Per capita CO₂ emissions by sector in South Korea
South Korea: Per capita CO₂ emissions by sector was 803.69 kilograms per person in 2023. ▼ Falling
Per capita CO₂ emissions by sector in South Korea, 1990–2023
Source: Climate Watch (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in kilograms per person.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 803.69 kilograms per person for per capita co₂ emissions by sector in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 34 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 7.0% on the previous year and down 16.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, per capita co₂ emissions by sector in South Korea peaked at 1,535 kilograms per person in 1997 and was at its lowest, 803.69 kilograms per person, in 2023.
South Korea ranks 26th of 187 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1,373 kilograms per person | 1,157 kilograms per person | 1,535 kilograms per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,133 kilograms per person | 1,010 kilograms per person | 1,287 kilograms per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 961.49 kilograms per person | 854.78 kilograms per person | 1,070 kilograms per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 862.31 kilograms per person | 803.69 kilograms per person | 901.49 kilograms per person | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
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 per capita co₂ emissions by sector in South Korea?
- Per capita co₂ emissions by sector in South Korea was 803.69 kilograms per person in 2023, according to Climate Watch (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest per capita co₂ emissions by sector recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 1,535 kilograms per person in 1997.
- What is the lowest per capita co₂ emissions by sector recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 803.69 kilograms per person in 2023.
- How does South Korea rank for per capita co₂ emissions by sector?
- South Korea ranks 26th out of 187 countries with data for 2023.
- Is per capita co₂ emissions by sector rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 16.5%. 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); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Per capita CO₂ 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 kilograms per person.