Electricity generation from oil in South Korea
South Korea: Electricity generation from oil was 5.95 terawatt-hours in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Electricity generation from oil in South Korea, 1985–2025
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
In 2025, electricity generation from oil in South Korea stood at 5.95 terawatt-hours.
That represents a change of down 12.2% on the previous year and down 54.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, electricity generation from oil in South Korea peaked at 37.6 terawatt-hours in 1994 and was at its lowest, 2.41 terawatt-hours, in 1987.
South Korea ranks 29th of 214 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Electricity generation from oil in South Korea, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 17.44 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1986 | 12.3 terawatt-hours | -29.5% |
| 1987 | 2.41 terawatt-hours | -80.4% |
| 1988 | 8.82 terawatt-hours | +266.4% |
| 1989 | 11.17 terawatt-hours | +26.7% |
| 1990 | 13.31 terawatt-hours | +19.1% |
| 1991 | 20.21 terawatt-hours | +51.9% |
| 1992 | 23.15 terawatt-hours | +14.5% |
| 1993 | 25.33 terawatt-hours | +9.4% |
| 1994 | 37.6 terawatt-hours | +48.5% |
| 1995 | 29.56 terawatt-hours | -21.4% |
| 1996 | 29.84 terawatt-hours | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 28.13 terawatt-hours | -5.7% |
| 1998 | 10.52 terawatt-hours | -62.6% |
| 1999 | 11.91 terawatt-hours | +13.2% |
| 2000 | 32.83 terawatt-hours | +175.8% |
| 2001 | 34.28 terawatt-hours | +4.4% |
| 2002 | 29.06 terawatt-hours | -15.2% |
| 2003 | 28.35 terawatt-hours | -2.4% |
| 2004 | 26.06 terawatt-hours | -8.1% |
| 2005 | 23.77 terawatt-hours | -8.8% |
| 2006 | 21.43 terawatt-hours | -9.8% |
| 2007 | 22.72 terawatt-hours | +6.0% |
| 2008 | 14.56 terawatt-hours | -35.9% |
| 2009 | 19.34 terawatt-hours | +32.8% |
| 2010 | 18.03 terawatt-hours | -6.8% |
| 2011 | 15.62 terawatt-hours | -13.4% |
| 2012 | 20.34 terawatt-hours | +30.2% |
| 2013 | 20.55 terawatt-hours | +1.0% |
| 2014 | 14.17 terawatt-hours | -31.0% |
| 2015 | 13.13 terawatt-hours | -7.3% |
| 2016 | 17.43 terawatt-hours | +32.7% |
| 2017 | 9.7 terawatt-hours | -44.3% |
| 2018 | 10.65 terawatt-hours | +9.8% |
| 2019 | 7.43 terawatt-hours | -30.2% |
| 2020 | 6.02 terawatt-hours | -19.0% |
| 2021 | 7.1 terawatt-hours | +17.9% |
| 2022 | 7.12 terawatt-hours | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 6.98 terawatt-hours | -2.0% |
| 2024 | 6.78 terawatt-hours | -2.9% |
| 2025 | 5.95 terawatt-hours | -12.2% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 5.95 terawatt-hours is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.71 terawatt-hours, 8.4× the median. (75 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 5.95 terawatt-hours is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.49 terawatt-hours, 12.1× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Electricity generation from oil in South Korea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | +266.4% | 2.41 terawatt-hours | 8.82 terawatt-hours |
| 2000 | +175.8% | 11.91 terawatt-hours | 32.83 terawatt-hours |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 10.43 terawatt-hours | 2.41 terawatt-hours | 17.44 terawatt-hours | 5 |
| 1990s | 22.95 terawatt-hours | 10.52 terawatt-hours | 37.6 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 25.24 terawatt-hours | 14.56 terawatt-hours | 34.28 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 14.71 terawatt-hours | 7.43 terawatt-hours | 20.55 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 6.66 terawatt-hours | 5.95 terawatt-hours | 7.12 terawatt-hours | 6 |
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 electricity generation from oil in South Korea?
- Electricity generation from oil in South Korea was 5.95 terawatt-hours in 2025, according to Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest electricity generation from oil recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 37.6 terawatt-hours in 1994.
- What is the lowest electricity generation from oil recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.41 terawatt-hours in 1987.
- How does South Korea rank for electricity generation from oil?
- South Korea ranks 29th out of 214 countries with data for 2025.
- Is electricity generation from oil rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 54.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Electricity generation from oil. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 41 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours.