Share of primary energy from coal in South Korea
South Korea: Share of primary energy from coal was 22.0% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of primary energy from coal in South Korea, 1965–2025
Source: Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 22.0% for share of primary energy from coal in 2025.
The figure is up 1.7% on the previous year and down 25.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of primary energy from coal in South Korea peaked at 78.4% in 1965 and was at its lowest, 19.2%, in 1995.
South Korea ranks 18th of 78 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 61 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 61.2% | 43.3% | 78.4% | 5 |
| 1970s | 35.4% | 30.3% | 39.7% | 10 |
| 1980s | 36.7% | 30.1% | 41.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 21.6% | 19.2% | 27.2% | 10 |
| 2000s | 24.9% | 22.6% | 28.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 29.2% | 27.7% | 30.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 23.7% | 21.6% | 25.8% | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More energy & mining data for South Korea
- Fuel imports 25.7% (2024)
- Ores and metals imports 6.7% (2024)
- Ores and metals exports 2.4% (2024)
- Gas production 0 terawatt-hours (2024)
- Fossil fuel production per person, by fuel 0 kilowatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fossil fuel production by fuel 0 terawatt-hours (2024)
- Gas production per person 0 kilowatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fuel exports 7.7% (2024)
- Electric power transmission and distribution losses 3.3% (2024)
- Share of dietary energy supply from carbohydrates vs. GDP per capita 53.9% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of primary energy from coal in South Korea?
- Share of primary energy from coal in South Korea was 22.0% in 2025, according to Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of primary energy from coal recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 78.4% in 1965.
- What is the lowest share of primary energy from coal recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.2% in 1995.
- How does South Korea rank for share of primary energy from coal?
- South Korea ranks 18th out of 78 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of primary energy from coal rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 25.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Smil (2017); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of primary energy from coal. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 61 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured as a percentage of total energy supply.