South Korea vs Thailand: Emissions of air pollutants
South Korea
1.63 million tonnes
in 2022
Thailand
1.24 million tonnes
in 2022
South Korea rank
14th
Thailand rank
16th
Emissions of air pollutants over time
- South Korea
- Thailand
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 1.63 million tonnes against 1.24 million tonnes in Thailand, a difference of 387,450 tonnes.
That makes South Korea's figure about 1.3 times Thailand's.
The two have swapped places 7 times across 273 shared years of data; in 1750 it was Thailand ahead.
South Korea ranks 14th and Thailand ranks 16th of 220 countries.
Across the 28 decades both report, South Korea averaged higher in 9 and Thailand in 19.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | South Korea | Thailand | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1750s | 1,061 tonnes | 1,212 tonnes | 150.88 tonnes | Thailand |
| 1760s | 1,068 tonnes | 1,234 tonnes | 165.76 tonnes | Thailand |
| 1770s | 1,075 tonnes | 1,256 tonnes | 181.31 tonnes | Thailand |
| 1780s | 1,082 tonnes | 1,279 tonnes | 197.56 tonnes | Thailand |
| 1790s | 1,088 tonnes | 1,302 tonnes | 214.58 tonnes | Thailand |
| 1800s | 1,094 tonnes | 1,331 tonnes | 236.56 tonnes | Thailand |
| 1810s | 1,102 tonnes | 1,409 tonnes | 306.53 tonnes | Thailand |
| 1820s | 1,090 tonnes | 1,451 tonnes | 361.47 tonnes | Thailand |
| 1830s | 1,075 tonnes | 1,476 tonnes | 400.87 tonnes | Thailand |
| 1840s | 1,088 tonnes | 1,617 tonnes | 528.91 tonnes | Thailand |
| 1850s | 1,102 tonnes | 1,765 tonnes | 663.76 tonnes | Thailand |
| 1860s | 1,118 tonnes | 1,894 tonnes | 775.84 tonnes | Thailand |
| 1870s | 1,132 tonnes | 2,085 tonnes | 952.77 tonnes | Thailand |
| 1880s | 1,144 tonnes | 2,349 tonnes | 1,205 tonnes | Thailand |
| 1890s | 1,169 tonnes | 2,686 tonnes | 1,517 tonnes | Thailand |
| 1900s | 1,475 tonnes | 3,317 tonnes | 1,843 tonnes | Thailand |
| 1910s | 2,526 tonnes | 4,445 tonnes | 1,919 tonnes | Thailand |
| 1920s | 4,858 tonnes | 6,067 tonnes | 1,209 tonnes | Thailand |
| 1930s | 10,201 tonnes | 8,153 tonnes | 2,048 tonnes | South Korea |
| 1940s | 18,882 tonnes | 11,094 tonnes | 7,788 tonnes | South Korea |
| 1950s | 26,878 tonnes | 27,748 tonnes | 869.64 tonnes | Thailand |
| 1960s | 76,132 tonnes | 70,859 tonnes | 5,273 tonnes | South Korea |
| 1970s | 285,262 tonnes | 184,277 tonnes | 100,985 tonnes | South Korea |
| 1980s | 637,448 tonnes | 374,303 tonnes | 263,145 tonnes | South Korea |
| 1990s | 1.84 million tonnes | 890,567 tonnes | 945,984 tonnes | South Korea |
| 2000s | 2.33 million tonnes | 1.10 million tonnes | 1.23 million tonnes | South Korea |
| 2010s | 1.80 million tonnes | 1.26 million tonnes | 538,740 tonnes | South Korea |
| 2020s | 1.61 million tonnes | 1.27 million tonnes | 345,683 tonnes | South Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher emissions of air pollutants, South Korea or Thailand?
- South Korea, at 1.63 million tonnes against 1.24 million tonnes in Thailand as of 2022.
- What is the difference in emissions of air pollutants between South Korea and Thailand?
- 387,450 tonnes, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for South Korea and Thailand?
- 273 years are reported by both, from 1750 to 2022.
- How do South Korea and Thailand rank globally for emissions of air pollutants?
- South Korea ranks 14th and Thailand ranks 16th 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.