Electricity generation from low-carbon sources in North Korea
North Korea: Electricity generation from low-carbon sources was 17.17 terawatt-hours in 2024. ▲ Rising
Electricity generation from low-carbon sources in North Korea, 2000–2024
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
In 2024, electricity generation from low-carbon sources in North Korea stood at 17.17 terawatt-hours. That is the highest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.5% on the previous year and up 33.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, electricity generation from low-carbon sources in North Korea peaked at 17.17 terawatt-hours in 2024 and was at its lowest, 9.93 terawatt-hours, in 2015.
That places North Korea 60th out of 214 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 25 years of available data.
Electricity generation from low-carbon sources in North Korea, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 10.1 terawatt-hours | — |
| 2001 | 10.49 terawatt-hours | +3.9% |
| 2002 | 10.51 terawatt-hours | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 11.6 terawatt-hours | +10.4% |
| 2004 | 12.38 terawatt-hours | +6.7% |
| 2005 | 13 terawatt-hours | +5.0% |
| 2006 | 12.49 terawatt-hours | -3.9% |
| 2007 | 13.15 terawatt-hours | +5.3% |
| 2008 | 13.93 terawatt-hours | +5.9% |
| 2009 | 12.38 terawatt-hours | -11.1% |
| 2010 | 13.27 terawatt-hours | +7.2% |
| 2011 | 13.07 terawatt-hours | -1.5% |
| 2012 | 13.36 terawatt-hours | +2.2% |
| 2013 | 13.77 terawatt-hours | +3.1% |
| 2014 | 12.88 terawatt-hours | -6.5% |
| 2015 | 9.93 terawatt-hours | -22.9% |
| 2016 | 12.71 terawatt-hours | +28.0% |
| 2017 | 11.83 terawatt-hours | -6.9% |
| 2018 | 12.73 terawatt-hours | +7.6% |
| 2019 | 11.08 terawatt-hours | -13.0% |
| 2020 | 12.9 terawatt-hours | +16.4% |
| 2021 | 16.23 terawatt-hours | +25.8% |
| 2022 | 16.75 terawatt-hours | +3.2% |
| 2023 | 16.75 terawatt-hours | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 17.17 terawatt-hours | +2.5% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 17.17 terawatt-hours is above the median for low income countries, which is 0.56 terawatt-hours, 30.7× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 17.17 terawatt-hours is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.98 terawatt-hours, 17.5× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 12 terawatt-hours | 10.1 terawatt-hours | 13.93 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.46 terawatt-hours | 9.93 terawatt-hours | 13.77 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 15.96 terawatt-hours | 12.9 terawatt-hours | 17.17 terawatt-hours | 5 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
- 57 Iceland 19.05 terawatt-hours compare
- 58 Kazakhstan 18.38 terawatt-hours compare
- 59 Zambia 17.25 terawatt-hours compare
- 61 Uzbekistan 16.8 terawatt-hours compare
- 62 Mozambique 16.51 terawatt-hours compare
- 63 Democratic Republic of Congo 15.92 terawatt-hours compare
More climate change data for North Korea
- Spring temperature anomalies 2.29 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.3103 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month -2.22 °C (2026)
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.2% (2100)
- Population, total, annual growth rate 0.2725 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban population, annual growth rate 0.7919 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban population, per capita 0.6419 units per person (2025)
- Precipitation anomalies, annual growth rate 27.14 % change on previous year (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 2 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.9637 °C (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is electricity generation from low-carbon sources in North Korea?
- Electricity generation from low-carbon sources in North Korea was 17.17 terawatt-hours in 2024, according to Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest electricity generation from low-carbon sources recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 17.17 terawatt-hours in 2024.
- What is the lowest electricity generation from low-carbon sources recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.93 terawatt-hours in 2015.
- How does North Korea rank for electricity generation from low-carbon sources?
- North Korea ranks 60th out of 214 countries with data for 2024.
- Is electricity generation from low-carbon sources rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 33.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Electricity generation from low-carbon sources. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours. Low-carbon sources correspond to renewables and nuclear power, that produce significantly less greenhouse-gas emissions than fossil fuels. Renewables include solar, wind, hydropower, bioenergy, geothermal, wave, and tidal.