Share of electricity generation from nuclear in South Korea

South Korea: Share of electricity generation from nuclear was 29.6% in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
29.6%
Change on year
down 2.0%
World rank
12th
of 207 countries
All-time high
49.0%
in 1987
All-time low
22.5%
in 2018
Years of data
41
1985–2025

Share of electricity generation from nuclear in South Korea, 1985–2025

010203040501985200520251985: 26.7 %1986: 40.6 %1987: 49 %1988: 43.1 %1989: 45.7 %1990: 44.6 %1991: 42.8 %1992: 38.6 %1993: 35.9 %1994: 32 %1995: 32.9 %1996: 32.7 %1997: 31.3 %1998: 37.8 %1999: 39.3 %2000: 37.5 %2001: 36.2 %2002: 35.9 %2003: 37.3 %2004: 35.5 %2005: 37.7 %2006: 36.9 %2007: 33.6 %2008: 34.1 %2009: 32.7 %2010: 30 %2011: 29.9 %2012: 28.3 %2013: 25.8 %2014: 28.9 %2015: 30.1 %2016: 28.9 %2017: 25.8 %2018: 22.5 %2019: 24.9 %2020: 27.8 %2021: 26 %2022: 28.3 %2023: 29.2 %2024: 30.2 %2025: 29.6 %

Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

The most recent figure for share of electricity generation from nuclear in South Korea is 29.6%, measured in 2025.

The figure is down 2.0% on the previous year and down 1.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of electricity generation from nuclear in South Korea peaked at 49.0% in 1987 and was at its lowest, 22.5%, in 2018.

That places South Korea 12th out of 207 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 41 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 41.0% 26.7% 49.0% 5
1990s 36.8% 31.3% 44.6% 10
2000s 35.7% 32.7% 37.7% 10
2010s 27.5% 22.5% 30.1% 10
2020s 28.5% 26.0% 30.2% 6

Countries ranked near South Korea

  1. 9 Belarus 36.6% compare
  2. 10 Belgium 33.1% compare
  3. 11 Switzerland 29.9% compare
  4. 13 Sweden 27.6% compare
  5. 14 Armenia 27.0% compare
  6. 15 United Arab Emirates 22.9% compare

See the full ranking of 209 places →

More energy & mining data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of electricity generation from nuclear in South Korea?
Share of electricity generation from nuclear in South Korea was 29.6% 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 nuclear recorded in South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 49.0% in 1987.
What is the lowest share of electricity generation from nuclear recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 22.5% in 2018.
How does South Korea rank for share of electricity generation from nuclear?
South Korea ranks 12th out of 207 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of electricity generation from nuclear rising or falling in South Korea?
Over the last ten years it is down 1.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
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 nuclear. 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

Indicator
Share of electricity generation from nuclear
Unit
%
Source
Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
209 places, 6,536 data points, 1920–2025
Last refreshed

Measured as a percentage of total electricity produced in the country or region.