Per capita CO₂ emissions vs. per capita energy use in North Korea
North Korea: Per capita CO₂ emissions vs. per capita energy use was 2.36 tonnes per person in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
2.36 tonnes per person
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
123rd
of 213 countries
All-time high
10.06 tonnes per person
in 1989
All-time low
0.0025 tonnes per person
in 1905
Years of data
116
1905–2024
Per capita CO₂ emissions vs. per capita energy use in North Korea, 1905–2024
Source: Global Carbon Budget (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes per person.
Analysis
In 2024, per capita co₂ emissions vs. per capita energy use in North Korea stood at 2.36 tonnes per person.
The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 50.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, per capita co₂ emissions vs. per capita energy use in North Korea peaked at 10.06 tonnes per person in 1989 and was at its lowest, 0.0025 tonnes per person, in 1905.
That places North Korea 123rd out of 213 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Per capita CO₂ emissions vs. per capita energy use in North Korea, year by year
| Year | tonnes per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1905 | 0.0025 tonnes per person | — |
| 1909 | 0.0263 tonnes per person | +953.4% |
| 1910 | 0.0327 tonnes per person | +24.3% |
| 1911 | 0.0383 tonnes per person | +17.0% |
| 1912 | 0.0471 tonnes per person | +23.0% |
| 1913 | 0.0538 tonnes per person | +14.1% |
| 1914 | 0.0755 tonnes per person | +40.4% |
| 1915 | 0.0924 tonnes per person | +22.5% |
| 1916 | 0.0754 tonnes per person | -18.4% |
| 1918 | 0.0717 tonnes per person | -4.9% |
| 1919 | 0.0835 tonnes per person | +16.4% |
| 1920 | 0.1067 tonnes per person | +27.7% |
| 1921 | 0.113 tonnes per person | +5.9% |
| 1922 | 0.1136 tonnes per person | +0.5% |
| 1923 | 0.1336 tonnes per person | +17.6% |
| 1924 | 0.1381 tonnes per person | +3.4% |
| 1925 | 0.2167 tonnes per person | +56.9% |
| 1926 | 0.2289 tonnes per person | +5.6% |
| 1927 | 0.2333 tonnes per person | +1.9% |
| 1928 | 0.2644 tonnes per person | +13.3% |
| 1929 | 0.2988 tonnes per person | +13.0% |
| 1930 | 0.277 tonnes per person | -7.3% |
| 1931 | 0.2887 tonnes per person | +4.2% |
| 1932 | 0.3346 tonnes per person | +15.9% |
| 1933 | 0.3881 tonnes per person | +16.0% |
| 1934 | 0.5076 tonnes per person | +30.8% |
| 1935 | 0.5873 tonnes per person | +15.7% |
| 1936 | 0.678 tonnes per person | +15.4% |
| 1937 | 0.7136 tonnes per person | +5.2% |
| 1938 | 0.9393 tonnes per person | +31.6% |
| 1939 | 1.21 tonnes per person | +28.4% |
| 1940 | 1.53 tonnes per person | +26.5% |
| 1941 | 1.67 tonnes per person | +9.7% |
| 1942 | 1.82 tonnes per person | +8.6% |
| 1943 | 1.73 tonnes per person | -4.7% |
| 1944 | 1.8 tonnes per person | +3.9% |
| 1945 | 0.0064 tonnes per person | -99.6% |
| 1946 | 0.007 tonnes per person | +9.3% |
| 1947 | 0.0068 tonnes per person | -1.6% |
| 1948 | 0.13 tonnes per person | +1799.1% |
| 1949 | 0.1626 tonnes per person | +25.0% |
| 1950 | 0.0702 tonnes per person | -56.8% |
| 1951 | 0.0941 tonnes per person | +34.0% |
| 1952 | 0.0868 tonnes per person | -7.8% |
| 1953 | 0.1705 tonnes per person | +96.5% |
| 1954 | 0.4673 tonnes per person | +174.1% |
| 1955 | 0.706 tonnes per person | +51.1% |
| 1956 | 0.8456 tonnes per person | +19.8% |
| 1957 | 1.04 tonnes per person | +23.0% |
| 1958 | 1.4 tonnes per person | +34.6% |
| 1959 | 1.73 tonnes per person | +23.9% |
| 1960 | 2.03 tonnes per person | +17.0% |
| 1961 | 2.2 tonnes per person | +8.6% |
| 1962 | 2.5 tonnes per person | +13.5% |
| 1963 | 2.61 tonnes per person | +4.4% |
| 1964 | 2.76 tonnes per person | +5.8% |
| 1965 | 3.35 tonnes per person | +21.1% |
| 1966 | 3.51 tonnes per person | +4.9% |
| 1967 | 3.75 tonnes per person | +7.0% |
| 1968 | 4.13 tonnes per person | +9.9% |
| 1969 | 4.34 tonnes per person | +5.2% |
| 1970 | 4.84 tonnes per person | +11.6% |
| 1971 | 6.9 tonnes per person | +42.5% |
| 1972 | 5.6 tonnes per person | -18.8% |
| 1973 | 5.95 tonnes per person | +6.2% |
| 1974 | 6.09 tonnes per person | +2.4% |
| 1975 | 6.34 tonnes per person | +4.1% |
| 1976 | 6.38 tonnes per person | +0.6% |
| 1977 | 6.5 tonnes per person | +1.8% |
| 1978 | 6.1 tonnes per person | -6.1% |
| 1979 | 6.13 tonnes per person | +0.5% |
| 1980 | 6.26 tonnes per person | +2.0% |
| 1981 | 6.18 tonnes per person | -1.2% |
| 1982 | 6.23 tonnes per person | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 6.57 tonnes per person | +5.5% |
| 1984 | 6.96 tonnes per person | +6.0% |
| 1985 | 7.35 tonnes per person | +5.6% |
| 1986 | 7.88 tonnes per person | +7.1% |
| 1987 | 8.69 tonnes per person | +10.3% |
| 1988 | 9.72 tonnes per person | +11.8% |
| 1989 | 10.06 tonnes per person | +3.5% |
| 1990 | 5.61 tonnes per person | -44.3% |
| 1991 | 5.26 tonnes per person | -6.1% |
| 1992 | 4.5 tonnes per person | -14.4% |
| 1993 | 4.06 tonnes per person | -9.9% |
| 1994 | 3.64 tonnes per person | -10.2% |
