Fossil fuel consumption by fuel in South Korea
South Korea: Fossil fuel consumption by fuel was 629.58 terawatt-hours in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Fossil fuel consumption by fuel in South Korea, 1980–2025
Source: Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026); Etemad & Luciani (1991) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 629.58 terawatt-hours for fossil fuel consumption by fuel in 2025.
The figure is down 0.7% on the previous year and up 37.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fossil fuel consumption by fuel in South Korea peaked at 633.74 terawatt-hours in 2024 and was at its lowest, 0 terawatt-hours, in 1980.
That places South Korea 13th out of 220 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Fossil fuel consumption by fuel in South Korea, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1981 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1982 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1983 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1984 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1985 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1986 | 0.7118 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1987 | 22.02 terawatt-hours | +2994.1% |
| 1988 | 28.45 terawatt-hours | +29.2% |
| 1989 | 27.53 terawatt-hours | -3.2% |
| 1990 | 31.64 terawatt-hours | +14.9% |
| 1991 | 36.66 terawatt-hours | +15.8% |
| 1992 | 47.95 terawatt-hours | +30.8% |
| 1993 | 59.9 terawatt-hours | +24.9% |
| 1994 | 79.74 terawatt-hours | +33.1% |
| 1995 | 96.43 terawatt-hours | +20.9% |
| 1996 | 127.4 terawatt-hours | +32.1% |
| 1997 | 154.83 terawatt-hours | +21.5% |
| 1998 | 144.84 terawatt-hours | -6.4% |
| 1999 | 176.36 terawatt-hours | +21.8% |
| 2000 | 198.08 terawatt-hours | +12.3% |
| 2001 | 217.58 terawatt-hours | +9.8% |
| 2002 | 241.78 terawatt-hours | +11.1% |
| 2003 | 254.01 terawatt-hours | +5.1% |
| 2004 | 297.36 terawatt-hours | +17.1% |
| 2005 | 318 terawatt-hours | +6.9% |
| 2006 | 342.46 terawatt-hours | +7.7% |
| 2007 | 363.87 terawatt-hours | +6.3% |
| 2008 | 374.52 terawatt-hours | +2.9% |
| 2009 | 354.62 terawatt-hours | -5.3% |
| 2010 | 449.82 terawatt-hours | +26.8% |
| 2011 | 484.54 terawatt-hours | +7.7% |
| 2012 | 524.1 terawatt-hours | +8.2% |
| 2013 | 548.76 terawatt-hours | +4.7% |
| 2014 | 499.31 terawatt-hours | -9.0% |
| 2015 | 456.43 terawatt-hours | -8.6% |
| 2016 | 476.31 terawatt-hours | +4.4% |
| 2017 | 496.5 terawatt-hours | +4.2% |
| 2018 | 576.93 terawatt-hours | +16.2% |
| 2019 | 559.48 terawatt-hours | -3.0% |
| 2020 | 565.87 terawatt-hours | +1.1% |
| 2021 | 619.47 terawatt-hours | +9.5% |
| 2022 | 620.34 terawatt-hours | +0.1% |
| 2023 | 594.09 terawatt-hours | -4.2% |
| 2024 | 633.74 terawatt-hours | +6.7% |
| 2025 | 629.58 terawatt-hours | -0.7% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 629.58 terawatt-hours is above the median for high income countries, which is 27.08 terawatt-hours, 23.3× the median. (76 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Fossil fuel consumption by fuel 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | +2994.1% | 0.7118 terawatt-hours | 22.02 terawatt-hours |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 7.87 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 28.45 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 95.58 terawatt-hours | 31.64 terawatt-hours | 176.36 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 296.23 terawatt-hours | 198.08 terawatt-hours | 374.52 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 507.22 terawatt-hours | 449.82 terawatt-hours | 576.93 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 610.51 terawatt-hours | 565.87 terawatt-hours | 633.74 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 fossil fuel consumption by fuel in South Korea?
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel in South Korea was 629.58 terawatt-hours in 2025, according to Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026); Etemad & Luciani (1991) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fossil fuel consumption by fuel recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 633.74 terawatt-hours in 2024.
- What is the lowest fossil fuel consumption by fuel recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 terawatt-hours in 1980.
- How does South Korea rank for fossil fuel consumption by fuel?
- South Korea ranks 13th out of 220 countries with data for 2025.
- Is fossil fuel consumption by fuel rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 37.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026); Etemad & Luciani (1991) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Fossil fuel consumption by fuel. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 46 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours.