Energy use per capita vs. CO₂ emissions per capita in North Korea
North Korea: Energy use per capita vs. CO₂ emissions per capita was 2.5 in 2024. ▼ Falling
Energy use per capita vs. CO₂ emissions per capita in North Korea, 1970–2024
Source: Joint Research Centre (European Commission) and International Energy Agency (IEA), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2024, energy use per capita vs. co₂ emissions per capita in North Korea stood at 2.5.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.6% on the previous year and up 52.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, energy use per capita vs. co₂ emissions per capita in North Korea peaked at 7.14 in 1985 and was at its lowest, 1.28, in 2015.
North Korea ranks 106th of 203 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 55 years of available data.
Energy use per capita vs. CO₂ emissions per capita in North Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 5.01 | — |
| 1971 | 4.9 | -2.1% |
| 1972 | 4.96 | +1.3% |
| 1973 | 4.96 | -0.2% |
| 1974 | 5.05 | +1.8% |
| 1975 | 5.18 | +2.6% |
| 1976 | 5.4 | +4.3% |
| 1977 | 5.62 | +4.1% |
| 1978 | 5.84 | +4.0% |
| 1979 | 6.23 | +6.5% |
| 1980 | 6.46 | +3.8% |
| 1981 | 6.54 | +1.2% |
| 1982 | 6.74 | +3.0% |
| 1983 | 6.88 | +2.1% |
| 1984 | 7.02 | +2.0% |
| 1985 | 7.14 | +1.7% |
| 1986 | 6.95 | -2.6% |
| 1987 | 6.59 | -5.1% |
| 1988 | 6.66 | +1.1% |
| 1989 | 6.62 | -0.7% |
| 1990 | 6.25 | -5.6% |
| 1991 | 5.92 | -5.2% |
| 1992 | 5.16 | -12.9% |
| 1993 | 4.71 | -8.7% |
| 1994 | 4.25 | -9.8% |
| 1995 | 3.93 | -7.5% |
| 1996 | 3.45 | -12.1% |
| 1997 | 3.32 | -3.9% |
| 1998 | 2.7 | -18.7% |
| 1999 | 2.92 | +8.2% |
| 2000 | 3.12 | +6.9% |
| 2001 | 3.22 | +3.2% |
| 2002 | 3.07 | -4.7% |
| 2003 | 3.11 | +1.5% |
| 2004 | 3.16 | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 3.27 | +3.6% |
| 2006 | 3.31 | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 2.76 | -16.7% |
| 2008 | 3.01 | +9.0% |
| 2009 | 2.88 | -4.2% |
| 2010 | 2.76 | -4.1% |
| 2011 | 2.02 | -26.7% |
| 2012 | 1.94 | -4.0% |
| 2013 | 1.5 | -23.0% |
| 2014 | 1.63 | +9.2% |
| 2015 | 1.28 | -21.9% |
| 2016 | 1.4 | +9.8% |
| 2017 | 2.85 | +103.2% |
| 2018 | 2.56 | -10.1% |
| 2019 | 2.82 | +10.1% |
| 2020 | 2.64 | -6.3% |
| 2021 | 2.18 | -17.3% |
| 2022 | 2.27 | +4.0% |
| 2023 | 2.49 | +9.4% |
| 2024 | 2.5 | +0.6% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 2.5 is above the median for low income countries, which is 0.1671, 15.0× the median. (24 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 2.5 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2.5, 1.0× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Energy use per capita vs. CO₂ emissions per capita in North Korea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | +103.2% | 1.4 | 2.85 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 5.31 | 4.9 | 6.23 | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.76 | 6.46 | 7.14 | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.26 | 2.7 | 6.25 | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.09 | 2.76 | 3.31 | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.08 | 1.28 | 2.85 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.42 | 2.18 | 2.64 | 5 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
More climate change data for North Korea
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.2% (2100)
- Population, total, annual growth rate 0.2725 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban population 17.06 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.8% (2025)
- Population, total 26.57 million (2025)
- Population growth 0.3% (2025)
- Urban population, per capita 0.6419 units per person (2025)
- Precipitation anomalies, annual growth rate 27.14 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban population, annual growth rate 0.7919 % change on previous year (2025)
- Greenhouse gas emissions by gas, per capita 0.0729 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is energy use per capita vs. co₂ emissions per capita in North Korea?
- Energy use per capita vs. co₂ emissions per capita in North Korea was 2.5 in 2024, according to Joint Research Centre (European Commission) and International Energy Agency (IEA), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest energy use per capita vs. co₂ emissions per capita recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 7.14 in 1985.
- What is the lowest energy use per capita vs. co₂ emissions per capita recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.28 in 2015.
- How does North Korea rank for energy use per capita vs. co₂ emissions per capita?
- North Korea ranks 106th out of 203 countries with data for 2024.
- Is energy use per capita vs. co₂ emissions per capita rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 52.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Joint Research Centre (European Commission) and International Energy Agency (IEA), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Energy use per capita vs. CO₂ emissions per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Average energy consumption per capita is measured in kilowatt-hours per person. Average carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions per capita are measured in tonnes per person.