| 1995 | 3.36 tonnes per person | -7.9% |
| 1996 | 2.9 tonnes per person | -13.7% |
| 1997 | 2.76 tonnes per person | -4.8% |
| 1998 | 2.52 tonnes per person | -8.5% |
| 1999 | 2.73 tonnes per person | +8.3% |
| 2000 | 2.92 tonnes per person | +7.1% |
| 2001 | 3.01 tonnes per person | +3.0% |
| 2002 | 2.87 tonnes per person | -4.7% |
| 2003 | 2.91 tonnes per person | +1.6% |
| 2004 | 2.96 tonnes per person | +1.6% |
| 2005 | 3.07 tonnes per person | +4.0% |
| 2006 | 3.11 tonnes per person | +1.0% |
| 2007 | 2.58 tonnes per person | -17.1% |
| 2008 | 2.84 tonnes per person | +10.3% |
| 2009 | 2.72 tonnes per person | -4.2% |
| 2010 | 2.62 tonnes per person | -3.8% |
| 2011 | 1.91 tonnes per person | -27.1% |
| 2012 | 1.85 tonnes per person | -2.8% |
| 2013 | 1.43 tonnes per person | -23.1% |
| 2014 | 1.56 tonnes per person | +9.7% |
| 2015 | 1.22 tonnes per person | -21.8% |
| 2016 | 1.33 tonnes per person | +8.9% |
| 2017 | 2.7 tonnes per person | +102.7% |
| 2018 | 2.41 tonnes per person | -10.6% |
| 2019 | 2.67 tonnes per person | +10.6% |
| 2020 | 2.51 tonnes per person | -6.0% |
| 2021 | 2.06 tonnes per person | -18.0% |
| 2022 | 2.14 tonnes per person | +3.9% |
| 2023 | 2.35 tonnes per person | +9.8% |
| 2024 | 2.36 tonnes per person | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 0.0144 tonnes per person | 0.0025 tonnes per person | 0.0263 tonnes per person | 2 |
| 1910s | 0.0634 tonnes per person | 0.0327 tonnes per person | 0.0924 tonnes per person | 9 |
| 1920s | 0.1847 tonnes per person | 0.1067 tonnes per person | 0.2988 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1930s | 0.592 tonnes per person | 0.277 tonnes per person | 1.21 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1940s | 0.8863 tonnes per person | 0.0064 tonnes per person | 1.82 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1950s | 0.6615 tonnes per person | 0.0702 tonnes per person | 1.73 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1960s | 3.12 tonnes per person | 2.03 tonnes per person | 4.34 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1970s | 6.08 tonnes per person | 4.84 tonnes per person | 6.9 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 7.59 tonnes per person | 6.18 tonnes per person | 10.06 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.73 tonnes per person | 2.52 tonnes per person | 5.61 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.9 tonnes per person | 2.58 tonnes per person | 3.11 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.97 tonnes per person | 1.22 tonnes per person | 2.7 tonnes per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.28 tonnes per person | 2.06 tonnes per person | 2.51 tonnes per person | 5 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
- 120 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 2.54 tonnes per person compare
- 121 Ecuador 2.54 tonnes per person compare
- 122 Armenia 2.5 tonnes per person compare
- 124 Uruguay 2.35 tonnes per person compare
- 125 Bolivia, Plurinational State of 2.31 tonnes per person compare
- 126 Brazil 2.28 tonnes per person compare
More climate change data for North Korea
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.2% (2100)
- Urban population 64.2% (2025)
- Urban population 17.06 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.8% (2025)
- Population, total 26.57 million (2025)
- Population growth 0.3% (2025)
- Annual Net Emissions/Removals 91.25 (2024)
- Temperature change with respect to a baseline climatology 2.65 (2024)
- Per capita CO₂ emissions vs. per capita energy use 2.36 tonnes per person (2024)
- Share of global cumulative CO₂ emissions including land-use change 0.3% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is per capita co₂ emissions vs. per capita energy use in North Korea?
- Per capita co₂ emissions vs. per capita energy use in North Korea was 2.36 tonnes per person in 2024, according to Global Carbon Budget (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest per capita co₂ emissions vs. per capita energy use recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 10.06 tonnes per person in 1989.
- What is the lowest per capita co₂ emissions vs. per capita energy use recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0025 tonnes per person in 1905.
- How does North Korea rank for per capita co₂ emissions vs. per capita energy use?
- North Korea ranks 123rd out of 213 countries with data for 2024.
- Is per capita co₂ emissions vs. per capita energy use rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 50.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Global Carbon Budget (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Per capita CO₂ emissions vs. per capita energy use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 116 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from burning fossil fuels and industrial processes. This includes emissions from transport, electricity generation, and heating, but not land-use change.