Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in South Korea
South Korea: Nitrous oxide emissions by sector was 4.55 million tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
4.55 million tonnes
Change on year
down 3.6%
World rank
72nd
of 193 countries
All-time high
5.45 million tonnes
in 1997
All-time low
4.10 million tonnes
in 2009
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in South Korea, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 4.55 million tonnes for nitrous oxide emissions by sector in 2023.
That represents a change of down 3.6% on the previous year and up 8.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrous oxide emissions by sector in South Korea peaked at 5.45 million tonnes in 1997 and was at its lowest, 4.10 million tonnes, in 2009.
That places South Korea 72nd 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.
Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in South Korea, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 4.77 million tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 4.66 million tonnes | -2.3% |
| 1992 | 4.87 million tonnes | +4.5% |
| 1993 | 4.93 million tonnes | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 5.02 million tonnes | +1.8% |
| 1995 | 5.16 million tonnes | +2.8% |
| 1996 | 5.18 million tonnes | +0.4% |
| 1997 | 5.45 million tonnes | +5.2% |
| 1998 | 4.96 million tonnes | -9.0% |
| 1999 | 4.71 million tonnes | -5.0% |
| 2000 | 4.50 million tonnes | -4.5% |
| 2001 | 4.27 million tonnes | -5.1% |
| 2002 | 4.15 million tonnes | -2.8% |
| 2003 | 4.18 million tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 4.43 million tonnes | +6.0% |
| 2005 | 4.67 million tonnes | +5.4% |
| 2006 | 4.19 million tonnes | -10.3% |
| 2007 | 4.48 million tonnes | +6.9% |
| 2008 | 4.23 million tonnes | -5.6% |
| 2009 | 4.10 million tonnes | -3.1% |
| 2010 | 4.18 million tonnes | +2.0% |
| 2011 | 4.12 million tonnes | -1.4% |
| 2012 | 4.28 million tonnes | +3.9% |
| 2013 | 4.20 million tonnes | -1.9% |
| 2014 | 4.12 million tonnes | -1.9% |
| 2015 | 4.19 million tonnes | +1.7% |
| 2016 | 4.24 million tonnes | +1.2% |
| 2017 | 4.25 million tonnes | +0.2% |
| 2018 | 4.35 million tonnes | +2.4% |
| 2019 | 4.37 million tonnes | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 4.53 million tonnes | +3.7% |
| 2021 | 4.53 million tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 4.72 million tonnes | +4.2% |
| 2023 | 4.55 million tonnes | -3.6% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 4.55 million tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 1.79 million tonnes, 2.5× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 4.55 million tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.39 million tonnes, 3.3× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 4.97 million tonnes | 4.66 million tonnes | 5.45 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.32 million tonnes | 4.10 million tonnes | 4.67 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.23 million tonnes | 4.12 million tonnes | 4.37 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.58 million tonnes | 4.53 million tonnes | 4.72 million tonnes | 4 |
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 nitrous oxide emissions by sector in South Korea?
- Nitrous oxide emissions by sector in South Korea was 4.55 million tonnes in 2023, according to Climate Watch (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest nitrous oxide emissions by sector recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 5.45 million tonnes in 1997.
- What is the lowest nitrous oxide emissions by sector recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.10 million tonnes in 2009.
- How does South Korea rank for nitrous oxide emissions by sector?
- South Korea ranks 72nd out of 193 countries with data for 2023.
- Is nitrous oxide emissions by sector rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.3%. 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 Nitrous oxide 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.