Greenhouse gas emissions in South Korea
South Korea: Greenhouse gas emissions was 630.57 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2024)
630.57 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
15th
of 199 countries
All-time high
709.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 2018
All-time low
6.05 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents
in 1895
Years of data
175
1850–2024
Greenhouse gas emissions in South Korea, 1850–2024
Source: Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
Analysis
In 2024, greenhouse gas emissions in South Korea stood at 630.57 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents.
The figure is down 0.4% on the previous year and down 5.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, greenhouse gas emissions in South Korea peaked at 709.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2018 and was at its lowest, 6.05 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, in 1895.
That places South Korea 15th out of 199 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
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 | 9.47 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 8.48 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 9.92 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1860s | 8.58 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 7.74 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 9.54 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1870s | 8.44 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 7.87 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10.30 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1880s | 7.54 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 6.69 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 7.93 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1890s | 7.39 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 6.05 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 8.60 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1900s | 7.93 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 7.12 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10.42 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1910s | 14.16 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 9.90 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 18.15 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1920s | 21.48 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 18.74 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 24.83 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1930s | 21.34 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 18.84 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 23.16 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1940s | 28.72 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 23.83 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 34.08 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1950s | 30.16 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 28.65 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 31.47 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1960s | 53.00 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 32.24 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 68.31 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1970s | 115.98 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 81.30 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 168.46 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1980s | 206.99 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 169.29 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 263.19 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 1990s | 393.65 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 288.63 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 487.94 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2000s | 529.25 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 480.15 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 570.55 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2010s | 671.30 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 627.62 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 709.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 10 |
| 2020s | 641.83 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 630.57 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 657.43 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 12 Turkey 680.01 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 13 Germany 659.65 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 14 Mexico 635.72 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 16 Australia 609.92 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 17 Vietnam 583.50 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
- 18 South Africa 542.73 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents compare
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 greenhouse gas emissions in South Korea?
- Greenhouse gas emissions in South Korea was 630.57 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2024, according to Jones et al. (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest greenhouse gas emissions recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 709.06 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 2018.
- What is the lowest greenhouse gas emissions recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.05 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalents in 1895.
- How does South Korea rank for greenhouse gas emissions?
- South Korea ranks 15th out of 199 countries with data for 2024.
- Is greenhouse gas emissions rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.2%. 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) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of 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 of carbon dioxide-equivalents over a 100-year timescale.