Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in South Korea
South Korea: Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources was 40.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in South Korea, 1985–2025
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 40.0% for share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in 2025.
That represents a change of up 0.2% on the previous year and up 21.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in South Korea peaked at 53.9% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 27.2%, in 2018.
That places South Korea 100th out of 213 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 41 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 44.9% | 31.8% | 53.9% | 5 |
| 1990s | 38.8% | 32.4% | 48.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 36.8% | 33.7% | 38.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 30.4% | 27.2% | 32.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 37.4% | 33.9% | 40.0% | 6 |
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 share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in South Korea?
- Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources in South Korea was 40.0% in 2025, according to Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 53.9% in 1987.
- What is the lowest share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 27.2% in 2018.
- How does South Korea rank for share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources?
- South Korea ranks 100th out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of electricity generation from low-carbon sources. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 41 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured as a percentage of total electricity produced in the country or region. Low-carbon sources correspond to renewables and nuclear power, that produce significantly less greenhouse-gas emissions than fossil fuels. Renewables include solar, wind, hydropower, bioenergy, geothermal, wave, and tidal.