Fossil fuel production in South Korea
South Korea: Fossil fuel production was 2.3 terawatt-hours in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
2.3 terawatt-hours
Change on year
down 22.7%
World rank
32nd
of 34 countries
All-time high
124.32 terawatt-hours
in 1988
All-time low
2.3 terawatt-hours
in 2025
Years of data
45
1981–2025
Fossil fuel production in South Korea, 1981–2025
Source: Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
In 2025, fossil fuel production in South Korea stood at 2.3 terawatt-hours. That is the lowest value across all 45 years on record.
That represents a change of down 22.7% on the previous year and down 75.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fossil fuel production in South Korea peaked at 124.32 terawatt-hours in 1988 and was at its lowest, 2.3 terawatt-hours, in 2025.
South Korea ranks 32nd of 34 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Fossil fuel production in South Korea, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 101.65 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1982 | 102.94 terawatt-hours | +1.3% |
| 1983 | 101.63 terawatt-hours | -1.3% |
| 1984 | 109.36 terawatt-hours | +7.6% |
| 1985 | 115.36 terawatt-hours | +5.5% |
| 1986 | 124.11 terawatt-hours | +7.6% |
| 1987 | 124.22 terawatt-hours | +0.1% |
| 1988 | 124.32 terawatt-hours | +0.1% |
| 1989 | 106.36 terawatt-hours | -14.4% |
| 1990 | 90.11 terawatt-hours | -15.3% |
| 1991 | 78.81 terawatt-hours | -12.5% |
| 1992 | 62.64 terawatt-hours | -20.5% |
| 1993 | 49.23 terawatt-hours | -21.4% |
| 1994 | 38.72 terawatt-hours | -21.4% |
| 1995 | 29.94 terawatt-hours | -22.7% |
| 1996 | 25.91 terawatt-hours | -13.4% |
| 1997 | 23.61 terawatt-hours | -8.9% |
| 1998 | 22.82 terawatt-hours | -3.3% |
| 1999 | 21.96 terawatt-hours | -3.8% |
| 2000 | 21.72 terawatt-hours | -1.1% |
| 2001 | 19.98 terawatt-hours | -8.0% |
| 2002 | 17.36 terawatt-hours | -13.1% |
| 2003 | 17.26 terawatt-hours | -0.6% |
| 2004 | 16.7 terawatt-hours | -3.2% |
| 2005 | 14.82 terawatt-hours | -11.3% |
| 2006 | 14.78 terawatt-hours | -0.3% |
| 2007 | 15.61 terawatt-hours | +5.6% |
| 2008 | 15 terawatt-hours | -3.9% |
| 2009 | 13.62 terawatt-hours | -9.2% |
| 2010 | 11.27 terawatt-hours | -17.3% |
| 2011 | 11.27 terawatt-hours | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 10.96 terawatt-hours | -2.8% |
| 2013 | 9.5 terawatt-hours | -13.3% |
| 2014 | 9.15 terawatt-hours | -3.7% |
| 2015 | 9.23 terawatt-hours | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 9.03 terawatt-hours | -2.2% |
| 2017 | 8.17 terawatt-hours | -9.6% |
| 2018 | 6.6 terawatt-hours | -19.2% |
| 2019 | 5.96 terawatt-hours | -9.7% |
| 2020 | 5.61 terawatt-hours | -6.0% |
| 2021 | 4.94 terawatt-hours | -11.9% |
| 2022 | 4.49 terawatt-hours | -9.1% |
| 2023 | 3.54 terawatt-hours | -21.2% |
| 2024 | 2.97 terawatt-hours | -15.9% |
| 2025 | 2.3 terawatt-hours | -22.7% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 2.3 terawatt-hours is below the median for high income countries, which is 28.09 terawatt-hours, 8% of the median. (16 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 2.3 terawatt-hours is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 297.03 terawatt-hours, 1% of the median. (9 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 112.22 terawatt-hours | 101.63 terawatt-hours | 124.32 terawatt-hours | 9 |
| 1990s | 44.37 terawatt-hours | 21.96 terawatt-hours | 90.11 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 16.68 terawatt-hours | 13.62 terawatt-hours | 21.72 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.11 terawatt-hours | 5.96 terawatt-hours | 11.27 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.98 terawatt-hours | 2.3 terawatt-hours | 5.61 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 production in South Korea?
- Fossil fuel production in South Korea was 2.3 terawatt-hours in 2025, according to Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fossil fuel production recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 124.32 terawatt-hours in 1988.
- What is the lowest fossil fuel production recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 2.3 terawatt-hours in 2025.
- How does South Korea rank for fossil fuel production?
- South Korea ranks 32nd out of 34 countries with data for 2025.
- Is fossil fuel production rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 75.1%. 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) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Fossil fuel production. 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.