Primary energy use in North Korea
North Korea: Primary energy use was 193.47 terawatt-hours in 2024. ▼ Falling
Primary energy use in North Korea, 1980–2024
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 terawatt-hours.
Analysis
The most recent figure for primary energy use in North Korea is 193.47 terawatt-hours, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.6% on the previous year and up 41.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, primary energy use in North Korea peaked at 337.03 terawatt-hours in 1999 and was at its lowest, 121.91 terawatt-hours, in 2015.
That places North Korea 69th out of 219 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 45 years of available data.
Primary energy use in North Korea, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 275.06 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1981 | 286.17 terawatt-hours | +4.0% |
| 1982 | 299.48 terawatt-hours | +4.7% |
| 1983 | 313.5 terawatt-hours | +4.7% |
| 1984 | 322.57 terawatt-hours | +2.9% |
| 1985 | 268.1 terawatt-hours | -16.9% |
| 1986 | 269.21 terawatt-hours | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 263.31 terawatt-hours | -2.2% |
| 1988 | 312.22 terawatt-hours | +18.6% |
| 1989 | 252.58 terawatt-hours | -19.1% |
| 1990 | 255.94 terawatt-hours | +1.3% |
| 1991 | 255.69 terawatt-hours | -0.1% |
| 1992 | 260.48 terawatt-hours | +1.9% |
| 1993 | 283.15 terawatt-hours | +8.7% |
| 1994 | 274.06 terawatt-hours | -3.2% |
| 1995 | 316.61 terawatt-hours | +15.5% |
| 1996 | 304.43 terawatt-hours | -3.8% |
| 1997 | 297.84 terawatt-hours | -2.2% |
| 1998 | 263.37 terawatt-hours | -11.6% |
| 1999 | 337.03 terawatt-hours | +28.0% |
| 2000 | 304.33 terawatt-hours | -9.7% |
| 2001 | 296.25 terawatt-hours | -2.7% |
| 2002 | 288.39 terawatt-hours | -2.7% |
| 2003 | 285.94 terawatt-hours | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 297.21 terawatt-hours | +3.9% |
| 2005 | 293.43 terawatt-hours | -1.3% |
| 2006 | 281.19 terawatt-hours | -4.2% |
| 2007 | 250.53 terawatt-hours | -10.9% |
| 2008 | 271.72 terawatt-hours | +8.5% |
| 2009 | 233.4 terawatt-hours | -14.1% |
| 2010 | 220.27 terawatt-hours | -5.6% |
| 2011 | 157.37 terawatt-hours | -28.6% |
| 2012 | 149.66 terawatt-hours | -4.9% |
| 2013 | 139.66 terawatt-hours | -6.7% |
| 2014 | 137.15 terawatt-hours | -1.8% |
| 2015 | 121.91 terawatt-hours | -11.1% |
| 2016 | 123.94 terawatt-hours | +1.7% |
| 2017 | 228.04 terawatt-hours | +84.0% |
| 2018 | 207.53 terawatt-hours | -9.0% |
| 2019 | 228.83 terawatt-hours | +10.3% |
| 2020 | 217.78 terawatt-hours | -4.8% |
| 2021 | 184.66 terawatt-hours | -15.2% |
| 2022 | 181.91 terawatt-hours | -1.5% |
| 2023 | 185.03 terawatt-hours | +1.7% |
| 2024 | 193.47 terawatt-hours | +4.6% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 193.47 terawatt-hours is above the median for low income countries, which is 13.82 terawatt-hours, 14.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 193.47 terawatt-hours is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 56.44 terawatt-hours, 3.4× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Primary energy use in North 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | +84.0% | 123.94 terawatt-hours | 228.04 terawatt-hours |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 286.22 terawatt-hours | 252.58 terawatt-hours | 322.57 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 284.86 terawatt-hours | 255.69 terawatt-hours | 337.03 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 280.24 terawatt-hours | 233.4 terawatt-hours | 304.33 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 171.44 terawatt-hours | 121.91 terawatt-hours | 228.83 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 192.57 terawatt-hours | 181.91 terawatt-hours | 217.78 terawatt-hours | 5 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
More energy & mining data for North Korea
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Primary energy use, annual growth rate 4.56 % change on previous year (2024)
- Coal consumption, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (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)
- Fossil fuel production by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is primary energy use in North Korea?
- Primary energy use in North Korea was 193.47 terawatt-hours in 2024, 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 primary energy use recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 337.03 terawatt-hours in 1999.
- What is the lowest primary energy use recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 121.91 terawatt-hours in 2015.
- How does North Korea rank for primary energy use?
- North Korea ranks 69th out of 219 countries with data for 2024.
- Is primary energy use rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 41.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this North 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 Primary energy use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 45 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours of total energy supply.