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
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.
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
- 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 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.
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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.