Japan vs South Korea: Annual change in primary energy use
Japan
-34.76 terawatt-hours
in 2025
South Korea
-56.71 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Japan rank
215th
South Korea rank
218th
Annual change in primary energy use over time
- Japan
- South Korea
How they compare
Japan currently reports -34.76 terawatt-hours against -56.71 terawatt-hours in South Korea, a difference of 21.95 terawatt-hours.
The two have swapped places 22 times across 60 shared years of data; in 1966 it was Japan ahead.
Japan ranks 215th and South Korea ranks 218th of 218 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Japan averaged higher in 3 and South Korea in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 291.37 terawatt-hours | 17.03 terawatt-hours | 274.34 terawatt-hours | Japan |
| 1970s | 147.36 terawatt-hours | 29.57 terawatt-hours | 117.79 terawatt-hours | Japan |
| 1980s | 63.15 terawatt-hours | 50.83 terawatt-hours | 12.32 terawatt-hours | Japan |
| 1990s | 112.61 terawatt-hours | 120.61 terawatt-hours | 7.99 terawatt-hours | South Korea |
| 2000s | -45.99 terawatt-hours | 72.54 terawatt-hours | 118.53 terawatt-hours | South Korea |
| 2010s | -58.89 terawatt-hours | 67.68 terawatt-hours | 126.57 terawatt-hours | South Korea |
| 2020s | -75.41 terawatt-hours | 8.28 terawatt-hours | 83.69 terawatt-hours | South Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher annual change in primary energy use, Japan or South Korea?
- Japan, at -34.76 terawatt-hours against -56.71 terawatt-hours in South Korea as of 2025.
- What is the difference in annual change in primary energy use between Japan and South Korea?
- 21.95 terawatt-hours, with Japan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and South Korea?
- 60 years are reported by both, from 1966 to 2025.
- How do Japan and South Korea rank globally for annual change in primary energy use?
- Japan ranks 215th and South Korea ranks 218th of 218 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Annual change in primary energy use. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Change in total energy supply relative to the previous year, measured in terawatt-hours.