Per capita low-carbon energy vs. GDP per capita in South Korea
South Korea: Per capita low-carbon energy vs. GDP per capita was 13.06 kilowatt-hours per person in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
13.06 kilowatt-hours per person
Change on year
down 1.8%
World rank
7th
of 79 countries
All-time high
13.3 kilowatt-hours per person
in 2024
All-time low
0.0243 kilowatt-hours per person
in 1965
Years of data
61
1965–2025
Per capita low-carbon energy vs. GDP per capita in South Korea, 1965–2025
Source: Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in kilowatt-hours per person.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 13.06 kilowatt-hours per person for per capita low-carbon energy vs. gdp per capita in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.8% on the previous year and up 24.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, per capita low-carbon energy vs. gdp per capita in South Korea peaked at 13.3 kilowatt-hours per person in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0.0243 kilowatt-hours per person, in 1965.
South Korea ranks 7th of 79 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Per capita low-carbon energy vs. GDP per capita in South Korea, year by year
| Year | kilowatt-hours per person | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 0.0243 kilowatt-hours per person | — |
| 1966 | 0.033 kilowatt-hours per person | +36.1% |
| 1967 | 0.0313 kilowatt-hours per person | -5.3% |
| 1968 | 0.0298 kilowatt-hours per person | -4.6% |
| 1969 | 0.0448 kilowatt-hours per person | +50.4% |
| 1970 | 0.0375 kilowatt-hours per person | -16.4% |
| 1971 | 0.0397 kilowatt-hours per person | +5.9% |
| 1972 | 0.0403 kilowatt-hours per person | +1.5% |
| 1973 | 0.0371 kilowatt-hours per person | -8.0% |
| 1974 | 0.054 kilowatt-hours per person | +45.6% |
| 1975 | 0.0469 kilowatt-hours per person | -13.2% |
| 1976 | 0.0492 kilowatt-hours per person | +4.8% |
| 1977 | 0.0437 kilowatt-hours per person | -11.2% |
| 1978 | 0.2374 kilowatt-hours per person | +443.5% |
| 1979 | 0.3142 kilowatt-hours per person | +32.3% |
| 1980 | 0.3266 kilowatt-hours per person | +4.0% |
| 1981 | 0.2941 kilowatt-hours per person | -10.0% |
| 1982 | 0.3344 kilowatt-hours per person | +13.7% |
| 1983 | 0.7365 kilowatt-hours per person | +120.2% |
| 1984 | 0.9294 kilowatt-hours per person | +26.2% |
| 1985 | 1.31 kilowatt-hours per person | +41.0% |
| 1986 | 2.13 kilowatt-hours per person | +62.6% |
| 1987 | 2.91 kilowatt-hours per person | +36.5% |
| 1988 | 2.88 kilowatt-hours per person | -1.1% |
| 1989 | 3.37 kilowatt-hours per person | +17.0% |
| 1990 | 3.74 kilowatt-hours per person | +11.2% |
| 1991 | 3.92 kilowatt-hours per person | +4.7% |
| 1992 | 3.91 kilowatt-hours per person | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 4.02 kilowatt-hours per person | +2.9% |
| 1994 | 3.99 kilowatt-hours per person | -0.7% |
| 1995 | 4.55 kilowatt-hours per person | +14.1% |
| 1996 | 4.99 kilowatt-hours per person | +9.5% |
| 1997 | 5.15 kilowatt-hours per person | +3.3% |
| 1998 | 5.98 kilowatt-hours per person | +16.0% |
| 1999 | 6.81 kilowatt-hours per person | +14.0% |
| 2000 | 7.15 kilowatt-hours per person | +5.0% |
| 2001 | 7.28 kilowatt-hours per person | +1.8% |
| 2002 | 7.71 kilowatt-hours per person | +5.9% |
| 2003 | 8.39 kilowatt-hours per person | +8.8% |
| 2004 | 8.41 kilowatt-hours per person | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 9.39 kilowatt-hours per person | +11.6% |
| 2006 | 9.49 kilowatt-hours per person | +1.1% |
| 2007 | 9.12 kilowatt-hours per person | -3.9% |
| 2008 | 9.62 kilowatt-hours per person | +5.5% |
| 2009 | 9.4 kilowatt-hours per person | -2.3% |
| 2010 | 9.45 kilowatt-hours per person | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 9.82 kilowatt-hours per person | +3.9% |
| 2012 | 9.52 kilowatt-hours per person | -3.0% |
