South Korea vs Saudi Arabia: Primary direct energy consumption by source
South Korea
1,540 terawatt-hours
in 2024
Saudi Arabia
2,048 terawatt-hours
in 2024
South Korea rank
7th
Saudi Arabia rank
5th
Primary direct energy consumption by source over time
- South Korea
- Saudi Arabia
How they compare
Saudi Arabia currently reports 2,048 terawatt-hours against 1,540 terawatt-hours in South Korea, a difference of 508 terawatt-hours.
That makes Saudi Arabia's figure about 1.3 times South Korea's.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 60 shared years of data; in 1965 it was Saudi Arabia ahead.
South Korea ranks 7th and Saudi Arabia ranks 5th of 79 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 | 1,891 terawatt-hours | 495.1 terawatt-hours | Saudi Arabia |
| 2020s | 1,491 terawatt-hours | 1,925 terawatt-hours | 434.54 terawatt-hours | Saudi Arabia |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher primary direct energy consumption by source, South Korea or Saudi Arabia?
- Saudi Arabia, at 2,048 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 Saudi Arabia?
- 508 terawatt-hours, with Saudi Arabia ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and Saudi Arabia?
- 60 years are reported by both, from 1965 to 2024.
- How do South Korea and Saudi Arabia rank globally for primary direct energy consumption by source?
- South Korea ranks 7th and Saudi Arabia ranks 5th 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.