Electricity generation from hydropower in South Korea
South Korea: Electricity generation from hydropower was 3.8 terawatt-hours in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
3.8 terawatt-hours
Change on year
down 11.6%
World rank
74th
of 215 countries
All-time high
4.89 terawatt-hours
in 2003
All-time low
0.7104 terawatt-hours
in 1965
Years of data
61
1965–2025
Electricity generation from hydropower in South Korea, 1965–2025
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
The most recent figure for electricity generation from hydropower in South Korea is 3.8 terawatt-hours, measured in 2025.
The figure is down 11.6% on the previous year and up 76.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, electricity generation from hydropower in South Korea peaked at 4.89 terawatt-hours in 2003 and was at its lowest, 0.7104 terawatt-hours, in 1965.
That places South Korea 74th out of 215 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 61 years of available data.
Electricity generation from hydropower in South Korea, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 0.7104 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1966 | 0.9853 terawatt-hours | +38.7% |
| 1967 | 0.9532 terawatt-hours | -3.3% |
| 1968 | 0.9295 terawatt-hours | -2.5% |
| 1969 | 1.43 terawatt-hours | +53.7% |
| 1970 | 1.22 terawatt-hours | -14.5% |
| 1971 | 1.32 terawatt-hours | +8.1% |
| 1972 | 1.37 terawatt-hours | +3.6% |
| 1973 | 1.28 terawatt-hours | -6.1% |
| 1974 | 1.91 terawatt-hours | +48.4% |
| 1975 | 1.68 terawatt-hours | -11.7% |
| 1976 | 1.79 terawatt-hours | +6.3% |
| 1977 | 1.39 terawatt-hours | -22.1% |
| 1978 | 1.81 terawatt-hours | +29.8% |
| 1979 | 2.3 terawatt-hours | +27.0% |
| 1980 | 1.92 terawatt-hours | -16.4% |
| 1981 | 2.6 terawatt-hours | +35.3% |
| 1982 | 1.72 terawatt-hours | -34.0% |
| 1983 | 2.29 terawatt-hours | +33.7% |
| 1984 | 2 terawatt-hours | -12.9% |
| 1985 | 3.18 terawatt-hours | +59.4% |
| 1986 | 3.11 terawatt-hours | -2.4% |
| 1987 | 3.97 terawatt-hours | +27.5% |
| 1988 | 1.99 terawatt-hours | -49.9% |
| 1989 | 2.96 terawatt-hours | +49.2% |
| 1990 | 4.68 terawatt-hours | +58.0% |
| 1991 | 3.49 terawatt-hours | -25.6% |
| 1992 | 3.1 terawatt-hours | -11.1% |
| 1993 | 4.23 terawatt-hours | +36.5% |
| 1994 | 2.35 terawatt-hours | -44.5% |
| 1995 | 2.76 terawatt-hours | +17.6% |
| 1996 | 2.42 terawatt-hours | -12.2% |
| 1997 | 2.81 terawatt-hours | +16.1% |
| 1998 | 4.28 terawatt-hours | +52.1% |
| 1999 | 4.16 terawatt-hours | -2.8% |
| 2000 | 4.01 terawatt-hours | -3.6% |
| 2001 | 2.33 terawatt-hours | -41.9% |
| 2002 | 3.23 terawatt-hours | +38.6% |
| 2003 | 4.89 terawatt-hours | +51.4% |
| 2004 | 4.31 terawatt-hours | -11.9% |
| 2005 | 3.67 terawatt-hours | -14.8% |
| 2006 | 3.47 terawatt-hours | -5.4% |
| 2007 | 3.63 terawatt-hours | +4.6% |
| 2008 | 3.07 terawatt-hours | -15.4% |
| 2009 | 2.81 terawatt-hours | -8.5% |
| 2010 | 3.68 terawatt-hours | +31.0% |
| 2011 | 4.6 terawatt-hours | +25.0% |
| 2012 | 3.97 terawatt-hours | -13.7% |
| 2013 | 4.29 terawatt-hours | +8.1% |
| 2014 | 2.75 terawatt-hours | -35.9% |
| 2015 | 2.15 terawatt-hours | -21.8% |
| 2016 | 2.85 terawatt-hours | +32.6% |
| 2017 | 2.81 terawatt-hours | -1.4% |
| 2018 | 3.36 terawatt-hours | +19.6% |
| 2019 | 2.79 terawatt-hours | -17.0% |
| 2020 | 3.88 terawatt-hours | +39.1% |
| 2021 | 3.05 terawatt-hours | -21.4% |
| 2022 | 3.54 terawatt-hours | +16.1% |
| 2023 | 3.72 terawatt-hours | +5.1% |
| 2024 | 4.3 terawatt-hours | +15.6% |
| 2025 | 3.8 terawatt-hours | -11.6% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 3.8 terawatt-hours is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.23 terawatt-hours, 16.5× the median. (75 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 3.8 terawatt-hours is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.57 terawatt-hours, 6.7× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 1 terawatt-hours | 0.7104 terawatt-hours | 1.43 terawatt-hours | 5 |
| 1970s | 1.61 terawatt-hours | 1.22 terawatt-hours | 2.3 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.57 terawatt-hours | 1.72 terawatt-hours | 3.97 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 3.43 terawatt-hours | 2.35 terawatt-hours | 4.68 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 3.54 terawatt-hours | 2.33 terawatt-hours | 4.89 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.33 terawatt-hours | 2.15 terawatt-hours | 4.6 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.71 terawatt-hours | 3.05 terawatt-hours | 4.3 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 electricity generation from hydropower in South Korea?
- Electricity generation from hydropower in South Korea was 3.8 terawatt-hours in 2025, according to Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest electricity generation from hydropower recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 4.89 terawatt-hours in 2003.
- What is the lowest electricity generation from hydropower recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.7104 terawatt-hours in 1965.
- How does South Korea rank for electricity generation from hydropower?
- South Korea ranks 74th out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is electricity generation from hydropower rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 76.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Electricity generation from hydropower. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 61 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours.