GDP per capita vs. energy use in South Korea
South Korea: GDP per capita vs. energy use was 63,253 kg of oil equivalent per capita in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
63,253 kg of oil equivalent per capita
Change on year
up 1.9%
World rank
14th
of 174 countries
All-time high
64,335 kg of oil equivalent per capita
in 2018
All-time low
24,284 kg of oil equivalent per capita
in 1990
Years of data
35
1990–2024
GDP per capita vs. energy use in South Korea, 1990–2024
Source: IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, IEA, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in kg of oil equivalent per capita.
Analysis
The most recent figure for gdp per capita vs. energy use in South Korea is 63,253 kg of oil equivalent per capita, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of up 1.9% on the previous year and up 5.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, gdp per capita vs. energy use in South Korea peaked at 64,335 kg of oil equivalent per capita in 2018 and was at its lowest, 24,284 kg of oil equivalent per capita, in 1990.
South Korea ranks 14th of 174 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
GDP per capita vs. energy use in South Korea, year by year
| Year | kg of oil equivalent per capita | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 24,284 kg of oil equivalent per capita | — |
| 1991 | 26,283 kg of oil equivalent per capita | +8.2% |
| 1992 | 29,608 kg of oil equivalent per capita | +12.7% |
| 1993 | 32,853 kg of oil equivalent per capita | +11.0% |
| 1994 | 34,529 kg of oil equivalent per capita | +5.1% |
| 1995 | 37,615 kg of oil equivalent per capita | +8.9% |
| 1996 | 40,250 kg of oil equivalent per capita | +7.0% |
| 1997 | 42,746 kg of oil equivalent per capita | +6.2% |
| 1998 | 39,244 kg of oil equivalent per capita | -8.2% |
| 1999 | 42,633 kg of oil equivalent per capita | +8.6% |
| 2000 | 45,966 kg of oil equivalent per capita | +7.8% |
| 2001 | 45,625 kg of oil equivalent per capita | -0.7% |
| 2002 | 47,607 kg of oil equivalent per capita | +4.3% |
| 2003 | 48,121 kg of oil equivalent per capita | +1.1% |
| 2004 | 49,488 kg of oil equivalent per capita | +2.8% |
| 2005 | 50,294 kg of oil equivalent per capita | +1.6% |
| 2006 | 50,446 kg of oil equivalent per capita | +0.3% |
| 2007 | 52,195 kg of oil equivalent per capita | +3.5% |
| 2008 | 52,486 kg of oil equivalent per capita | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 53,006 kg of oil equivalent per capita | +1.0% |
| 2010 | 57,224 kg of oil equivalent per capita | +8.0% |
| 2011 | 59,487 kg of oil equivalent per capita | +4.0% |
| 2012 | 59,580 kg of oil equivalent per capita | +0.2% |
| 2013 | 59,409 kg of oil equivalent per capita | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 59,743 kg of oil equivalent per capita | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 60,930 kg of oil equivalent per capita | +2.0% |
| 2016 | 62,696 kg of oil equivalent per capita | +2.9% |
| 2017 | 63,591 kg of oil equivalent per capita | +1.4% |
| 2018 | 64,335 kg of oil equivalent per capita | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 62,042 kg of oil equivalent per capita | -3.6% |
| 2020 | 60,428 kg of oil equivalent per capita | -2.6% |
| 2021 | 64,124 kg of oil equivalent per capita | +6.1% |
| 2022 | 62,941 kg of oil equivalent per capita | -1.8% |
| 2023 | 62,068 kg of oil equivalent per capita | -1.4% |
| 2024 | 63,253 kg of oil equivalent per capita | +1.9% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 63,253 kg of oil equivalent per capita is above the median for high income countries, which is 32,850 kg of oil equivalent per capita, 1.9× the median. (61 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 63,253 kg of oil equivalent per capita is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 11,633 kg of oil equivalent per capita, 5.4× the median. (24 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 35,005 kg of oil equivalent per capita | 24,284 kg of oil equivalent per capita | 42,746 kg of oil equivalent per capita | 10 |
| 2000s | 49,523 kg of oil equivalent per capita | 45,625 kg of oil equivalent per capita | 53,006 kg of oil equivalent per capita | 10 |
| 2010s | 60,904 kg of oil equivalent per capita | 57,224 kg of oil equivalent per capita | 64,335 kg of oil equivalent per capita | 10 |
| 2020s | 62,563 kg of oil equivalent per capita | 60,428 kg of oil equivalent per capita | 64,124 kg of oil equivalent per capita | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 11 Oman 68,715 kg of oil equivalent per capita compare
- 12 Finland 65,291 kg of oil equivalent per capita compare
- 13 Russia 63,945 kg of oil equivalent per capita compare
- 15 Singapore 61,438 kg of oil equivalent per capita compare
- 16 Norway 55,533 kg of oil equivalent per capita compare
- 17 Australia 55,250 kg of oil equivalent per capita compare
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 gdp per capita vs. energy use in South Korea?
- Gdp per capita vs. energy use in South Korea was 63,253 kg of oil equivalent per capita in 2024, according to IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, IEA, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest gdp per capita vs. energy use recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 64,335 kg of oil equivalent per capita in 2018.
- What is the lowest gdp per capita vs. energy use recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 24,284 kg of oil equivalent per capita in 1990.
- How does South Korea rank for gdp per capita vs. energy use?
- South Korea ranks 14th out of 174 countries with data for 2024.
- Is gdp per capita vs. energy use rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, IEA, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of GDP per capita vs. energy use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual energy use per capita, measured in kilowatt-hours per person vs. gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, which is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.