| 2013 | 8.82 kilowatt-hours per person | -7.4% |
| 2014 | 9.98 kilowatt-hours per person | +13.2% |
| 2015 | 10.49 kilowatt-hours per person | +5.1% |
| 2016 | 10.36 kilowatt-hours per person | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 9.68 kilowatt-hours per person | -6.6% |
| 2018 | 8.99 kilowatt-hours per person | -7.1% |
| 2019 | 9.86 kilowatt-hours per person | +9.6% |
| 2020 | 10.84 kilowatt-hours per person | +10.0% |
| 2021 | 10.99 kilowatt-hours per person | +1.4% |
| 2022 | 12.23 kilowatt-hours per person | +11.2% |
| 2023 | 12.6 kilowatt-hours per person | +3.1% |
| 2024 | 13.3 kilowatt-hours per person | +5.5% |
| 2025 | 13.06 kilowatt-hours per person | -1.8% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 13.06 kilowatt-hours per person is above the median for high income countries, which is 5.23 kilowatt-hours per person, 2.5× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 13.06 kilowatt-hours per person is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.65 kilowatt-hours per person, 7.9× the median. (12 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Per capita low-carbon energy vs. GDP per capita 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | +443.5% | 0.0437 kilowatt-hours per person | 0.2374 kilowatt-hours per person |
| 1983 | +120.2% | 0.3344 kilowatt-hours per person | 0.7365 kilowatt-hours per person |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 0.0326 kilowatt-hours per person | 0.0243 kilowatt-hours per person | 0.0448 kilowatt-hours per person | 5 |
| 1970s | 0.09 kilowatt-hours per person | 0.0371 kilowatt-hours per person | 0.3142 kilowatt-hours per person | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.52 kilowatt-hours per person | 0.2941 kilowatt-hours per person | 3.37 kilowatt-hours per person | 10 |
| 1990s | 4.71 kilowatt-hours per person | 3.74 kilowatt-hours per person | 6.81 kilowatt-hours per person | 10 |
| 2000s | 8.6 kilowatt-hours per person | 7.15 kilowatt-hours per person | 9.62 kilowatt-hours per person | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.7 kilowatt-hours per person | 8.82 kilowatt-hours per person | 10.49 kilowatt-hours per person | 10 |
| 2020s | 12.17 kilowatt-hours per person | 10.84 kilowatt-hours per person | 13.3 kilowatt-hours per person | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 4 New Zealand 25.09 kilowatt-hours per person compare
- 5 France 20.83 kilowatt-hours per person compare
- 6 Canada 18.32 kilowatt-hours per person compare
- 8 United States 12.63 kilowatt-hours per person compare
- 9 Slovakia 12.49 kilowatt-hours per person compare
- 10 United Arab Emirates 12.26 kilowatt-hours 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 low-carbon energy vs. gdp per capita in South Korea?
- Per capita low-carbon energy vs. gdp per capita in South Korea was 13.06 kilowatt-hours per person in 2025, according to Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest per capita low-carbon energy vs. gdp per capita recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 13.3 kilowatt-hours per person in 2024.
- What is the lowest per capita low-carbon energy vs. gdp per capita recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0243 kilowatt-hours per person in 1965.
- How does South Korea rank for per capita low-carbon energy vs. gdp per capita?
- South Korea ranks 7th out of 79 countries with data for 2025.
- Is per capita low-carbon energy vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 24.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); Population based on various sources (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Per capita low-carbon energy vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 61 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in kilowatt-hours of total energy supply per person.