Greenhouse gas emissions by sector in South Korea
South Korea: Greenhouse gas emissions by sector was 15.37 million tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
15.37 million tonnes
Change on year
down 2.5%
World rank
64th
of 193 countries
All-time high
17.01 million tonnes
in 1997
All-time low
13.97 million tonnes
in 2003
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
In 2023, greenhouse gas emissions by sector in South Korea stood at 15.37 million tonnes.
The figure is down 2.5% on the previous year and up 4.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, greenhouse gas emissions by sector in South Korea peaked at 17.01 million tonnes in 1997 and was at its lowest, 13.97 million tonnes, in 2003.
That places South Korea 64th out of 193 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
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 | 15.68 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 15.56 million tonnes | -0.8% |
| 1992 | 15.88 million tonnes | +2.1% |
| 1993 | 16.25 million tonnes | +2.3% |
| 1994 | 16.33 million tonnes | +0.5% |
| 1995 | 16.53 million tonnes | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 16.84 million tonnes | +1.9% |
| 1997 | 17.01 million tonnes | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 16.11 million tonnes | -5.3% |
| 1999 | 15.34 million tonnes | -4.8% |
| 2000 | 14.73 million tonnes | -4.0% |
| 2001 | 14.36 million tonnes | -2.5% |
| 2002 | 14.08 million tonnes | -1.9% |
| 2003 | 13.97 million tonnes | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 14.33 million tonnes | +2.6% |
| 2005 | 14.63 million tonnes | +2.1% |
| 2006 | 14.27 million tonnes | -2.5% |
| 2007 | 14.77 million tonnes | +3.5% |
| 2008 | 14.67 million tonnes | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 14.79 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 2010 | 15.07 million tonnes | +1.9% |
| 2011 | 14.64 million tonnes | -2.9% |
| 2012 | 15.09 million tonnes | +3.1% |
| 2013 | 14.73 million tonnes | -2.4% |
| 2014 | 14.36 million tonnes | -2.5% |
| 2015 | 14.54 million tonnes | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 14.55 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 2017 | 14.56 million tonnes | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 14.68 million tonnes | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 14.82 million tonnes | +1.0% |
| 2020 | 15.16 million tonnes | +2.3% |
| 2021 | 15.45 million tonnes | +1.9% |
| 2022 | 15.77 million tonnes | +2.1% |
| 2023 | 15.37 million tonnes | -2.5% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 15.37 million tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 5.09 million tonnes, 3.0× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 15.37 million tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.77 million tonnes, 4.1× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 16.15 million tonnes | 15.34 million tonnes | 17.01 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.46 million tonnes | 13.97 million tonnes | 14.79 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.70 million tonnes | 14.36 million tonnes | 15.09 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.44 million tonnes | 15.16 million tonnes | 15.77 million tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 61 Mozambique 18.18 million tonnes compare
- 62 Afghanistan 16.07 million tonnes compare
- 63 Central African Republic 15.55 million tonnes compare
- 65 Romania 14.83 million tonnes compare
- 66 Botswana 14.34 million tonnes compare
- 67 Morocco 14.31 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 15.37 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 17.01 million tonnes in 1997.
- What is the lowest greenhouse gas emissions by sector recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 13.97 million tonnes in 2003.
- How does South Korea rank for greenhouse gas emissions by sector?
- South Korea ranks 64th out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is greenhouse gas emissions by sector rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.3%. 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.