South Korea vs Saudi Arabia: Oil consumption
South Korea
1,506 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Saudi Arabia
1,981 terawatt-hours
in 2025
South Korea rank
8th
Saudi Arabia rank
6th
Oil consumption over time
- South Korea
- Saudi Arabia
How they compare
Saudi Arabia currently reports 1,981 terawatt-hours against 1,506 terawatt-hours in South Korea, a difference of 475 terawatt-hours.
That makes Saudi Arabia's figure about 1.3 times South Korea's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 61 shared years of data; in 1965 it was Saudi Arabia ahead.
South Korea ranks 8th and Saudi Arabia ranks 6th of 220 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, South Korea averaged higher in 2 and Saudi Arabia in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | Saudi Arabia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 42.77 terawatt-hours | 233.09 terawatt-hours | 190.32 terawatt-hours | Saudi Arabia |
| 1970s | 173.76 terawatt-hours | 287.84 terawatt-hours | 114.08 terawatt-hours | Saudi Arabia |
| 1980s | 335.34 terawatt-hours | 502.85 terawatt-hours | 167.5 terawatt-hours | Saudi Arabia |
| 1990s | 1,020 terawatt-hours | 711.5 terawatt-hours | 308.13 terawatt-hours | South Korea |
| 2000s | 1,250 terawatt-hours | 1,119 terawatt-hours | 131.29 terawatt-hours | South Korea |
| 2010s | 1,396 terawatt-hours | 1,892 terawatt-hours | 495.24 terawatt-hours | Saudi Arabia |
| 2020s | 1,494 terawatt-hours | 1,925 terawatt-hours | 431.01 terawatt-hours | Saudi Arabia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher oil consumption, South Korea or Saudi Arabia?
- Saudi Arabia, at 1,981 terawatt-hours against 1,506 terawatt-hours in South Korea as of 2025.
- What is the difference in oil consumption between South Korea and Saudi Arabia?
- 475 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 oil consumption?
- South Korea ranks 8th and Saudi Arabia ranks 6th of 220 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026); Etemad & Luciani (1991) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Oil 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. Includes refined petroleum products and other liquid fuels.