Per capita greenhouse gas emissions in South Korea
South Korea: Per capita greenhouse gas emissions was 12.19 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
12.19 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
28th
of 199 countries
All-time high
13.73 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 2018
All-time low
0.6251 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person
in 1895
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Per capita greenhouse gas emissions in South Korea, 1850–2024
Source: Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person.
Analysis
In 2024, per capita greenhouse gas emissions in South Korea stood at 12.19 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person.
The figure is down 0.3% on the previous year and down 7.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, per capita greenhouse gas emissions in South Korea peaked at 13.73 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2018 and was at its lowest, 0.6251 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, in 1895.
That places South Korea 28th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1850s | 0.9889 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.8856 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.04 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1860s | 0.8912 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.8041 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.9904 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1870s | 0.8726 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.8134 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.07 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1880s | 0.7796 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.6911 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.8192 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1890s | 0.7633 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.6251 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.8893 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1900s | 0.8137 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.7347 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.07 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1910s | 1.33 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 0.989 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.61 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1920s | 1.74 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.63 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.93 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1930s | 1.5 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.37 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.66 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1940s | 1.65 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.55 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.74 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1950s | 1.37 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.22 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.48 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1960s | 1.81 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.23 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.15 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.25 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 2.5 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 4.47 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.05 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 4.44 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 6.05 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.67 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 6.55 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10.62 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.08 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10.27 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 11.75 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 13.28 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 12.87 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 13.73 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.39 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 12.19 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 12.68 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 5 |
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 greenhouse gas emissions in South Korea?
- Per capita greenhouse gas emissions in South Korea was 12.19 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2024, according to Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest per capita greenhouse gas emissions recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 13.73 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 2018.
- What is the lowest per capita greenhouse gas emissions recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6251 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person in 1895.
- How does South Korea rank for per capita greenhouse gas emissions?
- South Korea ranks 28th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is per capita greenhouse gas emissions rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 7.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Jones et al. (2025); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Per capita greenhouse gas emissions. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 175 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Greenhouse gas emissions are measured in tonnes per person of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.