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.
Per capita greenhouse gas emissions in South Korea, year by year
| Year | tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 1.03 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | — |
| 1851 | 1.01 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.1% |
| 1852 | 0.9807 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.0% |
| 1853 | 1.04 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +5.7% |
| 1854 | 1.02 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.9% |
| 1855 | 0.8856 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -13.0% |
| 1856 | 1.01 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +13.7% |
| 1857 | 0.9075 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -9.9% |
| 1858 | 1.01 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +11.4% |
| 1859 | 0.9983 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.2% |
| 1860 | 0.9079 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -9.1% |
| 1861 | 0.921 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.4% |
| 1862 | 0.8801 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -4.4% |
| 1863 | 0.8041 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -8.6% |
| 1864 | 0.9904 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +23.2% |
| 1865 | 0.8902 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -10.1% |
| 1866 | 0.8886 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.2% |
| 1867 | 0.8732 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.7% |
| 1868 | 0.879 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.7% |
| 1869 | 0.8772 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.2% |
| 1870 | 0.8652 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.4% |
| 1871 | 0.816 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -5.7% |
| 1872 | 0.8826 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +8.2% |
| 1873 | 0.8525 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.4% |
| 1874 | 0.8206 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.7% |
| 1875 | 1.07 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +29.8% |
| 1876 | 0.9246 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -13.2% |
| 1877 | 0.848 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -8.3% |
| 1878 | 0.8381 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.2% |
| 1879 | 0.8134 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.9% |
| 1880 | 0.783 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.7% |
| 1881 | 0.8028 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.5% |
| 1882 | 0.7738 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.6% |
| 1883 | 0.7559 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.3% |
| 1884 | 0.6911 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -8.6% |
| 1885 | 0.7897 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +14.3% |
| 1886 | 0.7896 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.0% |
| 1887 | 0.7729 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.1% |
| 1888 | 0.818 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +5.8% |
| 1889 | 0.8192 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.1% |
| 1890 | 0.6931 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -15.4% |
| 1891 | 0.8893 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +28.3% |
| 1892 | 0.8586 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.5% |
| 1893 | 0.83 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.3% |
| 1894 | 0.6366 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -23.3% |
| 1895 | 0.6251 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.8% |
| 1896 | 0.8157 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +30.5% |
| 1897 | 0.7467 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -8.5% |
| 1898 | 0.773 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +3.5% |
| 1899 | 0.7647 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.1% |
| 1900 | 0.7347 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.9% |
| 1901 | 0.7489 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.9% |
| 1902 | 0.834 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +11.4% |
| 1903 | 0.7923 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -5.0% |
| 1904 | 1.07 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +35.0% |
| 1905 | 0.7998 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -25.2% |
| 1906 | 0.7568 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -5.4% |
| 1907 | 0.807 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +6.6% |
| 1908 | 0.8094 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.3% |
| 1909 | 0.7852 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.0% |
| 1910 | 1.13 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +43.3% |
| 1911 | 0.989 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -12.1% |
| 1912 | 1.1 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +11.0% |
| 1913 | 1.28 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +16.3% |
| 1914 | 1.27 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.6% |
| 1915 | 1.38 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +8.6% |
| 1916 | 1.47 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +6.3% |
| 1917 | 1.56 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +6.4% |
| 1918 | 1.57 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.5% |
| 1919 | 1.61 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.7% |
| 1920 | 1.63 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.6% |
| 1921 | 1.64 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.3% |
| 1922 | 1.67 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.1% |
| 1923 | 1.64 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.3% |
| 1924 | 1.88 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +15.0% |
| 1925 | 1.72 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -8.9% |
| 1926 | 1.72 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.4% |
| 1927 | 1.93 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +12.3% |
| 1928 | 1.74 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -10.1% |
| 1929 | 1.79 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +3.3% |
| 1930 | 1.66 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -7.4% |
| 1931 | 1.38 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -16.9% |
| 1932 | 1.54 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +11.5% |
| 1933 | 1.37 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -11.0% |
| 1934 | 1.5 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +9.3% |
| 1935 | 1.52 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.1% |
| 1936 | 1.5 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.9% |
| 1937 | 1.47 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.4% |
| 1938 | 1.53 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +4.1% |
| 1939 | 1.54 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.9% |
| 1940 | 1.55 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.0% |
| 1941 | 1.63 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +5.1% |
| 1942 | 1.63 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.4% |
| 1943 | 1.64 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.0% |
| 1944 | 1.66 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.0% |
