Electricity generation per person in South Korea
South Korea: Electricity generation per person was 12,090 kilowatt-hours in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
12,090 kilowatt-hours
Change on year
down 0.0%
World rank
14th
of 214 countries
All-time high
12,092 kilowatt-hours
in 2024
All-time low
1,523 kilowatt-hours
in 1985
Years of data
41
1985–2025
Electricity generation per person in South Korea, 1985–2025
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in kilowatt-hours.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 12,090 kilowatt-hours for electricity generation per person in 2025.
That represents a change of up 12.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, electricity generation per person in South Korea peaked at 12,092 kilowatt-hours in 2024 and was at its lowest, 1,523 kilowatt-hours, in 1985.
South Korea ranks 14th of 214 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 41 years of available data.
Electricity generation per person in South Korea, year by year
| Year | kilowatt-hours | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 1,523 kilowatt-hours | — |
| 1986 | 1,670 kilowatt-hours | +9.7% |
| 1987 | 1,896 kilowatt-hours | +13.5% |
| 1988 | 2,169 kilowatt-hours | +14.4% |
| 1989 | 2,381 kilowatt-hours | +9.8% |
| 1990 | 2,687 kilowatt-hours | +12.9% |
| 1991 | 2,962 kilowatt-hours | +10.2% |
| 1992 | 3,279 kilowatt-hours | +10.7% |
| 1993 | 3,607 kilowatt-hours | +10.0% |
| 1994 | 4,063 kilowatt-hours | +12.6% |
| 1995 | 4,487 kilowatt-hours | +10.4% |
| 1996 | 4,949 kilowatt-hours | +10.3% |
| 1997 | 5,367 kilowatt-hours | +8.5% |
| 1998 | 5,131 kilowatt-hours | -4.4% |
| 1999 | 5,638 kilowatt-hours | +9.9% |
| 2000 | 6,211 kilowatt-hours | +10.2% |
| 2001 | 6,587 kilowatt-hours | +6.1% |
| 2002 | 7,019 kilowatt-hours | +6.6% |
| 2003 | 7,319 kilowatt-hours | +4.3% |
| 2004 | 7,716 kilowatt-hours | +5.4% |
| 2005 | 8,139 kilowatt-hours | +5.5% |
| 2006 | 8,394 kilowatt-hours | +3.1% |
| 2007 | 8,830 kilowatt-hours | +5.2% |
| 2008 | 9,153 kilowatt-hours | +3.7% |
| 2009 | 9,320 kilowatt-hours | +1.8% |
| 2010 | 10,150 kilowatt-hours | +8.9% |
| 2011 | 10,547 kilowatt-hours | +3.9% |
| 2012 | 10,710 kilowatt-hours | +1.5% |
| 2013 | 10,728 kilowatt-hours | +0.2% |
| 2014 | 10,692 kilowatt-hours | -0.3% |
| 2015 | 10,745 kilowatt-hours | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 10,936 kilowatt-hours | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 11,195 kilowatt-hours | +2.4% |
| 2018 | 11,481 kilowatt-hours | +2.6% |
| 2019 | 11,335 kilowatt-hours | -1.3% |
| 2020 | 11,129 kilowatt-hours | -1.8% |
| 2021 | 11,722 kilowatt-hours | +5.3% |
| 2022 | 12,023 kilowatt-hours | +2.6% |
| 2023 | 11,932 kilowatt-hours | -0.8% |
| 2024 | 12,092 kilowatt-hours | +1.3% |
| 2025 | 12,090 kilowatt-hours | -0.0% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 12,090 kilowatt-hours is above the median for high income countries, which is 6,011 kilowatt-hours, 2.0× the median. (75 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 12,090 kilowatt-hours is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2,692 kilowatt-hours, 4.5× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1,928 kilowatt-hours | 1,523 kilowatt-hours | 2,381 kilowatt-hours | 5 |
| 1990s | 4,217 kilowatt-hours | 2,687 kilowatt-hours | 5,638 kilowatt-hours | 10 |
| 2000s | 7,869 kilowatt-hours | 6,211 kilowatt-hours | 9,320 kilowatt-hours | 10 |
| 2010s | 10,852 kilowatt-hours | 10,150 kilowatt-hours | 11,481 kilowatt-hours | 10 |
| 2020s | 11,831 kilowatt-hours | 11,129 kilowatt-hours | 12,092 kilowatt-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 per person in South Korea?
- Electricity generation per person in South Korea was 12,090 kilowatt-hours in 2025, according to Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest electricity generation per person recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 12,092 kilowatt-hours in 2024.
- What is the lowest electricity generation per person recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,523 kilowatt-hours in 1985.
- How does South Korea rank for electricity generation per person?
- South Korea ranks 14th out of 214 countries with data for 2025.
- Is electricity generation per person rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 12.5%. 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 per person. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 41 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured in kilowatt-hours per person.