Per capita CO₂ emissions from transport in South Korea
South Korea: Per capita CO₂ emissions from transport was 2,038 kilograms per person in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
2,038 kilograms per person
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
26th
of 191 countries
All-time high
2,047 kilograms per person
in 2019
All-time low
992.25 kilograms per person
in 1990
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Per capita CO₂ emissions from transport 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
The most recent figure for per capita co₂ emissions from transport in South Korea is 2,038 kilograms per person, measured in 2023.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.4% on the previous year and up 12.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, per capita co₂ emissions from transport in South Korea peaked at 2,047 kilograms per person in 2019 and was at its lowest, 992.25 kilograms per person, in 1990.
South Korea ranks 26th of 191 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 34 years of available data.
Per capita CO₂ emissions from transport in South Korea, year by year
| Year | kilograms per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 992.25 kilograms per person | — |
| 1991 | 1,104 kilograms per person | +11.2% |
| 1992 | 1,221 kilograms per person | +10.6% |
| 1993 | 1,370 kilograms per person | +12.2% |
| 1994 | 1,431 kilograms per person | +4.4% |
| 1995 | 1,597 kilograms per person | +11.6% |
| 1996 | 1,673 kilograms per person | +4.8% |
| 1997 | 1,699 kilograms per person | +1.6% |
| 1998 | 1,410 kilograms per person | -17.0% |
| 1999 | 1,544 kilograms per person | +9.5% |
| 2000 | 1,663 kilograms per person | +7.7% |
| 2001 | 1,722 kilograms per person | +3.5% |
| 2002 | 1,826 kilograms per person | +6.1% |
| 2003 | 1,858 kilograms per person | +1.8% |
| 2004 | 1,864 kilograms per person | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 1,798 kilograms per person | -3.6% |
| 2006 | 1,790 kilograms per person | -0.5% |
| 2007 | 1,839 kilograms per person | +2.7% |
| 2008 | 1,740 kilograms per person | -5.4% |
| 2009 | 1,751 kilograms per person | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 1,775 kilograms per person | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 1,732 kilograms per person | -2.4% |
| 2012 | 1,765 kilograms per person | +1.9% |
| 2013 | 1,813 kilograms per person | +2.8% |
| 2014 | 1,828 kilograms per person | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 1,929 kilograms per person | +5.6% |
| 2016 | 1,972 kilograms per person | +2.2% |
| 2017 | 2,007 kilograms per person | +1.8% |
| 2018 | 1,964 kilograms per person | -2.1% |
| 2019 | 2,047 kilograms per person | +4.2% |
| 2020 | 1,904 kilograms per person | -7.0% |
| 2021 | 1,987 kilograms per person | +4.4% |
| 2022 | 2,045 kilograms per person | +2.9% |
| 2023 | 2,038 kilograms per person | -0.4% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 2,038 kilograms per person is above the median for high income countries, which is 1,818 kilograms per person, 1.1× the median. (60 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 2,038 kilograms per person is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 742.98 kilograms per person, 2.7× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1,404 kilograms per person | 992.25 kilograms per person | 1,699 kilograms per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,785 kilograms per person | 1,663 kilograms per person | 1,864 kilograms per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,883 kilograms per person | 1,732 kilograms per person | 2,047 kilograms per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,994 kilograms per person | 1,904 kilograms per person | 2,045 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 from transport in South Korea?
- Per capita co₂ emissions from transport in South Korea was 2,038 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 from transport recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 2,047 kilograms per person in 2019.
- What is the lowest per capita co₂ emissions from transport recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 992.25 kilograms per person in 1990.
- How does South Korea rank for per capita co₂ emissions from transport?
- South Korea ranks 26th out of 191 countries with data for 2023.
- Is per capita co₂ emissions from transport rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 from transport. 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.