Methane emissions in South Korea
South Korea: Methane emissions was 39.67 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
39.67 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
Change on year
up 8.8%
World rank
44th
of 199 countries
All-time high
39.67 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2024
All-time low
7.54 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1850
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Methane emissions 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
The most recent figure for methane emissions in South Korea is 39.67 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 175 years on record.
The figure is up 8.8% on the previous year and up 38.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, methane emissions in South Korea peaked at 39.67 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024 and was at its lowest, 7.54 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, in 1850.
South Korea ranks 44th of 199 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
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 | 7.58 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 7.54 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 7.62 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1860s | 7.67 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 7.63 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 7.71 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1870s | 7.72 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 7.71 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 7.72 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1880s | 7.74 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 7.71 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 7.78 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1890s | 7.82 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 7.78 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 7.85 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1900s | 7.93 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 7.86 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 8.01 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1910s | 8.73 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 8.03 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 9.52 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1920s | 10.57 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 9.70 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 11.40 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1930s | 12.55 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 11.59 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 13.51 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1940s | 16.50 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 13.74 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 18.75 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1950s | 16.59 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 15.80 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 18.20 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1960s | 19.51 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 18.27 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 20.83 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1970s | 23.73 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 20.23 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 27.31 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1980s | 31.82 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 27.84 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 34.86 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1990s | 29.66 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 28.10 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 32.47 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2000s | 28.29 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 26.30 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 29.84 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2010s | 28.89 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 27.44 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 30.13 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.54 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 32.96 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 39.67 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 41 Angola 43.54 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 42 Mongolia 42.42 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 43 Italy 40.76 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 45 Kuwait 39.53 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 46 United Arab Emirates 37.57 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 47 Uganda 37.06 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 methane emissions in South Korea?
- Methane emissions in South Korea was 39.67 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 methane emissions recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 39.67 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024.
- What is the lowest methane emissions recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 7.54 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1850.
- How does South Korea rank for methane emissions?
- South Korea ranks 44th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is methane emissions rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 38.3%. 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 Methane emissions. 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
Measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.