Iran vs South Korea: Fossil fuel consumption (fuel Energy Institute – Stati)
Iran
3,656 terawatt-hours
in 2025
South Korea
2,929 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Iran rank
7th
South Korea rank
9th
Fossil fuel consumption (fuel Energy Institute – Stati) over time
- Iran
- South Korea
How they compare
Iran currently reports 3,656 terawatt-hours against 2,929 terawatt-hours in South Korea, a difference of 727 terawatt-hours.
That makes Iran's figure about 1.2 times South Korea's.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 61 shared years of data; in 1965 it was Iran ahead.
Iran ranks 7th and South Korea ranks 9th of 220 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Iran averaged higher in 3 and South Korea in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iran | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 111.88 terawatt-hours | 103.78 terawatt-hours | 8.1 terawatt-hours | Iran |
| 1970s | 291.93 terawatt-hours | 267.54 terawatt-hours | 24.39 terawatt-hours | Iran |
| 1980s | 548.94 terawatt-hours | 574.53 terawatt-hours | 25.59 terawatt-hours | South Korea |
| 1990s | 1,031 terawatt-hours | 1,475 terawatt-hours | 443.46 terawatt-hours | South Korea |
| 2000s | 1,872 terawatt-hours | 2,201 terawatt-hours | 328.1 terawatt-hours | South Korea |
| 2010s | 2,765 terawatt-hours | 2,891 terawatt-hours | 126.2 terawatt-hours | South Korea |
| 2020s | 3,488 terawatt-hours | 2,954 terawatt-hours | 533.85 terawatt-hours | Iran |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher fossil fuel consumption, Iran or South Korea?
- Iran, at 3,656 terawatt-hours against 2,929 terawatt-hours in South Korea as of 2025.
- What is the difference in fossil fuel consumption between Iran and South Korea?
- 727 terawatt-hours, with Iran ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iran and South Korea?
- 61 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2025.
- How do Iran and South Korea rank globally for fossil fuel consumption?
- Iran ranks 7th and South Korea ranks 9th of 220 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 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. Fossil fuels include coal, oil, and gas.