South Korea vs Russia: Primary direct energy consumption by source
South Korea
1,540 terawatt-hours
in 2024
Russia
2,129 terawatt-hours
in 2024
South Korea rank
7th
Russia rank
4th
Primary direct energy consumption by source over time
- South Korea
- Russia
How they compare
Russia currently reports 2,129 terawatt-hours against 1,540 terawatt-hours in South Korea, a difference of 589 terawatt-hours.
That makes Russia's figure about 1.4 times South Korea's.
Across all 40 years both countries report, Russia has been ahead every year.
South Korea ranks 7th and Russia ranks 4th of 79 countries.
Russia has averaged higher in every one of the 5 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | Russia | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 383.78 terawatt-hours | 2,981 terawatt-hours | 2,597 terawatt-hours | Russia |
| 1990s | 1,020 terawatt-hours | 2,084 terawatt-hours | 1,065 terawatt-hours | Russia |
| 2000s | 1,250 terawatt-hours | 1,521 terawatt-hours | 271.04 terawatt-hours | Russia |
| 2010s | 1,396 terawatt-hours | 1,799 terawatt-hours | 402.89 terawatt-hours | Russia |
| 2020s | 1,491 terawatt-hours | 1,987 terawatt-hours | 496.22 terawatt-hours | Russia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher primary direct energy consumption by source, South Korea or Russia?
- Russia, at 2,129 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 South Korea and Russia?
- 589 terawatt-hours, with Russia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and Russia?
- 40 years are reported by both, from 1985 to 2024.
- How do South Korea and Russia rank globally for primary direct energy consumption by source?
- South Korea ranks 7th and Russia ranks 4th 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.