Oil consumption in South Korea
South Korea: Oil consumption was 1,506 terawatt-hours in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
1,506 terawatt-hours
Change on year
down 2.6%
World rank
8th
of 220 countries
All-time high
1,546 terawatt-hours
in 2024
All-time low
15.12 terawatt-hours
in 1965
Years of data
61
1965–2025
Oil consumption in South Korea, 1965–2025
Source: Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026); Etemad & Luciani (1991) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in terawatt-hours.
Analysis
In 2025, oil consumption in South Korea stood at 1,506 terawatt-hours.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 2.6% on the previous year and up 8.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, oil consumption in South Korea peaked at 1,546 terawatt-hours in 2024 and was at its lowest, 15.12 terawatt-hours, in 1965.
That places South Korea 8th out of 220 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Oil consumption in South Korea, year by year
| Year | terawatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1965 | 15.12 terawatt-hours | — |
| 1966 | 22.65 terawatt-hours | +49.7% |
| 1967 | 39.26 terawatt-hours | +73.4% |
| 1968 | 58.04 terawatt-hours | +47.8% |
| 1969 | 78.77 terawatt-hours | +35.7% |
| 1970 | 98.39 terawatt-hours | +24.9% |
| 1971 | 111.12 terawatt-hours | +12.9% |
| 1972 | 115.99 terawatt-hours | +4.4% |
| 1973 | 142.78 terawatt-hours | +23.1% |
| 1974 | 147.49 terawatt-hours | +3.3% |
| 1975 | 167.17 terawatt-hours | +13.3% |
| 1976 | 187.67 terawatt-hours | +12.3% |
| 1977 | 223.61 terawatt-hours | +19.1% |
| 1978 | 255.7 terawatt-hours | +14.3% |
| 1979 | 287.68 terawatt-hours | +12.5% |
| 1980 | 284.98 terawatt-hours | -0.9% |
| 1981 | 282.15 terawatt-hours | -1.0% |
| 1982 | 280.07 terawatt-hours | -0.7% |
| 1983 | 293.03 terawatt-hours | +4.6% |
| 1984 | 294.29 terawatt-hours | +0.4% |
| 1985 | 311.12 terawatt-hours | +5.7% |
| 1986 | 338.9 terawatt-hours | +8.9% |
| 1987 | 356.26 terawatt-hours | +5.1% |
| 1988 | 425.95 terawatt-hours | +19.6% |
| 1989 | 486.68 terawatt-hours | +14.3% |
| 1990 | 589.91 terawatt-hours | +21.2% |
| 1991 | 717.35 terawatt-hours | +21.6% |
| 1992 | 868.08 terawatt-hours | +21.0% |
| 1993 | 953.18 terawatt-hours | +9.8% |
| 1994 | 1,046 terawatt-hours | +9.8% |
| 1995 | 1,142 terawatt-hours | +9.1% |
| 1996 | 1,221 terawatt-hours | +7.0% |
| 1997 | 1,343 terawatt-hours | +9.9% |
| 1998 | 1,117 terawatt-hours | -16.8% |
| 1999 | 1,198 terawatt-hours | +7.3% |
| 2000 | 1,227 terawatt-hours | +2.4% |
| 2001 | 1,227 terawatt-hours | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 1,249 terawatt-hours | +1.8% |
| 2003 | 1,260 terawatt-hours | +0.8% |
| 2004 | 1,251 terawatt-hours | -0.7% |
| 2005 | 1,257 terawatt-hours | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 1,259 terawatt-hours | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 1,292 terawatt-hours | +2.7% |
| 2008 | 1,232 terawatt-hours | -4.6% |
| 2009 | 1,247 terawatt-hours | +1.2% |
| 2010 | 1,274 terawatt-hours | +2.2% |
| 2011 | 1,287 terawatt-hours | +1.0% |
| 2012 | 1,333 terawatt-hours | +3.6% |
| 2013 | 1,335 terawatt-hours | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 1,330 terawatt-hours | -0.4% |
| 2015 | 1,394 terawatt-hours | +4.8% |
| 2016 | 1,520 terawatt-hours | +9.0% |
| 2017 | 1,505 terawatt-hours | -1.0% |
| 2018 | 1,500 terawatt-hours | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 1,487 terawatt-hours | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 1,406 terawatt-hours | -5.5% |
| 2021 | 1,499 terawatt-hours | +6.7% |
| 2022 | 1,518 terawatt-hours | +1.3% |
| 2023 | 1,490 terawatt-hours | -1.9% |
| 2024 | 1,546 terawatt-hours | +3.8% |
| 2025 | 1,506 terawatt-hours | -2.6% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 1,506 terawatt-hours is above the median for high income countries, which is 60.47 terawatt-hours, 24.9× the median. (76 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 1,506 terawatt-hours is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 11.9 terawatt-hours, 126.5× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Oil consumption 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | +73.4% | 22.65 terawatt-hours | 39.26 terawatt-hours |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 42.77 terawatt-hours | 15.12 terawatt-hours | 78.77 terawatt-hours | 5 |
| 1970s | 173.76 terawatt-hours | 98.39 terawatt-hours | 287.68 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1980s | 335.34 terawatt-hours | 280.07 terawatt-hours | 486.68 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,020 terawatt-hours | 589.91 terawatt-hours | 1,343 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,250 terawatt-hours | 1,227 terawatt-hours | 1,292 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,396 terawatt-hours | 1,274 terawatt-hours | 1,520 terawatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,494 terawatt-hours | 1,406 terawatt-hours | 1,546 terawatt-hours | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More energy & mining data for South Korea
- Fossil fuel consumption by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2025)
- 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)
- Fuel imports 22.2% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is oil consumption in South Korea?
- Oil consumption in South Korea was 1,506 terawatt-hours in 2025, according to Energy Institute – Statistical Review of World Energy (2026); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026); Etemad & Luciani (1991) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest oil consumption recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 1,546 terawatt-hours in 2024.
- What is the lowest oil consumption recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 15.12 terawatt-hours in 1965.
- How does South Korea rank for oil consumption?
- South Korea ranks 8th out of 220 countries with data for 2025.
- Is oil consumption rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.0%. 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); U.S. Energy Information Administration (2026); Etemad & Luciani (1991) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Oil consumption. 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. Includes refined petroleum products and other liquid fuels.