North Korea vs Sri Lanka: Coal consumption and sulphur dioxide emissions
North Korea
185,582 tonnes
in 2022
Sri Lanka
171,105 tonnes
in 2022
North Korea rank
42nd
Sri Lanka rank
45th
Coal consumption and sulphur dioxide emissions over time
- North Korea
- Sri Lanka
How they compare
North Korea currently reports 185,582 tonnes against 171,105 tonnes in Sri Lanka, a difference of 14,477 tonnes.
That makes North Korea's figure about 1.1 times Sri Lanka's.
The two have swapped places 9 times across 273 shared years of data; in 1750 it was Sri Lanka ahead.
North Korea ranks 42nd and Sri Lanka ranks 45th of 220 countries.
Across the 28 decades both report, North Korea averaged higher in 12 and Sri Lanka in 16.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | North Korea | Sri Lanka | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1750s | 186.26 tonnes | 263.72 tonnes | 77.46 tonnes | Sri Lanka |
| 1760s | 187.15 tonnes | 268.03 tonnes | 80.88 tonnes | Sri Lanka |
| 1770s | 187.95 tonnes | 272.36 tonnes | 84.41 tonnes | Sri Lanka |
| 1780s | 188.63 tonnes | 276.69 tonnes | 88.05 tonnes | Sri Lanka |
| 1790s | 189.2 tonnes | 281.01 tonnes | 91.82 tonnes | Sri Lanka |
| 1800s | 189.62 tonnes | 285.33 tonnes | 95.71 tonnes | Sri Lanka |
| 1810s | 189.9 tonnes | 289.62 tonnes | 99.72 tonnes | Sri Lanka |
| 1820s | 190.15 tonnes | 313.69 tonnes | 123.54 tonnes | Sri Lanka |
| 1830s | 189.56 tonnes | 377.68 tonnes | 188.12 tonnes | Sri Lanka |
| 1840s | 187.73 tonnes | 469.95 tonnes | 282.22 tonnes | Sri Lanka |
| 1850s | 186.62 tonnes | 436.93 tonnes | 250.31 tonnes | Sri Lanka |
| 1860s | 186.45 tonnes | 528.82 tonnes | 342.36 tonnes | Sri Lanka |
| 1870s | 188.94 tonnes | 715.28 tonnes | 526.34 tonnes | Sri Lanka |
| 1880s | 190.81 tonnes | 788.82 tonnes | 598.01 tonnes | Sri Lanka |
| 1890s | 187.73 tonnes | 937.78 tonnes | 750.05 tonnes | Sri Lanka |
| 1900s | 377.46 tonnes | 1,137 tonnes | 759.39 tonnes | Sri Lanka |
| 1910s | 3,842 tonnes | 1,301 tonnes | 2,541 tonnes | North Korea |
| 1920s | 12,893 tonnes | 1,538 tonnes | 11,355 tonnes | North Korea |
| 1930s | 42,458 tonnes | 1,825 tonnes | 40,633 tonnes | North Korea |
| 1940s | 61,465 tonnes | 2,272 tonnes | 59,193 tonnes | North Korea |
| 1950s | 41,592 tonnes | 18,765 tonnes | 22,828 tonnes | North Korea |
| 1960s | 172,627 tonnes | 26,577 tonnes | 146,050 tonnes | North Korea |
| 1970s | 292,845 tonnes | 48,908 tonnes | 243,937 tonnes | North Korea |
| 1980s | 307,791 tonnes | 51,144 tonnes | 256,647 tonnes | North Korea |
| 1990s | 248,406 tonnes | 72,299 tonnes | 176,107 tonnes | North Korea |
| 2000s | 257,148 tonnes | 124,008 tonnes | 133,140 tonnes | North Korea |
| 2010s | 208,853 tonnes | 169,790 tonnes | 39,064 tonnes | North Korea |
| 2020s | 193,532 tonnes | 173,457 tonnes | 20,075 tonnes | North Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher coal consumption and sulphur dioxide emissions, North Korea or Sri Lanka?
- North Korea, at 185,582 tonnes against 171,105 tonnes in Sri Lanka as of 2022.
- What is the difference in coal consumption and sulphur dioxide emissions between North Korea and Sri Lanka?
- 14,477 tonnes, with North Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for North Korea and Sri Lanka?
- 273 years are reported by both, from 1750 to 2022.
- How do North Korea and Sri Lanka rank globally for coal consumption and sulphur dioxide emissions?
- North Korea ranks 42nd and Sri Lanka ranks 45th of 220 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Coal consumption and sulphur dioxide emissions. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Sulfur dioxide (SO₂) is an air pollutant formed from the burning of fuels that contain sulfur, such as coal. SO₂ is one of the main chemicals that forms acid rain.