Nitrous oxide emissions in North Korea
North Korea: Nitrous oxide emissions was 1.93 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
1.93 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
Change on year
down 11.5%
World rank
117th
of 201 countries
All-time high
9.64 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1988
All-time low
182,833 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1850
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Nitrous oxide emissions in North Korea, 1850–2024
Source: Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
Analysis
North Korea recorded 1.93 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents for nitrous oxide emissions in 2024.
That represents a change of down 11.5% on the previous year and down 24.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, nitrous oxide emissions in North Korea peaked at 9.64 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1988 and was at its lowest, 182,833 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, in 1850.
North Korea ranks 117th of 201 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
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 | 193,059 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 182,833 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 202,133 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1860s | 209,639 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 203,625 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 215,619 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1870s | 239,399 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 217,005 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 265,545 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1880s | 278,697 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 268,996 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 287,682 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1890s | 314,838 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 296,379 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 334,437 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1900s | 362,521 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 339,131 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 387,485 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1910s | 424,841 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 393,454 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 458,291 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1920s | 499,406 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 465,794 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 534,689 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1930s | 600,424 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 543,588 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 667,148 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1940s | 861,101 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 683,779 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.08 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1950s | 1.46 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.12 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.87 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1960s | 2.73 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.96 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.39 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1970s | 4.88 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.83 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 6.52 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1980s | 8.39 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 6.60 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 9.64 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1990s | 6.15 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.21 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 8.86 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.79 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.41 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.42 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.76 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.35 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 3.21 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.19 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 1.93 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 2.43 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
- 114 Latvia 2.19 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 115 Croatia 2.12 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 116 Sri Lanka 2.04 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 118 Kyrgyzstan 1.91 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 119 Congo 1.90 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 120 Georgia 1.89 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
More climate change data for North Korea
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.2% (2100)
- Population growth 0.3% (2025)
- Population, total 26.57 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.8% (2025)
- Urban population 17.06 million (2025)
- Urban population 64.2% (2025)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. GDP per capita 2.36 tonnes per person (2024)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions 5.49 billion tonnes (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita 2.36 tonnes per person (2024)
- CO₂ emissions per capita vs. share of electricity generation from renewables 2.36 tonnes per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is nitrous oxide emissions in North Korea?
- Nitrous oxide emissions in North Korea was 1.93 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 nitrous oxide emissions recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 9.64 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1988.
- What is the lowest nitrous oxide emissions recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 182,833 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1850.
- How does North Korea rank for nitrous oxide emissions?
- North Korea ranks 117th out of 201 countries with data for 2024.
- Is nitrous oxide emissions rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 24.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Nitrous oxide 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.