Share of primary energy from low-carbon energy in South Korea
South Korea: Share of primary energy from low-carbon energy was 18.7% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Share of primary energy from low-carbon energy in South Korea, 1965–2025
Source: Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 18.7% for share of primary energy from low-carbon energy in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.3% on the previous year and up 18.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of primary energy from low-carbon energy in South Korea peaked at 18.8% in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 1977.
That places South Korea 25th out of 80 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Share of primary energy from low-carbon energy in South Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 1.0% | — |
| 1966 | 1.1% | +14.6% |
| 1967 | 0.9% | -16.1% |
| 1968 | 0.8% | -15.1% |
| 1969 | 1.0% | +27.8% |
| 1970 | 0.7% | -26.7% |
| 1971 | 0.7% | -0.1% |
| 1972 | 0.7% | -0.0% |
| 1973 | 0.6% | -24.4% |
| 1974 | 0.8% | +43.4% |
| 1975 | 0.6% | -19.9% |
| 1976 | 0.6% | -5.0% |
| 1977 | 0.5% | -22.1% |
| 1978 | 2.3% | +391.1% |
| 1979 | 2.7% | +16.2% |
| 1980 | 2.8% | +2.0% |
| 1981 | 2.4% | -12.5% |
| 1982 | 2.8% | +15.2% |
| 1983 | 5.7% | +105.8% |
| 1984 | 6.7% | +17.0% |
| 1985 | 8.7% | +29.6% |
| 1986 | 12.7% | +46.3% |
| 1987 | 15.9% | +24.8% |
| 1988 | 14.2% | -10.5% |
| 1989 | 15.5% | +9.2% |
| 1990 | 15.3% | -1.4% |
| 1991 | 14.2% | -7.3% |
| 1992 | 12.6% | -10.9% |
| 1993 | 11.9% | -5.5% |
| 1994 | 11.0% | -7.8% |
| 1995 | 11.6% | +5.2% |
| 1996 | 11.5% | -0.3% |
| 1997 | 11.0% | -4.8% |
| 1998 | 14.0% | +27.6% |
| 1999 | 14.7% | +5.2% |
| 2000 | 14.7% | -0.1% |
| 2001 | 14.7% | -0.3% |
| 2002 | 14.9% | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 15.8% | +5.8% |
| 2004 | 15.5% | -2.0% |
| 2005 | 16.8% | +8.4% |
| 2006 | 16.7% | -0.6% |
| 2007 | 15.7% | -6.1% |
| 2008 | 16.3% | +3.8% |
| 2009 | 15.9% | -2.4% |
| 2010 | 14.9% | -6.3% |
| 2011 | 14.8% | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 14.3% | -3.1% |
| 2013 | 13.4% | -6.4% |
| 2014 | 15.2% | +12.9% |
| 2015 | 15.8% | +4.3% |
| 2016 | 15.2% | -3.9% |
| 2017 | 14.1% | -7.1% |
| 2018 | 12.9% | -8.7% |
| 2019 | 14.4% | +11.3% |
| 2020 | 16.5% | +14.6% |
| 2021 | 15.8% | -3.8% |
| 2022 | 17.4% | +9.6% |
| 2023 | 18.2% | +4.9% |
| 2024 | 18.8% | +3.2% |
| 2025 | 18.7% | -0.3% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 18.7% is above the median for high income countries, which is 18.3%, 1.0× the median. (47 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 18.7% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 11.7%, 1.6× the median. (12 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Share of primary energy from low-carbon energy in South Korea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | +391.1% | 0.5% | 2.3% |
| 1983 | +105.8% | 2.8% | 5.7% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1.0% | 0.8% | 1.1% | 5 |
| 1970s | 1.0% | 0.5% | 2.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 8.7% | 2.4% | 15.9% | 10 |
| 1990s | 12.8% | 11.0% | 15.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.7% | 14.7% | 16.8% | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.5% | 12.9% | 15.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.6% | 15.8% | 18.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
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 share of primary energy from low-carbon energy in South Korea?
- Share of primary energy from low-carbon energy in South Korea was 18.7% in 2025, according to Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of primary energy from low-carbon energy recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 18.8% in 2024.
- What is the lowest share of primary energy from low-carbon energy recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 1977.
- How does South Korea rank for share of primary energy from low-carbon energy?
- South Korea ranks 25th out of 80 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of primary energy from low-carbon energy rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 18.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of primary energy from low-carbon energy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Measured as a percentage of total energy supply.