Changes in energy use vs. changes in GDP per capita in South Korea
South Korea: Changes in energy use vs. changes in GDP per capita was 59,800 kilowatt-hours in 2020. ▲ Rising
Changes in energy use vs. changes in GDP per capita in South Korea, 1995–2020
Source: Kulionis (2021) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in kilowatt-hours.
Analysis
The most recent figure for changes in energy use vs. changes in gdp per capita in South Korea is 59,800 kilowatt-hours, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.
The figure is up 0.8% on the previous year and up 12.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, changes in energy use vs. changes in gdp per capita in South Korea peaked at 59,800 kilowatt-hours in 2020 and was at its lowest, 32,100 kilowatt-hours, in 1998.
South Korea ranks 12th of 43 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Changes in energy use vs. changes in GDP per capita in South Korea, year by year
| Year | kilowatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 41,900 kilowatt-hours | — |
| 1996 | 46,700 kilowatt-hours | +11.5% |
| 1997 | 45,400 kilowatt-hours | -2.8% |
| 1998 | 32,100 kilowatt-hours | -29.3% |
| 1999 | 39,400 kilowatt-hours | +22.7% |
| 2000 | 43,000 kilowatt-hours | +9.1% |
| 2001 | 42,700 kilowatt-hours | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 45,600 kilowatt-hours | +6.8% |
| 2003 | 46,800 kilowatt-hours | +2.6% |
| 2004 | 48,200 kilowatt-hours | +3.0% |
| 2005 | 48,700 kilowatt-hours | +1.0% |
| 2006 | 53,600 kilowatt-hours | +10.1% |
| 2007 | 52,600 kilowatt-hours | -1.9% |
| 2008 | 50,700 kilowatt-hours | -3.6% |
| 2009 | 46,500 kilowatt-hours | -8.3% |
| 2010 | 53,000 kilowatt-hours | +14.0% |
| 2011 | 53,100 kilowatt-hours | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 52,200 kilowatt-hours | -1.7% |
| 2013 | 51,500 kilowatt-hours | -1.3% |
| 2014 | 54,500 kilowatt-hours | +5.8% |
| 2015 | 55,200 kilowatt-hours | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 52,500 kilowatt-hours | -4.9% |
| 2017 | 58,900 kilowatt-hours | +12.2% |
| 2018 | 58,900 kilowatt-hours | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 59,300 kilowatt-hours | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 59,800 kilowatt-hours | +0.8% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 59,800 kilowatt-hours is above the median for high income countries, which is 54,350 kilowatt-hours, 1.1× the median. (36 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 59,800 kilowatt-hours is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 53,100 kilowatt-hours, 1.1× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 41,100 kilowatt-hours | 32,100 kilowatt-hours | 46,700 kilowatt-hours | 5 |
| 2000s | 47,840 kilowatt-hours | 42,700 kilowatt-hours | 53,600 kilowatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 54,910 kilowatt-hours | 51,500 kilowatt-hours | 59,300 kilowatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 59,800 kilowatt-hours | 59,800 kilowatt-hours | 59,800 kilowatt-hours | 1 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More energy & mining data for South Korea
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate -1.55 % change on previous year (2025)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal consumption, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0.0001 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fuel imports 25.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is changes in energy use vs. changes in gdp per capita in South Korea?
- Changes in energy use vs. changes in gdp per capita in South Korea was 59,800 kilowatt-hours in 2020, according to Kulionis (2021) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest changes in energy use vs. changes in gdp per capita recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 59,800 kilowatt-hours in 2020.
- What is the lowest changes in energy use vs. changes in gdp per capita recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 32,100 kilowatt-hours in 1998.
- How does South Korea rank for changes in energy use vs. changes in gdp per capita?
- South Korea ranks 12th out of 43 countries with data for 2020.
- Is changes in energy use vs. changes in gdp per capita rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Kulionis (2021) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Changes in energy use vs. changes in GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Consumption-based (trade-adjusted) primary energy use measures domestic energy use minus energy used to produce exported goods, plus energy used to produce imported goods. Gross domestic product (GDP) is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.