Annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region in South Korea
South Korea: Annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region was 630.57 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
630.57 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
15th
of 199 countries
All-time high
709.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2018
All-time low
6.05 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1895
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region in South Korea, 1850–2024
Source: Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 630.57 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents for annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region in 2024.
That represents a change of down 0.4% on the previous year and down 5.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region in South Korea peaked at 709.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2018 and was at its lowest, 6.05 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, in 1895.
That places South Korea 15th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 9.47 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 8.48 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 9.92 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1860s | 8.58 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 7.74 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 9.54 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1870s | 8.44 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 7.87 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10.30 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1880s | 7.54 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 6.69 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 7.93 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1890s | 7.39 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 6.05 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 8.60 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1900s | 7.93 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 7.12 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10.42 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1910s | 14.16 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 9.90 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 18.15 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1920s | 21.48 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 18.74 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 24.83 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1930s | 21.34 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 18.84 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 23.16 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1940s | 28.72 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 23.83 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 34.08 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1950s | 30.16 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 28.65 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 31.47 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1960s | 53.00 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 32.24 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 68.31 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1970s | 115.98 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 81.30 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 168.46 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1980s | 206.99 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 169.29 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 263.19 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1990s | 393.65 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 288.63 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 487.94 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2000s | 529.25 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 480.15 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 570.55 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2010s | 671.30 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 627.62 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 709.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2020s | 641.83 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 630.57 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 657.43 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 12 Turkey 680.01 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 13 Germany 659.65 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 16 Australia 609.92 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 17 Vietnam 583.50 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 18 South Africa 542.73 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents 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 annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region in South Korea?
- Annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region in South Korea was 630.57 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024, according to Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 709.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2018.
- What is the lowest annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.05 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1895.
- How does South Korea rank for annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region?
- South Korea ranks 15th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual greenhouse gas emissions by world region. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 175 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Greenhouse gas emissions are measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.