Fossil fuel consumption in North Korea
North Korea: Fossil fuel consumption was 176.3 terawatt-hours in 2024. ▼ Falling
Fossil fuel consumption in North Korea, 1980–2024
Source: Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
North Korea recorded 176.3 terawatt-hours for fossil fuel consumption in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.8% on the previous year and up 41.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fossil fuel consumption in North Korea peaked at 326.23 terawatt-hours in 1999 and was at its lowest, 111.21 terawatt-hours, in 2016.
That places North Korea 62nd out of 220 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.
Fossil fuel consumption in North Korea, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 264.32 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1981 | 275.27 terawatt-hours | +4.1% |
| 1982 | 288.42 terawatt-hours | +4.8% |
| 1983 | 302.29 terawatt-hours | +4.8% |
| 1984 | 311.2 terawatt-hours | +2.9% |
| 1985 | 255.68 terawatt-hours | -17.8% |
| 1986 | 256.09 terawatt-hours | +0.2% |
| 1987 | 249.6 terawatt-hours | -2.5% |
| 1988 | 297.1 terawatt-hours | +19.0% |
| 1989 | 237.58 terawatt-hours | -20.0% |
| 1990 | 240.47 terawatt-hours | +1.2% |
| 1991 | 240.73 terawatt-hours | +0.1% |
| 1992 | 246.23 terawatt-hours | +2.3% |
| 1993 | 269.7 terawatt-hours | +9.5% |
| 1994 | 260.02 terawatt-hours | -3.6% |
| 1995 | 301.76 terawatt-hours | +16.1% |
| 1996 | 291.23 terawatt-hours | -3.5% |
| 1997 | 286.84 terawatt-hours | -1.5% |
| 1998 | 252.58 terawatt-hours | -11.9% |
| 1999 | 326.23 terawatt-hours | +29.2% |
| 2000 | 293.8 terawatt-hours | -9.9% |
| 2001 | 285.55 terawatt-hours | -2.8% |
| 2002 | 277.42 terawatt-hours | -2.8% |
| 2003 | 273.62 terawatt-hours | -1.4% |
| 2004 | 284.65 terawatt-hours | +4.0% |
| 2005 | 280.21 terawatt-hours | -1.6% |
| 2006 | 268.55 terawatt-hours | -4.2% |
| 2007 | 237.32 terawatt-hours | -11.6% |
| 2008 | 257.73 terawatt-hours | +8.6% |
| 2009 | 221 terawatt-hours | -14.3% |
| 2010 | 206.98 terawatt-hours | -6.3% |
| 2011 | 144.27 terawatt-hours | -30.3% |
| 2012 | 136.26 terawatt-hours | -5.6% |
| 2013 | 125.87 terawatt-hours | -7.6% |
| 2014 | 124.24 terawatt-hours | -1.3% |
| 2015 | 111.96 terawatt-hours | -9.9% |
| 2016 | 111.21 terawatt-hours | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 216.2 terawatt-hours | +94.4% |
| 2018 | 194.78 terawatt-hours | -9.9% |
| 2019 | 217.74 terawatt-hours | +11.8% |
| 2020 | 204.88 terawatt-hours | -5.9% |
| 2021 | 168.43 terawatt-hours | -17.8% |
| 2022 | 165.16 terawatt-hours | -1.9% |
| 2023 | 168.28 terawatt-hours | +1.9% |
| 2024 | 176.3 terawatt-hours | +4.8% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 176.3 terawatt-hours is above the median for low income countries, which is 12.59 terawatt-hours, 14.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 176.3 terawatt-hours is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 56.44 terawatt-hours, 3.1× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Fossil fuel consumption 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 | +94.4% | 111.21 terawatt-hours | 216.2 terawatt-hours |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 273.75 terawatt-hours | 237.58 terawatt-hours | 311.2 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 271.58 terawatt-hours | 240.47 terawatt-hours | 326.23 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 267.98 terawatt-hours | 221 terawatt-hours | 293.8 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 158.95 terawatt-hours | 111.21 terawatt-hours | 217.74 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 176.61 terawatt-hours | 165.16 terawatt-hours | 204.88 terawatt-hours | 5 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
More energy & mining data for North Korea
- 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)
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, 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 fossil fuel consumption in North Korea?
- Fossil fuel consumption in North Korea was 176.3 terawatt-hours in 2024, according to Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fossil fuel consumption recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 326.23 terawatt-hours in 1999.
- What is the lowest fossil fuel consumption recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 111.21 terawatt-hours in 2016.
- How does North Korea rank for fossil fuel consumption?
- North Korea ranks 62nd out of 220 countries with data for 2024.
- Is fossil fuel consumption rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 41.9%. 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) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Fossil fuel consumption. 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. Fossil fuels include coal, oil, and gas.