Share of electricity production by source in South Korea
South Korea: Share of electricity production by source was 31.1% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Share of electricity production by source in South Korea, 1985–2025
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
South Korea recorded 31.1% for share of electricity production by source in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.1% on the previous year and down 26.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of electricity production by source in South Korea peaked at 46.3% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 28.0%, in 1991.
South Korea ranks 26th of 210 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 41 years of available data.
Share of electricity production by source in South Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 39.5% | — |
| 1986 | 35.9% | -9.2% |
| 1987 | 29.5% | -17.8% |
| 1988 | 31.7% | +7.7% |
| 1989 | 29.5% | -6.9% |
| 1990 | 28.3% | -4.3% |
| 1991 | 28.0% | -1.1% |
| 1992 | 28.9% | +3.4% |
| 1993 | 33.0% | +14.2% |
| 1994 | 35.5% | +7.4% |
| 1995 | 35.4% | -0.4% |
| 1996 | 36.2% | +2.3% |
| 1997 | 38.1% | +5.3% |
| 1998 | 43.4% | +13.9% |
| 1999 | 42.4% | -2.4% |
| 2000 | 39.6% | -6.7% |
| 2001 | 41.1% | +3.9% |
| 2002 | 41.4% | +0.8% |
| 2003 | 40.0% | -3.4% |
| 2004 | 39.0% | -2.6% |
| 2005 | 38.6% | -0.9% |
| 2006 | 38.2% | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 40.2% | +5.1% |
| 2008 | 43.1% | +7.4% |
| 2009 | 46.3% | +7.3% |
| 2010 | 44.1% | -4.6% |
| 2011 | 43.4% | -1.5% |
| 2012 | 42.1% | -3.2% |
| 2013 | 41.7% | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 41.8% | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 42.5% | +1.5% |
| 2016 | 41.5% | -2.3% |
| 2017 | 45.2% | +9.0% |
| 2018 | 43.5% | -3.9% |
| 2019 | 41.8% | -3.9% |
| 2020 | 36.0% | -13.7% |
| 2021 | 35.1% | -2.6% |
| 2022 | 33.6% | -4.3% |
| 2023 | 32.6% | -3.0% |
| 2024 | 30.5% | -6.4% |
| 2025 | 31.1% | +2.1% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 31.1% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 11.7%, 2.7× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 33.2% | 29.5% | 39.5% | 5 |
| 1990s | 34.9% | 28.0% | 43.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 40.7% | 38.2% | 46.3% | 10 |
| 2010s | 42.8% | 41.5% | 45.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 33.2% | 30.5% | 36.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
- 23 North Korea 34.1% compare
- 24 Hong Kong 33.7% compare
- 25 Japan 32.1% compare
- 27 North Macedonia 30.6% compare
- 28 Dominican Republic 29.1% compare
- 29 Sri Lanka 27.5% compare
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 share of electricity production by source in South Korea?
- Share of electricity production by source in South Korea was 31.1% in 2025, according to Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of electricity production by source recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 46.3% in 2009.
- What is the lowest share of electricity production by source recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 28.0% in 1991.
- How does South Korea rank for share of electricity production by source?
- South Korea ranks 26th out of 210 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of electricity production by source rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 26.7%. 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 production by source. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Measured as a percentage of total electricity produced in the country or region.