Republic of Korea vs Saudi Arabia: Primary energy use
Republic of Korea
3,604 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Saudi Arabia
3,340 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Republic of Korea rank
8th
Saudi Arabia rank
10th
Primary energy use over time
- Republic of Korea
- Saudi Arabia
How they compare
Republic of Korea currently reports 3,604 terawatt-hours against 3,340 terawatt-hours in Saudi Arabia, a difference of 264 terawatt-hours.
That makes Republic of Korea's figure about 1.1 times Saudi Arabia's.
The two have swapped places 5 times across 61 shared years of data; in 1965 it was Saudi Arabia ahead.
Republic of Korea ranks 8th and Saudi Arabia ranks 10th of 219 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Republic of Korea averaged higher in 4 and Saudi Arabia in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Republic of Korea | Saudi Arabia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 104.78 terawatt-hours | 242.08 terawatt-hours | 137.3 terawatt-hours | Saudi Arabia |
| 1970s | 270.83 terawatt-hours | 317.26 terawatt-hours | 46.44 terawatt-hours | Saudi Arabia |
| 1980s | 638.54 terawatt-hours | 685.92 terawatt-hours | 47.38 terawatt-hours | Saudi Arabia |
| 1990s | 1,689 terawatt-hours | 1,106 terawatt-hours | 582.43 terawatt-hours | Republic of Korea |
| 2000s | 2,611 terawatt-hours | 1,750 terawatt-hours | 861.41 terawatt-hours | Republic of Korea |
| 2010s | 3,381 terawatt-hours | 2,887 terawatt-hours | 493.9 terawatt-hours | Republic of Korea |
| 2020s | 3,584 terawatt-hours | 3,131 terawatt-hours | 452.69 terawatt-hours | Republic of Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher primary energy use, Republic of Korea or Saudi Arabia?
- Republic of Korea, at 3,604 terawatt-hours against 3,340 terawatt-hours in Saudi Arabia as of 2025.
- What is the difference in primary energy use between Republic of Korea and Saudi Arabia?
- 264 terawatt-hours, with Republic of Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Republic of Korea and Saudi Arabia?
- 61 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2025.
- How do Republic of Korea and Saudi Arabia rank globally for primary energy use?
- Republic of Korea ranks 8th and Saudi Arabia ranks 10th of 219 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) β with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Primary energy use. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours of total energy supply.