Canada vs South Korea: Emissions of air pollutants
Canada
1.41 million tonnes
in 2022
South Korea
1.63 million tonnes
in 2022
Canada rank
15th
South Korea rank
14th
Emissions of air pollutants over time
- Canada
- South Korea
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 1.63 million tonnes against 1.41 million tonnes in Canada, a difference of 226,670 tonnes.
That makes South Korea's figure about 1.2 times Canada's.
The two have swapped places 4 times across 273 shared years of data; in 1750 it was South Korea ahead.
Canada ranks 15th and South Korea ranks 14th of 220 countries.
Across the 28 decades both report, Canada averaged higher in 20 and South Korea in 8.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Canada | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1750s | 407.02 tonnes | 1,061 tonnes | 654 tonnes | South Korea |
| 1760s | 470.27 tonnes | 1,068 tonnes | 597.92 tonnes | South Korea |
| 1770s | 545.99 tonnes | 1,075 tonnes | 529.05 tonnes | South Korea |
| 1780s | 642.01 tonnes | 1,082 tonnes | 439.55 tonnes | South Korea |
| 1790s | 757.25 tonnes | 1,088 tonnes | 330.42 tonnes | South Korea |
| 1800s | 893.22 tonnes | 1,094 tonnes | 201.21 tonnes | South Korea |
| 1810s | 1,154 tonnes | 1,102 tonnes | 51.47 tonnes | Canada |
| 1820s | 1,619 tonnes | 1,090 tonnes | 529.22 tonnes | Canada |
| 1830s | 2,283 tonnes | 1,075 tonnes | 1,207 tonnes | Canada |
| 1840s | 3,290 tonnes | 1,088 tonnes | 2,202 tonnes | Canada |
| 1850s | 4,991 tonnes | 1,102 tonnes | 3,889 tonnes | Canada |
| 1860s | 8,683 tonnes | 1,118 tonnes | 7,566 tonnes | Canada |
| 1870s | 13,289 tonnes | 1,132 tonnes | 12,157 tonnes | Canada |
| 1880s | 31,921 tonnes | 1,144 tonnes | 30,777 tonnes | Canada |
| 1890s | 49,261 tonnes | 1,169 tonnes | 48,092 tonnes | Canada |
| 1900s | 104,285 tonnes | 1,475 tonnes | 102,810 tonnes | Canada |
| 1910s | 262,408 tonnes | 2,526 tonnes | 259,881 tonnes | Canada |
| 1920s | 352,656 tonnes | 4,858 tonnes | 347,798 tonnes | Canada |
| 1930s | 444,487 tonnes | 10,201 tonnes | 434,286 tonnes | Canada |
| 1940s | 727,692 tonnes | 18,882 tonnes | 708,809 tonnes | Canada |
| 1950s | 1.07 million tonnes | 26,878 tonnes | 1.04 million tonnes | Canada |
| 1960s | 1.65 million tonnes | 76,132 tonnes | 1.57 million tonnes | Canada |
| 1970s | 2.63 million tonnes | 285,262 tonnes | 2.35 million tonnes | Canada |
| 1980s | 2.72 million tonnes | 637,448 tonnes | 2.08 million tonnes | Canada |
| 1990s | 2.73 million tonnes | 1.84 million tonnes | 889,615 tonnes | Canada |
| 2000s | 2.58 million tonnes | 2.33 million tonnes | 247,394 tonnes | Canada |
| 2010s | 1.78 million tonnes | 1.80 million tonnes | 20,587 tonnes | South Korea |
| 2020s | 1.39 million tonnes | 1.61 million tonnes | 219,593 tonnes | South Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher emissions of air pollutants, Canada or South Korea?
- South Korea, at 1.63 million tonnes against 1.41 million tonnes in Canada as of 2022.
- What is the difference in emissions of air pollutants between Canada and South Korea?
- 226,670 tonnes, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Canada and South Korea?
- 273 years are reported by both, from 1750 to 2022.
- How do Canada and South Korea rank globally for emissions of air pollutants?
- Canada ranks 15th and South Korea ranks 14th of 220 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Hoesly et al. (2024) – Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as Emissions of air pollutants. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Nitrogen oxides (NOₓ) are gases that are mainly formed during the burning of fossil fuels. Exposure to NOₓ gases can have negative impacts on respiratory health. NOₓ gases can also lead to the formation of ozone – another air pollutant.