East Asia & Pacific · High income · 2023

South Korea: large EDGAR inventory · 657 MtCO₂e

In 2023, South Korea emitted 657 MtCO₂e (12.63 t per person, 0.38 t per $1K GDP) - energy led at 44% and carbon dioxide dominated the gas mix at 87%. EU EDGAR v8.0, excludes land use.

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Corpus placement

South Korea ranks #13 / 51 by absolute total and #11 / 51 by per-capita emissions among tracked economies in 2023.

#13 / 51
Absolute Mt rank
#11 / 51
Per-capita rank
#31 / 51
GDP intensity rank

According to EU EDGAR v8.0 totals, World Bank population, and GDP denominators at 2023. Excludes LULUCF.

D
Emissions Performance Score
41/100
South Korea · 2023 EDGAR data

Based on per-capita emissions, GDP intensity, methane share, and the multi-year emissions trend, benchmarked against the 51-country EDGAR corpus, not a judgment of policy effort, development stage, or overall climate risk. See the benchmark table and methodology.

Per-capita emissions F
12.63 t/person
EDGAR latest-year total ÷ population, vs. the 51-country corpus spread
GDP intensity C+
0.38 t/$1K GDP
EDGAR latest-year total ÷ GDP, vs. the 51-country corpus spread
Methane share A+
7%
Share of the gas mix that is CH4 (AR6 GWP100 ≈ 27.9× CO2, short-lived but potent)
Emissions trend F
+562%
Change from the first to the latest EDGAR-tracked year for this country

EDGAR inventory roll

Roll KOR · 2023 657 Mt · 12.63 t per person

South Korea sits in the upper absolute-Mt tercile among 51 tracked EDGAR economies (657 Mt in 2023) - absolute, per-capita, and GDP-intensity ranks on one roll.

  • ABS 657 Mt
  • PC 12.63 t
  • INT 0.38
  • RANK-A #13 / 51
  • RANK-P #11 / 51
  • RANK-I #31 / 51
  • SECTOR 44% Energy
  • GAS 87% Carbon
  • PHOTO Germany
  • BOOK 51 econ

Photo-finish absolute-Mt peer: Germany (683 Mt · Δ 27 Mt vs South Korea)

Absolute-Mt neighbourhood

2023 EDGAR totals · nearest inventories to South Korea

1. Mexico7162. Germany6833. South Korea6574. Turkey6085. Australia572

Year-to-year inventory change

What changed between 2022 and 2023

2022 → 2023
  • South Korea's EDGAR greenhouse-gas total fell from 671 MtCO₂e in 2022 to 656.6 MtCO₂e in 2023 in the EU EDGAR v8.0 (2024) extract, a change of −14.4 MtCO₂e (−2.1%).
  • South Korea's energy total fell from 296.3 MtCO₂e in 2022 to 288.2 MtCO₂e in 2023 in the EU EDGAR v8.0 (2024) extract, a change of −8.08 MtCO₂e (−2.7%).
  • South Korea's methane total fell from 44.9 MtCO₂e in 2022 to 44.1 MtCO₂e in 2023 in the EU EDGAR v8.0 (2024) extract, a change of −0.84 MtCO₂e (−1.9%).

Arithmetic differences between two inventory years in one stored EU EDGAR v8.0 (2024) extract, not a second source release, a forecast, or a policy verdict.

Trends Inventory CSV

Placement is comparable across the full corpus: the same standardization basis (EDGAR v8.0 totals, population, and GDP denominators) feeds every country's rank on every ladder above. How we place countries.

South Korea vs all tracked economies by EDGAR greenhouse-gas total

Where South Korea's 2023 EDGAR MtCO₂e sits among every tracked economy with live rows (inventory mass, not per-capita responsibility)

657 Top 25% more MtCO₂e than 75% of 51 economies

Tracked economies, banded by EDGAR MtCO₂e (AR6 GWP100)

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more economies. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source EU EDGAR v8.0 · 2023

South Korea 2023 emissions by IPCC sector

EU EDGAR v8.0 · MtCO₂e · AR6 GWP100

1. Energy2882. Industry1483. Transport1084. Buildings525. Agriculture276. Waste227. Fugitive emissions12
0%100%44%
Energy share of 2023 total

Source: EU EDGAR v8.0 (Joint Research Centre) EDGAR GHG · 2023

South Korea emissions trend (1970–2023, MtCO₂e)

Annual greenhouse-gas totals, EU EDGAR v8.0

0200400600800 197019771984199119982005201220192023 657
Reported annual emissions for South Korea, 1970 to 2023 (AR6 GWP100, excludes LULUCF).

Data from EU EDGAR v8.0 (2024 release)

Source: EU EDGAR (Joint Research Centre) As of 1970–2023

South Korea 2023 greenhouse-gas inventory

EU EDGAR v8.0 · MtCO₂e · AR6 GWP100

1. Carbon dioxide573.52. Methane44.13. Fluorinated gases24.24. Nitrous oxide14.8

Per-person load versus carbon efficiency

Absolute inventory signature

South Korea's absolute inventory is the standout: 657 MtCO₂e puts it in the upper Mt tercile among tracked EDGAR economies (≥524.6 Mt).

South Korea's per-person rate (12.63 t, #11) in 2023 runs well ahead of its GDP-intensity rank (#31) — high consumption per person from an economy that is comparatively efficient per dollar of output.

Source: EU EDGAR v8.0 (Joint Research Centre) Country totals (AR6 GWP100, excl. LULUCF) Country figures for KOR exclude LULUCF; verify policy-critical totals against the Joint Research Centre EDGAR country table.

Other East Asia & Pacific economies in EDGAR

Methodology

South Korea (KOR) is in the upper third of live EDGAR country mass (657 MtCO₂e in 2023). Rows are aggregated from EU EDGAR v8.0 by IPCC sector and gas for 2023, excluding LULUCF. See the methodology page for GWP100 factors and the full pipeline. Full methodology.

Source: EU EDGAR v8.0 (Joint Research Centre) 2024 Global bottom-up inventory, CC BY 4.0.

FAQ

How much CO₂-equivalent did South Korea emit in 2023?

South Korea's 2023 total is 657 MtCO₂e per EU EDGAR v8.0 (AR6 GWP100, excludes LULUCF).

How do South Korea's absolute and per-capita ranks compare?

South Korea ranks #13 of 51 by absolute total and #11 by per-capita emissions in 2023, with GDP intensity at #31.

Which sector dominates South Korea's emissions?

Energy led at 44% of the 2023 national total (657 MtCO₂e).

Compiled from official public sources by the publisher.

Data vintage: EU EDGAR v8.0 (2024 release), 2023 data year. Country emissions summed from EDGAR records for the focal year; LULUCF excluded on ranked surfaces.