Japan vs South Korea: Primary direct energy consumption by source
Japan
1,783 terawatt-hours
in 2024
South Korea
1,540 terawatt-hours
in 2024
Japan rank
6th
South Korea rank
7th
Primary direct energy consumption by source over time
- Japan
- South Korea
How they compare
Japan currently reports 1,783 terawatt-hours against 1,540 terawatt-hours in South Korea, a difference of 243 terawatt-hours.
That makes Japan's figure about 1.2 times South Korea's.
Across all 60 years both countries report, Japan has been ahead every year.
Japan ranks 6th and South Korea ranks 7th of 79 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 | 1,470 terawatt-hours | 42.77 terawatt-hours | 1,427 terawatt-hours | Japan |
| 1970s | 3,037 terawatt-hours | 173.76 terawatt-hours | 2,863 terawatt-hours | Japan |
| 1980s | 2,666 terawatt-hours | 335.34 terawatt-hours | 2,331 terawatt-hours | Japan |
| 1990s | 3,134 terawatt-hours | 1,020 terawatt-hours | 2,114 terawatt-hours | Japan |
| 2000s | 2,968 terawatt-hours | 1,250 terawatt-hours | 1,718 terawatt-hours | Japan |
| 2010s | 2,380 terawatt-hours | 1,396 terawatt-hours | 983.32 terawatt-hours | Japan |
| 2020s | 1,876 terawatt-hours | 1,491 terawatt-hours | 385.35 terawatt-hours | Japan |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher primary direct energy consumption by source, Japan or South Korea?
- Japan, at 1,783 terawatt-hours against 1,540 terawatt-hours in South Korea as of 2024.
- What is the difference in primary direct energy consumption by source between Japan and South Korea?
- 243 terawatt-hours, with Japan ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Japan and South Korea?
- 60 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2024.
- How do Japan and South Korea rank globally for primary direct energy consumption by source?
- Japan ranks 6th and South Korea ranks 7th of 79 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Primary direct energy consumption by source. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Energy consumption is measured in terawatt-hours, in terms of direct primary energy. This means that fossil fuels include the energy lost due to inefficiencies in energy production.