Environment & Energy

South Korea

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Electricity generation mix
  • Coal31.2%
  • Nuclear29.7%
  • Gas28.0%
  • Solar6.0%
  • Bioenergy3.1%
  • Other fossil0.9%
  • Hydro0.6%
  • Wind0.6%
Source: Ember
CO₂ emissions19702024
62.321737152668019702024
Source: World Bank WDI
Renewable energy share19902021
0.41.222.83.619902021
Source: World Bank WDI
Renewable energy share19902015
0.4421.041.642.242.8419902015
Source: WB SE4ALL
IndicatorValue
CO₂ emissions588 Mt CO₂World Bank WDI [2024]
CO₂ per capita11.4 t CO₂World Bank WDI [2024]
Renewable energy share3.6 %World Bank WDI [2021]
Energy use per capita5,440 kg oil-eqWorld Bank WDI [2024]
Freshwater withdrawal45 %World Bank WDI [2022]
Renewable electricity share10.4 %Ember [2025]
UNESCO World Heritage sites17 sitesUNESCO World Heritage [2025]
Mean annual temperature12.7 °CWorld Bank CCKP [2014]
Forest area (>10% canopy)5,600,000 haGlobal Forest Watch [2010]
Intangible cultural heritage elements23 elementsUNESCO ICH [2025]
Operating power capacity141,000 MWGlobal Energy Monitor [2025]
Renewable water resources per capita69.7 m³FAO AQUASTAT [2022]
Water withdrawal — agriculture16 bcmFAO AQUASTAT [2022]
Water withdrawal — industry27.1 bcmFAO AQUASTAT [2022]
Water withdrawal — domestic3.93 bcmFAO AQUASTAT [2022]
CO2 emissions, total584–588,000 MtJRC EDGAR [2024] 588,000 Mt·Global Carbon Budget [2024] 584.1 Mt
CO2 emissions by sector
  • Main Activity Electricity and Heat Production
  • Road Transportation no resuspension
  • Manufacturing Industries and Construction
  • Residential and other sectors
  • Petroleum Refining - Manufacture of Solid Fuels and Other Energy Industries
JRC EDGAR [2024]
CO2 emissions, territorial584 MtGlobal Carbon Budget [2024]
CO2 emissions, consumption-based709 MtGlobal Carbon Budget [2023]
Significant earthquakes (recent)No authoritative open source found
Largest recent earthquakeNo authoritative open source found
Active natural events5NASA EONET [2026]
Natural events by categoryFloods: 5NASA EONET [2026]
Renewable energy share2.71 %WB SE4ALL [2015]
Oil production111 kbdEIA International Energy [2025]
Natural gas production0 bcmEIA International Energy [2024]
Coal production0.544 MtEIA International Energy [2024]
Environmental issuesair pollution in large cities; acid rain; water pollution from sewage and industrial effluents; drift-net fishing; solid waste disposal; transboundary air pollution from ChinaCIA World Factbook [2025] · 2026 archive

Section metadata

Data year2026
EditionDatabook 2026
Coverage26/28
LicenseCC-BY
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Datasets on this page
  • World Bank WDI
    world_bank_wdi
    Edition: 2024
  • Ember
    ember_electricity
    Edition: 2025
  • UNESCO World Heritage
    unesco_world_heritage
    Edition: 2025
  • World Bank CCKP
    cckp_climate
    Edition: 2024
  • Global Forest Watch
    gfw_forest_cover
    Edition: 2024
  • UNESCO ICH
    unesco_ich
    Edition: 2025
  • Global Energy Monitor
    global_energy_monitor
    Edition: 2025
  • FAO AQUASTAT
    aquastat_water
    Edition: 2026
  • JRC EDGAR
    edgar
    Edition: 2025
  • Global Carbon Budget
    global_carbon_budget
    Edition: 2025
  • NASA EONET
    nasa_eonet
    Edition: 2026
  • WB SE4ALL
    world_bank_se4all
    Edition: 2018
  • EIA International Energy
    eia_energy_international
    Edition: 2026
  • CIA World Factbook
    cia_factbook
    Edition: 2025
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About this data

South Korea's environment & energy on Databook compiles 26 indicators from 14 open datasets including World Bank WDI, Ember, UNESCO World Heritage. Key figures include co₂ emissions (588 Mt CO₂), co₂ per capita (11.4 t CO₂). Data is referenced to 2026. Every value carries its source and publication year, published under open licenses.