Share of electricity generation from fossil fuels in South Korea
South Korea: Share of electricity generation from fossil fuels was 60.0% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of electricity generation from fossil fuels in South Korea, 1985–2025
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, share of electricity generation from fossil fuels in South Korea stood at 60.0%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.1% on the previous year and down 10.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of electricity generation from fossil fuels in South Korea peaked at 72.8% in 2018 and was at its lowest, 44.4%, in 1987.
South Korea ranks 114th of 213 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 41 years of available data.
Share of electricity generation from fossil fuels in South Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 67.4% | — |
| 1986 | 53.6% | -20.5% |
| 1987 | 44.4% | -17.3% |
| 1988 | 53.1% | +19.7% |
| 1989 | 49.9% | -6.0% |
| 1990 | 50.0% | +0.2% |
| 1991 | 53.4% | +6.8% |
| 1992 | 58.1% | +8.8% |
| 1993 | 60.4% | +4.0% |
| 1994 | 65.8% | +8.9% |
| 1995 | 64.3% | -2.3% |
| 1996 | 64.8% | +0.8% |
| 1997 | 66.5% | +2.7% |
| 1998 | 59.6% | -10.4% |
| 1999 | 58.3% | -2.1% |
| 2000 | 61.1% | +4.7% |
| 2001 | 63.0% | +3.2% |
| 2002 | 63.1% | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 61.2% | -2.9% |
| 2004 | 63.2% | +3.2% |
| 2005 | 61.3% | -3.1% |
| 2006 | 62.1% | +1.4% |
| 2007 | 65.4% | +5.2% |
| 2008 | 64.9% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 66.3% | +2.2% |
| 2010 | 68.8% | +3.8% |
| 2011 | 68.7% | -0.2% |
| 2012 | 70.2% | +2.1% |
| 2013 | 72.3% | +3.0% |
| 2014 | 68.7% | -5.0% |
| 2015 | 67.1% | -2.2% |
| 2016 | 67.9% | +1.1% |
| 2017 | 70.4% | +3.7% |
| 2018 | 72.8% | +3.4% |
| 2019 | 69.5% | -4.5% |
| 2020 | 65.2% | -6.1% |
| 2021 | 66.1% | +1.3% |
| 2022 | 62.8% | -5.0% |
| 2023 | 61.2% | -2.6% |
| 2024 | 60.1% | -1.8% |
| 2025 | 60.0% | -0.1% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 60.0% is above the median for high income countries, which is 60.0%, 1.0× the median. (75 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 60.0% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 75.0%, 80% of the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 53.7% | 44.4% | 67.4% | 5 |
| 1990s | 60.1% | 50.0% | 66.5% | 10 |
| 2000s | 63.2% | 61.1% | 66.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 69.6% | 67.1% | 72.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 62.6% | 60.0% | 66.1% | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More energy & mining data for South Korea
- Primary energy from fossil nuclear renewables, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Fuel imports 22.2% (2025)
- Ores and metals imports 7.2% (2025)
- Fuel exports 6.7% (2025)
- Ores and metals exports 2.6% (2025)
- Gas production 0 terawatt-hours (2024)
- Fossil fuel production per person, by fuel 0 kilowatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fossil fuel production by fuel 0 terawatt-hours (2024)
- Gas production per person 0 kilowatt-hours per person (2024)
- Fossil fuel production by fuel, per capita 0 terawatt-hours per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of electricity generation from fossil fuels in South Korea?
- Share of electricity generation from fossil fuels in South Korea was 60.0% in 2025, according to Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of electricity generation from fossil fuels recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 72.8% in 2018.
- What is the lowest share of electricity generation from fossil fuels recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 44.4% in 1987.
- How does South Korea rank for share of electricity generation from fossil fuels?
- South Korea ranks 114th out of 213 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of electricity generation from fossil fuels rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.6%. 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 Share of electricity generation from fossil fuels. 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
Electricity generation from coal, oil, and gas, measured as a percentage of total electricity produced in the country or region.