Changes in energy use vs. changes in GDP in South Korea
South Korea: Changes in energy use vs. changes in GDP was 3,065 terawatt-hours in 2020. ▲ Rising
Changes in energy use vs. changes in GDP in South Korea, 1995–2020
Source: Kulionis (2021) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
The most recent figure for changes in energy use vs. changes in gdp in South Korea is 3,065 terawatt-hours, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 26 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.9% on the previous year and up 16.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, changes in energy use vs. changes in gdp in South Korea peaked at 3,065 terawatt-hours in 2020 and was at its lowest, 1,496 terawatt-hours, in 1998.
That places South Korea 11th out of 43 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 26 years of available data.
Changes in energy use vs. changes in GDP in South Korea, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 1,897 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1996 | 2,138 terawatt-hours | +12.7% |
| 1997 | 2,096 terawatt-hours | -1.9% |
| 1998 | 1,496 terawatt-hours | -28.6% |
| 1999 | 1,851 terawatt-hours | +23.8% |
| 2000 | 2,038 terawatt-hours | +10.1% |
| 2001 | 2,039 terawatt-hours | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 2,188 terawatt-hours | +7.3% |
| 2003 | 2,259 terawatt-hours | +3.2% |
| 2004 | 2,336 terawatt-hours | +3.4% |
| 2005 | 2,371 terawatt-hours | +1.5% |
| 2006 | 2,622 terawatt-hours | +10.6% |
| 2007 | 2,577 terawatt-hours | -1.7% |
| 2008 | 2,495 terawatt-hours | -3.2% |
| 2009 | 2,297 terawatt-hours | -7.9% |
| 2010 | 2,624 terawatt-hours | +14.2% |
| 2011 | 2,641 terawatt-hours | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 2,614 terawatt-hours | -1.0% |
| 2013 | 2,591 terawatt-hours | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 2,756 terawatt-hours | +6.4% |
| 2015 | 2,806 terawatt-hours | +1.8% |
| 2016 | 2,678 terawatt-hours | -4.6% |
| 2017 | 3,009 terawatt-hours | +12.4% |
| 2018 | 3,012 terawatt-hours | +0.1% |
| 2019 | 3,037 terawatt-hours | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 3,065 terawatt-hours | +0.9% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 3,065 terawatt-hours is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3,134 terawatt-hours, 98% of the median. (5 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 3,065 terawatt-hours is above the median for high income countries, which is 499.77 terawatt-hours, 6.1× the median. (36 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Changes in energy use vs. changes in GDP 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | -28.6% | 2,096 terawatt-hours | 1,496 terawatt-hours |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 1,896 terawatt-hours | 1,496 terawatt-hours | 2,138 terawatt-hours | 5 |
| 2000s | 2,322 terawatt-hours | 2,038 terawatt-hours | 2,622 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 2,777 terawatt-hours | 2,591 terawatt-hours | 3,037 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 3,065 terawatt-hours | 3,065 terawatt-hours | 3,065 terawatt-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)
- Coal production, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Coal production, per unit of GDP 0 terawatt-hours per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Primary energy use, per capita 0.0001 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- Fuel imports 25.7% (2024)
- Ores and metals imports 6.7% (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is changes in energy use vs. changes in gdp in South Korea?
- Changes in energy use vs. changes in gdp in South Korea was 3,065 terawatt-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 recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 3,065 terawatt-hours in 2020.
- What is the lowest changes in energy use vs. changes in gdp recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,496 terawatt-hours in 1998.
- How does South Korea rank for changes in energy use vs. changes in gdp?
- South Korea ranks 11th out of 43 countries with data for 2020.
- Is changes in energy use vs. changes in gdp rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 16.8%. 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. 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.