Germany vs South Korea: Fossil fuel consumption
Germany
1,166 terawatt-hours
in 2025
South Korea
1,506 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Germany rank
10th
South Korea rank
7th
Fossil fuel consumption over time
- Germany
- South Korea
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 1,506 terawatt-hours against 1,166 terawatt-hours in Germany, a difference of 340 terawatt-hours.
That makes South Korea's figure about 1.3 times Germany's.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 61 shared years of data; in 1965 it was Germany ahead.
Germany ranks 10th and South Korea ranks 7th of 79 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Germany averaged higher in 5 and South Korea in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Germany | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1,236 terawatt-hours | 42.77 terawatt-hours | 1,193 terawatt-hours | Germany |
| 1970s | 1,803 terawatt-hours | 173.76 terawatt-hours | 1,629 terawatt-hours | Germany |
| 1980s | 1,556 terawatt-hours | 335.34 terawatt-hours | 1,221 terawatt-hours | Germany |
| 1990s | 1,624 terawatt-hours | 1,020 terawatt-hours | 603.99 terawatt-hours | Germany |
| 2000s | 1,467 terawatt-hours | 1,250 terawatt-hours | 217.13 terawatt-hours | Germany |
| 2010s | 1,332 terawatt-hours | 1,396 terawatt-hours | 63.9 terawatt-hours | South Korea |
| 2020s | 1,197 terawatt-hours | 1,494 terawatt-hours | 297 terawatt-hours | South Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher fossil fuel consumption, Germany or South Korea?
- South Korea, at 1,506 terawatt-hours against 1,166 terawatt-hours in Germany as of 2025.
- What is the difference in fossil fuel consumption between Germany and South Korea?
- 340 terawatt-hours, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Germany and South Korea?
- 61 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2025.
- How do Germany and South Korea rank globally for fossil fuel consumption?
- Germany ranks 10th and South Korea ranks 7th of 79 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Fossil fuel consumption. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours.