Consumption-based energy use per person in South Korea
South Korea: Consumption-based energy use per person was 59.8 kilowatt-hours in 2020. ▲ Rising
Consumption-based energy use per person in South Korea, 1995–2020
Source: Kulionis (2021) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in kilowatt-hours.
Analysis
The most recent figure for consumption-based energy use per person in South Korea is 59.8 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, consumption-based energy use per person in South Korea peaked at 59.8 kilowatt-hours in 2020 and was at its lowest, 32.1 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.
Consumption-based energy use per person in South Korea, year by year
| Year | kilowatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 41.9 kilowatt-hours | — |
| 1996 | 46.7 kilowatt-hours | +11.5% |
| 1997 | 45.4 kilowatt-hours | -2.8% |
| 1998 | 32.1 kilowatt-hours | -29.3% |
| 1999 | 39.4 kilowatt-hours | +22.7% |
| 2000 | 43 kilowatt-hours | +9.1% |
| 2001 | 42.7 kilowatt-hours | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 45.6 kilowatt-hours | +6.8% |
| 2003 | 46.8 kilowatt-hours | +2.6% |
| 2004 | 48.2 kilowatt-hours | +3.0% |
| 2005 | 48.7 kilowatt-hours | +1.0% |
| 2006 | 53.6 kilowatt-hours | +10.1% |
| 2007 | 52.6 kilowatt-hours | -1.9% |
| 2008 | 50.7 kilowatt-hours | -3.6% |
| 2009 | 46.5 kilowatt-hours | -8.3% |
| 2010 | 53 kilowatt-hours | +14.0% |
| 2011 | 53.1 kilowatt-hours | +0.2% |
| 2012 | 52.2 kilowatt-hours | -1.7% |
| 2013 | 51.5 kilowatt-hours | -1.3% |
| 2014 | 54.5 kilowatt-hours | +5.8% |
| 2015 | 55.2 kilowatt-hours | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 52.5 kilowatt-hours | -4.9% |
| 2017 | 58.9 kilowatt-hours | +12.2% |
| 2018 | 58.9 kilowatt-hours | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 59.3 kilowatt-hours | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 59.8 kilowatt-hours | +0.8% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 59.8 kilowatt-hours is above the median for high income countries, which is 54.35 kilowatt-hours, 1.1× the median. (36 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 59.8 kilowatt-hours is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 53.1 kilowatt-hours, 1.1× the median. (5 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 41.1 kilowatt-hours | 32.1 kilowatt-hours | 46.7 kilowatt-hours | 5 |
| 2000s | 47.84 kilowatt-hours | 42.7 kilowatt-hours | 53.6 kilowatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 54.91 kilowatt-hours | 51.5 kilowatt-hours | 59.3 kilowatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 59.8 kilowatt-hours | 59.8 kilowatt-hours | 59.8 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 consumption-based energy use per person in South Korea?
- Consumption-based energy use per person in South Korea was 59.8 kilowatt-hours in 2020, according to Kulionis (2021) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest consumption-based energy use per person recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 59.8 kilowatt-hours in 2020.
- What is the lowest consumption-based energy use per person recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 32.1 kilowatt-hours in 1998.
- How does South Korea rank for consumption-based energy use per person?
- South Korea ranks 12th out of 43 countries with data for 2020.
- Is consumption-based energy use per person 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 Consumption-based energy use per person. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 26 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Consumption-based (or trade-adjusted) energy use measures domestic energy use minus energy used to produce exported goods, plus energy used to produce imported goods. Measured in megawatt-hours.