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
Latest (2023)
803.69 kilograms per person
Change on year
down 7.0%
World rank
26th
of 187 countries
All-time high
1,535 kilograms per person
in 1997
All-time low
803.69 kilograms per person
in 2023
Years of data
34
1990–2023
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.
Per capita CO₂ emissions by sector in South Korea, year by year
| Year | kilograms per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 1,361 kilograms per person | — |
| 1991 | 1,303 kilograms per person | -4.3% |
| 1992 | 1,324 kilograms per person | +1.6% |
| 1993 | 1,373 kilograms per person | +3.7% |
| 1994 | 1,339 kilograms per person | -2.5% |
| 1995 | 1,453 kilograms per person | +8.5% |
| 1996 | 1,527 kilograms per person | +5.1% |
| 1997 | 1,535 kilograms per person | +0.5% |
| 1998 | 1,157 kilograms per person | -24.7% |
| 1999 | 1,359 kilograms per person | +17.5% |
| 2000 | 1,287 kilograms per person | -5.3% |
| 2001 | 1,209 kilograms per person | -6.1% |
| 2002 | 1,211 kilograms per person | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 1,187 kilograms per person | -2.0% |
| 2004 | 1,120 kilograms per person | -5.6% |
| 2005 | 1,178 kilograms per person | +5.1% |
| 2006 | 1,070 kilograms per person | -9.2% |
| 2007 | 1,031 kilograms per person | -3.6% |
| 2008 | 1,029 kilograms per person | -0.2% |
| 2009 | 1,010 kilograms per person | -1.9% |
| 2010 | 1,070 kilograms per person | +6.0% |
| 2011 | 1,053 kilograms per person | -1.6% |
| 2012 | 1,014 kilograms per person | -3.7% |
| 2013 | 962.83 kilograms per person | -5.0% |
| 2014 | 854.78 kilograms per person | -11.2% |
| 2015 | 895.18 kilograms per person | +4.7% |
| 2016 | 951.31 kilograms per person | +6.3% |
| 2017 | 955.4 kilograms per person | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 960.87 kilograms per person | +0.6% |
| 2019 | 897.86 kilograms per person | -6.6% |
| 2020 | 901.49 kilograms per person | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 880.26 kilograms per person | -2.4% |
| 2022 | 863.8 kilograms per person | -1.9% |
| 2023 | 803.69 kilograms per person | -7.0% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 803.69 kilograms per person is above the median for high income countries, which is 461.71 kilograms per person, 1.7× the median. (60 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 803.69 kilograms per person is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 97.44 kilograms per person, 8.2× the median. (28 countries reporting)
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
- 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 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.