Japan vs South Korea: Fossil fuel consumption (fuel Energy Institute – Stati)
Japan
3,923 terawatt-hours
in 2025
South Korea
2,929 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Japan rank
6th
South Korea rank
9th
Fossil fuel consumption (fuel Energy Institute – Stati) over time
- Japan
- South Korea
How they compare
Japan currently reports 3,923 terawatt-hours against 2,929 terawatt-hours in South Korea, a difference of 994 terawatt-hours.
That makes Japan's figure about 1.3 times South Korea's.
Across all 61 years both countries report, Japan has been ahead every year.
Japan ranks 6th and South Korea ranks 9th of 220 countries.
Japan has averaged higher in every one of the 7 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Japan | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2,139 terawatt-hours | 103.78 terawatt-hours | 2,035 terawatt-hours | Japan |
| 1970s | 3,767 terawatt-hours | 267.54 terawatt-hours | 3,499 terawatt-hours | Japan |
| 1980s | 3,810 terawatt-hours | 574.53 terawatt-hours | 3,235 terawatt-hours | Japan |
| 1990s | 4,726 terawatt-hours | 1,475 terawatt-hours | 3,251 terawatt-hours | Japan |
| 2000s | 5,094 terawatt-hours | 2,201 terawatt-hours | 2,894 terawatt-hours | Japan |
| 2010s | 4,947 terawatt-hours | 2,891 terawatt-hours | 2,056 terawatt-hours | Japan |
| 2020s | 4,155 terawatt-hours | 2,954 terawatt-hours | 1,201 terawatt-hours | Japan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher fossil fuel consumption, Japan or South Korea?
- Japan, at 3,923 terawatt-hours against 2,929 terawatt-hours in South Korea as of 2025.
- What is the difference in fossil fuel consumption between Japan and South Korea?
- 994 terawatt-hours, with Japan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and South Korea?
- 61 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2025.
- How do Japan and South Korea rank globally for fossil fuel consumption?
- Japan ranks 6th 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.