Iran vs South Korea: Emissions of air pollutants
Iran
1.74 million tonnes
in 2022
South Korea
1.63 million tonnes
in 2022
Iran rank
12th
South Korea rank
14th
Emissions of air pollutants over time
- Iran
- South Korea
How they compare
Iran currently reports 1.74 million tonnes against 1.63 million tonnes in South Korea, a difference of 105,700 tonnes.
That makes Iran's figure about 1.1 times South Korea's.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 273 shared years of data; in 1750 it was Iran ahead.
Iran ranks 12th and South Korea ranks 14th of 220 countries.
Across the 28 decades both report, Iran averaged higher in 25 and South Korea in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iran | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1750s | 1,799 tonnes | 1,061 tonnes | 737.54 tonnes | Iran |
| 1760s | 1,836 tonnes | 1,068 tonnes | 767.77 tonnes | Iran |
| 1770s | 1,874 tonnes | 1,075 tonnes | 799.02 tonnes | Iran |
| 1780s | 1,913 tonnes | 1,082 tonnes | 831.33 tonnes | Iran |
| 1790s | 1,952 tonnes | 1,088 tonnes | 864.77 tonnes | Iran |
| 1800s | 2,012 tonnes | 1,094 tonnes | 917.14 tonnes | Iran |
| 1810s | 2,096 tonnes | 1,102 tonnes | 993.5 tonnes | Iran |
| 1820s | 2,217 tonnes | 1,090 tonnes | 1,127 tonnes | Iran |
| 1830s | 2,384 tonnes | 1,075 tonnes | 1,309 tonnes | Iran |
| 1840s | 2,556 tonnes | 1,088 tonnes | 1,468 tonnes | Iran |
| 1850s | 2,723 tonnes | 1,102 tonnes | 1,622 tonnes | Iran |
| 1860s | 2,901 tonnes | 1,118 tonnes | 1,783 tonnes | Iran |
| 1870s | 3,254 tonnes | 1,132 tonnes | 2,122 tonnes | Iran |
| 1880s | 3,788 tonnes | 1,144 tonnes | 2,643 tonnes | Iran |
| 1890s | 4,313 tonnes | 1,169 tonnes | 3,144 tonnes | Iran |
| 1900s | 4,826 tonnes | 1,475 tonnes | 3,352 tonnes | Iran |
| 1910s | 8,733 tonnes | 2,526 tonnes | 6,207 tonnes | Iran |
| 1920s | 16,688 tonnes | 4,858 tonnes | 11,830 tonnes | Iran |
| 1930s | 23,499 tonnes | 10,201 tonnes | 13,298 tonnes | Iran |
| 1940s | 32,268 tonnes | 18,882 tonnes | 13,385 tonnes | Iran |
| 1950s | 63,236 tonnes | 26,878 tonnes | 36,358 tonnes | Iran |
| 1960s | 173,896 tonnes | 76,132 tonnes | 97,763 tonnes | Iran |
| 1970s | 394,899 tonnes | 285,262 tonnes | 109,637 tonnes | Iran |
| 1980s | 658,872 tonnes | 637,448 tonnes | 21,423 tonnes | Iran |
| 1990s | 1.10 million tonnes | 1.84 million tonnes | 735,714 tonnes | South Korea |
| 2000s | 1.44 million tonnes | 2.33 million tonnes | 887,072 tonnes | South Korea |
| 2010s | 1.78 million tonnes | 1.80 million tonnes | 19,786 tonnes | South Korea |
| 2020s | 1.68 million tonnes | 1.61 million tonnes | 63,033 tonnes | Iran |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher emissions of air pollutants, Iran or South Korea?
- Iran, at 1.74 million tonnes against 1.63 million tonnes in South Korea as of 2022.
- What is the difference in emissions of air pollutants between Iran and South Korea?
- 105,700 tonnes, with Iran ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iran and South Korea?
- 273 years are reported by both, from 1750 to 2022.
- How do Iran and South Korea rank globally for emissions of air pollutants?
- Iran ranks 12th 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.