Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in South Korea
South Korea: Greenhouse gas emissions by sector was 5.56 million tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
5.56 million tonnes
Change on year
down 7.2%
World rank
25th
of 179 countries
All-time high
16.72 million tonnes
in 1995
All-time low
5.56 million tonnes
in 2023
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in South Korea, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
The most recent figure for greenhouse gas emissions by sector in South Korea is 5.56 million tonnes, measured in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.
The figure is down 7.2% on the previous year and down 46.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, greenhouse gas emissions by sector in South Korea peaked at 16.72 million tonnes in 1995 and was at its lowest, 5.56 million tonnes, in 2023.
That places South Korea 25th out of 179 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in South Korea, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 8.88 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 9.77 million tonnes | +10.0% |
| 1992 | 10.23 million tonnes | +4.7% |
| 1993 | 11.29 million tonnes | +10.4% |
| 1994 | 15.06 million tonnes | +33.4% |
| 1995 | 16.72 million tonnes | +11.0% |
| 1996 | 16.22 million tonnes | -3.0% |
| 1997 | 16.03 million tonnes | -1.2% |
| 1998 | 13.35 million tonnes | -16.7% |
| 1999 | 15.24 million tonnes | +14.2% |
| 2000 | 14.48 million tonnes | -5.0% |
| 2001 | 14.83 million tonnes | +2.4% |
| 2002 | 14.11 million tonnes | -4.9% |
| 2003 | 13.28 million tonnes | -5.9% |
| 2004 | 12.05 million tonnes | -9.3% |
| 2005 | 12.03 million tonnes | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 11.01 million tonnes | -8.5% |
| 2007 | 10.97 million tonnes | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 9.62 million tonnes | -12.3% |
| 2009 | 10.02 million tonnes | +4.2% |
| 2010 | 10.72 million tonnes | +7.0% |
| 2011 | 10.38 million tonnes | -3.2% |
| 2012 | 10.34 million tonnes | -0.4% |
| 2013 | 10.41 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 9.00 million tonnes | -13.5% |
| 2015 | 8.80 million tonnes | -2.2% |
| 2016 | 7.24 million tonnes | -17.7% |
| 2017 | 7.99 million tonnes | +10.4% |
| 2018 | 7.63 million tonnes | -4.5% |
| 2019 | 7.43 million tonnes | -2.6% |
| 2020 | 7.47 million tonnes | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 6.70 million tonnes | -10.3% |
| 2022 | 5.99 million tonnes | -10.6% |
| 2023 | 5.56 million tonnes | -7.2% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 5.56 million tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 735,000 tonnes, 7.6× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 5.56 million tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 595,000 tonnes, 9.3× the median. (26 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 13.28 million tonnes | 8.88 million tonnes | 16.72 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 12.24 million tonnes | 9.62 million tonnes | 14.83 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.99 million tonnes | 7.24 million tonnes | 10.72 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.43 million tonnes | 5.56 million tonnes | 7.47 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 22 Australia 6.88 million tonnes compare
- 23 Netherlands 5.64 million tonnes compare
- 24 United Kingdom 5.57 million tonnes compare
- 26 North Korea 4.84 million tonnes compare
- 27 Bangladesh 4.12 million tonnes compare
- 28 Algeria 3.76 million tonnes 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 greenhouse gas emissions by sector in South Korea?
- Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in South Korea was 5.56 million tonnes in 2023, according to Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest greenhouse gas emissions by sector recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 16.72 million tonnes in 1995.
- What is the lowest greenhouse gas emissions by sector recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.56 million tonnes in 2023.
- How does South Korea rank for greenhouse gas emissions by sector?
- South Korea ranks 25th out of 179 countries with data for 2023.
- Is greenhouse gas emissions by sector rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 46.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Greenhouse gas emissions by sector. 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
Emissions are measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalents.