Renewable electricity generation by source in South Korea
South Korea: Renewable electricity generation by source was 3.64 terawatt-hours in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Renewable electricity generation by source in South Korea, 1971–2025
Source: Ember (2026); Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Pinto et al. (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 3.64 terawatt-hours for renewable electricity generation by source in 2025. That is the highest value across all 55 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 8.3% on the previous year and up 171.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, renewable electricity generation by source in South Korea peaked at 3.64 terawatt-hours in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0 terawatt-hours, in 1971.
That places South Korea 40th out of 212 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Renewable electricity generation by source in South Korea, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1972 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1973 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1974 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1975 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1976 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1977 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1978 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1979 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 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 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1987 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1988 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1989 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1990 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1991 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1992 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1993 | 0.001 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1994 | 0.001 terawatt-hours | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 0 terawatt-hours | -100.0% |
| 1996 | 0 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1997 | 0.001 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1998 | 0.002 terawatt-hours | +100.0% |
| 1999 | 0.0058 terawatt-hours | +191.9% |
| 2000 | 0.02 terawatt-hours | +242.5% |
| 2001 | 0.01 terawatt-hours | -50.0% |
| 2002 | 0.01 terawatt-hours | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 0.02 terawatt-hours | +100.0% |
| 2004 | 0.05 terawatt-hours | +150.0% |
| 2005 | 0.13 terawatt-hours | +160.0% |
| 2006 | 0.24 terawatt-hours | +84.6% |
| 2007 | 0.38 terawatt-hours | +58.3% |
| 2008 | 0.44 terawatt-hours | +15.8% |
| 2009 | 0.69 terawatt-hours | +56.8% |
| 2010 | 0.82 terawatt-hours | +18.8% |
| 2011 | 0.86 terawatt-hours | +4.9% |
| 2012 | 0.91 terawatt-hours | +5.8% |
| 2013 | 1.15 terawatt-hours | +26.4% |
| 2014 | 1.15 terawatt-hours | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 1.34 terawatt-hours | +16.5% |
| 2016 | 1.68 terawatt-hours | +25.4% |
| 2017 | 2.17 terawatt-hours | +29.2% |
| 2018 | 2.46 terawatt-hours | +13.4% |
| 2019 | 2.68 terawatt-hours | +8.9% |
| 2020 | 3.15 terawatt-hours | +17.5% |
| 2021 | 3.18 terawatt-hours | +1.0% |
| 2022 | 3.37 terawatt-hours | +6.0% |
| 2023 | 3.39 terawatt-hours | +0.6% |
| 2024 | 3.36 terawatt-hours | -0.9% |
| 2025 | 3.64 terawatt-hours | +8.3% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 3.64 terawatt-hours is above the median for high income countries, which is 0.46 terawatt-hours, 7.9× the median. (75 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Renewable electricity generation by source 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | +242.5% | 0.0058 terawatt-hours | 0.02 terawatt-hours |
| 1999 | +191.9% | 0.002 terawatt-hours | 0.0058 terawatt-hours |
| 2005 | +160.0% | 0.05 terawatt-hours | 0.13 terawatt-hours |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 9 |
| 1980s | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 0.0011 terawatt-hours | 0 terawatt-hours | 0.0058 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.199 terawatt-hours | 0.01 terawatt-hours | 0.69 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.52 terawatt-hours | 0.82 terawatt-hours | 2.68 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.35 terawatt-hours | 3.15 terawatt-hours | 3.64 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 renewable electricity generation by source in South Korea?
- Renewable electricity generation by source in South Korea was 3.64 terawatt-hours in 2025, according to Ember (2026); Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Pinto et al. (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest renewable electricity generation by source recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 3.64 terawatt-hours in 2025.
- What is the lowest renewable electricity generation by source recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0 terawatt-hours in 1971.
- How does South Korea rank for renewable electricity generation by source?
- South Korea ranks 40th out of 212 countries with data for 2025.
- Is renewable electricity generation by source rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 171.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Ember (2026); Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); Pinto et al. (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Renewable electricity generation by source. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 55 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in terawatt-hours.