Production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy in South Korea
South Korea: Production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy was 0.2296 kg CO₂ per kWh in 2019. ▬ Flat
Production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy in South Korea, 1995–2019
Source: Kulionis (2021) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in kg CO₂ per kWh.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 0.2296 kg CO₂ per kWh for production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy in 2019. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 3.2% on the previous year and down 9.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy in South Korea peaked at 0.2592 kg CO₂ per kWh in 2013 and was at its lowest, 0.2296 kg CO₂ per kWh, in 2019.
South Korea ranks 7th of 43 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
Production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy in South Korea, year by year
| Year | kg CO₂ per kWh | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 0.2383 kg CO₂ per kWh | — |
| 1996 | 0.2308 kg CO₂ per kWh | -3.1% |
| 1997 | 0.239 kg CO₂ per kWh | +3.6% |
| 1998 | 0.2416 kg CO₂ per kWh | +1.1% |
| 1999 | 0.235 kg CO₂ per kWh | -2.7% |
| 2000 | 0.2375 kg CO₂ per kWh | +1.1% |
| 2001 | 0.2324 kg CO₂ per kWh | -2.2% |
| 2002 | 0.2374 kg CO₂ per kWh | +2.2% |
| 2003 | 0.2357 kg CO₂ per kWh | -0.7% |
| 2004 | 0.2298 kg CO₂ per kWh | -2.5% |
| 2005 | 0.2424 kg CO₂ per kWh | +5.5% |
| 2006 | 0.231 kg CO₂ per kWh | -4.7% |
| 2007 | 0.2436 kg CO₂ per kWh | +5.4% |
| 2008 | 0.255 kg CO₂ per kWh | +4.7% |
| 2009 | 0.2523 kg CO₂ per kWh | -1.1% |
| 2010 | 0.2479 kg CO₂ per kWh | -1.7% |
| 2011 | 0.2556 kg CO₂ per kWh | +3.1% |
| 2012 | 0.2548 kg CO₂ per kWh | -0.3% |
| 2013 | 0.2592 kg CO₂ per kWh | +1.7% |
| 2014 | 0.2451 kg CO₂ per kWh | -5.4% |
| 2015 | 0.2407 kg CO₂ per kWh | -1.8% |
| 2016 | 0.2521 kg CO₂ per kWh | +4.8% |
| 2017 | 0.2311 kg CO₂ per kWh | -8.3% |
| 2018 | 0.2372 kg CO₂ per kWh | +2.6% |
| 2019 | 0.2296 kg CO₂ per kWh | -3.2% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 0.2296 kg CO₂ per kWh is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.2296 kg CO₂ per kWh, 1.0× the median. (5 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 0.2296 kg CO₂ per kWh is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.1749 kg CO₂ per kWh, 1.3× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0.2369 kg CO₂ per kWh | 0.2308 kg CO₂ per kWh | 0.2416 kg CO₂ per kWh | 5 |
| 2000s | 0.2397 kg CO₂ per kWh | 0.2298 kg CO₂ per kWh | 0.255 kg CO₂ per kWh | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.2453 kg CO₂ per kWh | 0.2296 kg CO₂ per kWh | 0.2592 kg CO₂ per kWh | 10 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
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 production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy in South Korea?
- Production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy in South Korea was 0.2296 kg CO₂ per kWh in 2019, according to Kulionis (2021) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 0.2592 kg CO₂ per kWh in 2013.
- What is the lowest production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.2296 kg CO₂ per kWh in 2019.
- How does South Korea rank for production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy?
- South Korea ranks 7th out of 43 countries with data for 2019.
- Is production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 9.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Kulionis (2021) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Production vs. consumption-based carbon intensity of energy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Carbon intensity is measured in kilograms of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emitted per kilowatt-hour of energy. Consumption-based metrics adjust for the energy or emissions embedded in traded goods: it is production-based emissions and energy minus exported goods; plus the energy or emissions from imported goods.