Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in South Korea
South Korea: Greenhouse gas emissions by sector was 5.56 million tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling
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 176 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.
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
- 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 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 176 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.