.45 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.6% |
| 2018 | 9.4 tonnes per square kilometre | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 8.85 tonnes per square kilometre | -5.8% |
| 2020 | 8.52 tonnes per square kilometre | -3.8% |
| 2021 | 8.37 tonnes per square kilometre | -1.7% |
| 2022 | 8.13 tonnes per square kilometre | -2.9% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 8.13 tonnes per square kilometre is above the median for high income countries, which is 3.78 tonnes per square kilometre, 2.2× the median. (78 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 8.13 tonnes per square kilometre is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.29 tonnes per square kilometre, 2.5× the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 7.65 tonnes per square kilometre | 6.27 tonnes per square kilometre | 10.28 tonnes per square kilometre | 9 |
| 1970s | 7.39 tonnes per square kilometre | 6.28 tonnes per square kilometre | 10.16 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1980s | 11.96 tonnes per square kilometre | 10.25 tonnes per square kilometre | 14.28 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 1990s | 14.04 tonnes per square kilometre | 12.71 tonnes per square kilometre | 15.23 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.32 tonnes per square kilometre | 10.06 tonnes per square kilometre | 12.89 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.98 tonnes per square kilometre | 8.85 tonnes per square kilometre | 10.89 tonnes per square kilometre | 10 |
| 2020s | 8.34 tonnes per square kilometre | 8.13 tonnes per square kilometre | 8.52 tonnes per square kilometre | 3 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 52 Cambodia 9.08 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 53 Kuwait 8.57 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 54 Japan 8.4 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 56 Dominican Republic 8.05 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 57 Luxembourg 8.05 tonnes per square kilometre compare
- 58 Poland 7.77 tonnes per square kilometre compare
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 square kilometre in South Korea?
- Emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre in South Korea was 8.13 tonnes per square kilometre in 2022, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 15.23 tonnes per square kilometre in 1990.
- What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.27 tonnes per square kilometre in 1969.
- How does South Korea rank for emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre?
- South Korea ranks 55th out of 207 countries with data for 2022.
- Is emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 23.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of emissions of air pollutants, per square kilometre. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 62 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 Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.
emissions of air pollutants ÷ Land area (sq. km)
Computed from
- emissions of air pollutants Hoesly et al. (2024) – Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data
- Land area FAOSTAT, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
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 Land area (sq. km), matched on country and year. Neither publisher issues this ratio as a series; it is computed here from both.