| 1945 | 1.71 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +3.0% |
| 1946 | 1.69 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.2% |
| 1947 | 1.66 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.8% |
| 1948 | 1.62 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.4% |
| 1949 | 1.74 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +7.4% |
| 1950 | 1.48 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -14.6% |
| 1951 | 1.46 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.6% |
| 1952 | 1.42 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.0% |
| 1953 | 1.45 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.1% |
| 1954 | 1.42 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.0% |
| 1955 | 1.33 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -6.1% |
| 1956 | 1.38 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +3.4% |
| 1957 | 1.33 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.4% |
| 1958 | 1.27 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -4.4% |
| 1959 | 1.22 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -4.3% |
| 1960 | 1.23 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.5% |
| 1961 | 1.26 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.4% |
| 1962 | 1.42 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +12.2% |
| 1963 | 1.87 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +31.9% |
| 1964 | 2 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +6.9% |
| 1965 | 1.94 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.7% |
| 1966 | 2.04 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +4.7% |
| 1967 | 2.15 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +5.4% |
| 1968 | 2.03 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -5.5% |
| 1969 | 2.14 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +5.7% |
| 1970 | 2.5 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +16.5% |
| 1971 | 2.53 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.3% |
| 1972 | 2.62 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +3.3% |
| 1973 | 2.98 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +13.9% |
| 1974 | 3.1 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +4.1% |
| 1975 | 3.21 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +3.4% |
| 1976 | 3.43 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +6.9% |
| 1977 | 3.74 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +9.2% |
| 1978 | 3.94 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +5.3% |
| 1979 | 4.47 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +13.4% |
| 1980 | 4.44 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.6% |
| 1981 | 4.54 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.4% |
| 1982 | 4.46 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.9% |
| 1983 | 4.64 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +4.2% |
| 1984 | 4.89 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +5.3% |
| 1985 | 5.06 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +3.5% |
| 1986 | 5.22 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +3.1% |
| 1987 | 5.32 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.0% |
| 1988 | 5.85 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +10.0% |
| 1989 | 6.05 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +3.4% |
| 1990 | 6.55 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +8.3% |
| 1991 | 7.05 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +7.7% |
| 1992 | 7.63 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +8.2% |
| 1993 | 8.16 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +7.0% |
| 1994 | 8.69 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +6.5% |
| 1995 | 9.23 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +6.1% |
| 1996 | 10.08 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +9.2% |
| 1997 | 10.62 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +5.4% |
| 1998 | 9.01 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -15.1% |
| 1999 | 9.71 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +7.7% |
| 2000 | 10.27 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +5.7% |
| 2001 | 10.51 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.4% |
| 2002 | 10.77 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.5% |
| 2003 | 10.92 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.4% |
| 2004 | 11.03 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.0% |
| 2005 | 11.16 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.1% |
| 2006 | 11.2 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.4% |
| 2007 | 11.55 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +3.1% |
| 2008 | 11.67 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +1.0% |
| 2009 | 11.75 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 12.87 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +9.5% |
| 2011 | 13.46 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +4.6% |
| 2012 | 13.35 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.9% |
| 2013 | 13.34 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.1% |
| 2014 | 13.16 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 13.17 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 13.14 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.2% |
| 2017 | 13.43 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.2% |
| 2018 | 13.73 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +2.2% |
| 2019 | 13.19 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -3.9% |
| 2020 | 12.28 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -7.0% |
| 2021 | 12.68 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | +3.3% |
| 2022 | 12.58 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.8% |
| 2023 | 12.23 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -2.8% |
| 2024 | 12.19 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | -0.3% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 12.19 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person is above the median for high income countries, which is 7.8 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, 1.6× the median. (67 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 12.19 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 5.25 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person, 2.3× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Per capita greenhouse gas emissions in South Korea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | +43.3% | 0.7852 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person | 1.13 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person |
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
- 25 Iceland 12.85 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 26 Uruguay 12.71 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 27 Taiwan 12.21 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 29 Luxembourg 11.8 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 30 Ireland 11.46 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
- 31 Iran 11.05 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person compare
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 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.