Fossil fuel consumption per person in North Korea

North Korea: Fossil fuel consumption per person was 6,653 kilowatt-hours per person in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
6,653 kilowatt-hours per person
Change on year
up 4.4%
World rank
136th
of 213 countries
All-time high
16,095 kilowatt-hours per person
in 1984
All-time low
4,328 kilowatt-hours per person
in 2016
Years of data
45
1980–2024

Fossil fuel consumption per person in North Korea, 1980–2024

5.0k7.5k10.0k12.5k15.0k1980200220241980: 14.5k kilowatt-hours per person1981: 14.9k kilowatt-hours per person1982: 15.4k kilowatt-hours per person1983: 15.9k kilowatt-hours per person1984: 16.1k kilowatt-hours per person1985: 13.0k kilowatt-hours per person1986: 12.9k kilowatt-hours per person1987: 12.4k kilowatt-hours per person1988: 14.5k kilowatt-hours per person1989: 11.4k kilowatt-hours per person1990: 11.4k kilowatt-hours per person1991: 11.2k kilowatt-hours per person1992: 11.3k kilowatt-hours per person1993: 12.2k kilowatt-hours per person1994: 11.6k kilowatt-hours per person1995: 13.3k kilowatt-hours per person1996: 12.7k kilowatt-hours per person1997: 12.4k kilowatt-hours per person1998: 10.8k kilowatt-hours per person1999: 13.9k kilowatt-hours per person2000: 12.4k kilowatt-hours per person2001: 12.0k kilowatt-hours per person2002: 11.6k kilowatt-hours per person2003: 11.4k kilowatt-hours per person2004: 11.7k kilowatt-hours per person2005: 11.5k kilowatt-hours per person2006: 11.0k kilowatt-hours per person2007: 9.6k kilowatt-hours per person2008: 10.4k kilowatt-hours per person2009: 8.9k kilowatt-hours per person2010: 8.3k kilowatt-hours per person2011: 5.7k kilowatt-hours per person2012: 5.4k kilowatt-hours per person2013: 5.0k kilowatt-hours per person2014: 4.9k kilowatt-hours per person2015: 4.4k kilowatt-hours per person2016: 4.3k kilowatt-hours per person2017: 8.4k kilowatt-hours per person2018: 7.5k kilowatt-hours per person2019: 8.4k kilowatt-hours per person2020: 7.8k kilowatt-hours per person2021: 6.4k kilowatt-hours per person2022: 6.3k kilowatt-hours per person2023: 6.4k kilowatt-hours per person2024: 6.7k kilowatt-hours per person

Source: Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in kilowatt-hours per person.

Analysis

The most recent figure for fossil fuel consumption per person in North Korea is 6,653 kilowatt-hours per person, measured in 2024.

That represents a change of up 4.4% on the previous year and up 36.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, fossil fuel consumption per person in North Korea peaked at 16,095 kilowatt-hours per person in 1984 and was at its lowest, 4,328 kilowatt-hours per person, in 2016.

That places North Korea 136th out of 213 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.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 14,085 kilowatt-hours per person 11,420 kilowatt-hours per person 16,095 kilowatt-hours per person 10
1990s 12,094 kilowatt-hours per person 10,835 kilowatt-hours per person 13,884 kilowatt-hours per person 10
2000s 11,044 kilowatt-hours per person 8,883 kilowatt-hours per person 12,414 kilowatt-hours per person 10
2010s 6,224 kilowatt-hours per person 4,328 kilowatt-hours per person 8,374 kilowatt-hours per person 10
2020s 6,711 kilowatt-hours per person 6,273 kilowatt-hours per person 7,839 kilowatt-hours per person 5

Countries ranked near North Korea

  1. 133 Costa Rica 7,420 kilowatt-hours per person compare
  2. 134 India 6,899 kilowatt-hours per person compare
  3. 135 Morocco 6,873 kilowatt-hours per person compare
  4. 137 Samoa 6,290 kilowatt-hours per person compare
  5. 138 El Salvador 6,256 kilowatt-hours per person compare
  6. 139 Micronesia (country) 6,204 kilowatt-hours per person compare

See the full ranking of 219 places →

More energy & mining data for North Korea

All data for North Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is fossil fuel consumption per person in North Korea?
Fossil fuel consumption per person in North Korea was 6,653 kilowatt-hours per person 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 per person recorded in North Korea?
The highest recorded value was 16,095 kilowatt-hours per person in 1984.
What is the lowest fossil fuel consumption per person recorded in North Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 4,328 kilowatt-hours per person in 2016.
How does North Korea rank for fossil fuel consumption per person?
North Korea ranks 136th out of 213 countries with data for 2024.
Is fossil fuel consumption per person rising or falling in North Korea?
Over the last ten years it is up 36.3%. 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 per person. 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

Indicator
Fossil fuel consumption per person
Unit
kilowatt-hours per person
Source
Energy Institute - Statistical Review of World Energy (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
219 places, 10,587 data points, 1965–2025
Last refreshed

Measured in kilowatt-hours per person. Fossil fuels include coal, oil, and gas.