South Korea vs Saudi Arabia: Fossil fuel consumption (fuel Energy Institute – Stati)
South Korea
2,929 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Saudi Arabia
3,320 terawatt-hours
in 2025
South Korea rank
9th
Saudi Arabia rank
8th
Fossil fuel consumption (fuel Energy Institute – Stati) over time
- South Korea
- Saudi Arabia
How they compare
Saudi Arabia currently reports 3,320 terawatt-hours against 2,929 terawatt-hours in South Korea, a difference of 391 terawatt-hours.
That makes Saudi Arabia's figure about 1.1 times South Korea's.
The two have swapped places 10 times across 61 shared years of data; in 1965 it was Saudi Arabia ahead.
South Korea ranks 9th and Saudi Arabia ranks 8th of 220 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, South Korea averaged higher in 3 and Saudi Arabia in 4.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | Saudi Arabia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 103.78 terawatt-hours | 242.08 terawatt-hours | 138.3 terawatt-hours | Saudi Arabia |
| 1970s | 267.54 terawatt-hours | 317.26 terawatt-hours | 49.73 terawatt-hours | Saudi Arabia |
| 1980s | 574.53 terawatt-hours | 685.92 terawatt-hours | 111.39 terawatt-hours | Saudi Arabia |
| 1990s | 1,475 terawatt-hours | 1,106 terawatt-hours | 368.64 terawatt-hours | South Korea |
| 2000s | 2,201 terawatt-hours | 1,750 terawatt-hours | 450.63 terawatt-hours | South Korea |
| 2010s | 2,891 terawatt-hours | 2,887 terawatt-hours | 3.94 terawatt-hours | South Korea |
| 2020s | 2,954 terawatt-hours | 3,125 terawatt-hours | 170.77 terawatt-hours | Saudi Arabia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher fossil fuel consumption, South Korea or Saudi Arabia?
- Saudi Arabia, at 3,320 terawatt-hours against 2,929 terawatt-hours in South Korea as of 2025.
- What is the difference in fossil fuel consumption between South Korea and Saudi Arabia?
- 391 terawatt-hours, with Saudi Arabia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and Saudi Arabia?
- 61 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2025.
- How do South Korea and Saudi Arabia rank globally for fossil fuel consumption?
- South Korea ranks 9th and Saudi Arabia ranks 8th 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.