China vs South Korea: Coal consumption per person
China
18,093 kilowatt-hours per person
in 2025
South Korea
15,352 kilowatt-hours per person
in 2025
China rank
4th
South Korea rank
7th
Coal consumption per person over time
- China
- South Korea
How they compare
China currently reports 18,093 kilowatt-hours per person against 15,352 kilowatt-hours per person in South Korea, a difference of 2,741 kilowatt-hours per person.
That makes China's figure about 1.2 times South Korea's.
The two have swapped places 3 times across 61 shared years of data; in 1965 it was South Korea ahead.
China ranks 4th and South Korea ranks 7th of 218 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, China averaged higher in 2 and South Korea in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | China | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1,784 kilowatt-hours per person | 2,000 kilowatt-hours per person | 216.52 kilowatt-hours per person | South Korea |
| 1970s | 2,898 kilowatt-hours per person | 2,628 kilowatt-hours per person | 270.14 kilowatt-hours per person | China |
| 1980s | 4,331 kilowatt-hours per person | 5,624 kilowatt-hours per person | 1,294 kilowatt-hours per person | South Korea |
| 1990s | 6,083 kilowatt-hours per person | 7,922 kilowatt-hours per person | 1,838 kilowatt-hours per person | South Korea |
| 2000s | 10,652 kilowatt-hours per person | 13,686 kilowatt-hours per person | 3,034 kilowatt-hours per person | South Korea |
| 2010s | 15,939 kilowatt-hours per person | 19,545 kilowatt-hours per person | 3,606 kilowatt-hours per person | South Korea |
| 2020s | 17,323 kilowatt-hours per person | 16,406 kilowatt-hours per person | 917.17 kilowatt-hours per person | China |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher coal consumption per person, China or South Korea?
- China, at 18,093 kilowatt-hours per person against 15,352 kilowatt-hours per person in South Korea as of 2025.
- What is the difference in coal consumption per person between China and South Korea?
- 2,741 kilowatt-hours per person, with China ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for China and South Korea?
- 61 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2025.
- How do China and South Korea rank globally for coal consumption per person?
- China ranks 4th and South Korea ranks 7th of 218 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Coal consumption per person. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured in kilowatt-hours per person.