Human caused air pollution exposure in South Korea
South Korea: Human caused air pollution exposure was 19.59 in 2024. ▬ Flat
Latest (2024)
19.59
Change on year
up 13.9%
World rank
62nd
of 240 countries
All-time high
23.53
in 2003
All-time low
16.01
in 1999
Years of data
27
1998–2024
Human caused air pollution exposure in South Korea, 1998–2024
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for human caused air pollution exposure in South Korea is 19.59, measured in 2024.
The figure is up 13.9% on the previous year and down 14.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, human caused air pollution exposure in South Korea peaked at 23.53 in 2003 and was at its lowest, 16.01, in 1999.
That places South Korea 62nd out of 240 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
Human caused air pollution exposure in South Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 16.36 | — |
| 1999 | 16.01 | -2.1% |
| 2000 | 19.49 | +21.7% |
| 2001 | 19.22 | -1.4% |
| 2002 | 17.27 | -10.1% |
| 2003 | 23.53 | +36.2% |
| 2004 | 19.15 | -18.6% |
| 2005 | 20.06 | +4.8% |
| 2006 | 22 | +9.7% |
| 2007 | 21.29 | -3.2% |
| 2008 | 21.65 | +1.7% |
| 2009 | 20.22 | -6.6% |
| 2010 | 18.45 | -8.8% |
| 2011 | 19.08 | +3.4% |
| 2012 | 19.67 | +3.1% |
| 2013 | 21.51 | +9.4% |
| 2014 | 22.77 | +5.9% |
| 2015 | 22.67 | -0.4% |
| 2016 | 23.47 | +3.5% |
| 2017 | 21.85 | -6.9% |
| 2018 | 20.24 | -7.4% |
| 2019 | 20.52 | +1.4% |
| 2020 | 17.38 | -15.3% |
| 2021 | 16.31 | -6.2% |
| 2022 | 16.27 | -0.2% |
| 2023 | 17.2 | +5.7% |
| 2024 | 19.59 | +13.9% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 19.59 is above the median for high income countries, which is 8.08, 2.4× the median. (83 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 19.59 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 5.49, 3.6× the median. (35 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 16.19 | 16.01 | 16.36 | 2 |
| 2000s | 20.39 | 17.27 | 23.53 | 10 |
| 2010s | 21.02 | 18.45 | 23.47 | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.35 | 16.27 | 19.59 | 5 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More environment data for South Korea
- Grazing land use over the long-term, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per unit of GDP 0 hectares per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per capita 0.0011 hectares per person (2025)
- Grazing land use over the long-term, per square kilometre 0.5738 hectares per square kilometre (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), annual -0.2791 % change on previous year (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per unit 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual growth rate -2.27 % change on previous year (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per unit of GDP 0 Mt CO2e per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), per capita 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is human caused air pollution exposure in South Korea?
- Human caused air pollution exposure in South Korea was 19.59 in 2024, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest human caused air pollution exposure recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 23.53 in 2003.
- What is the lowest human caused air pollution exposure recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 16.01 in 1999.
- How does South Korea rank for human caused air pollution exposure?
- South Korea ranks 62nd out of 240 countries with data for 2024.
- Is human caused air pollution exposure rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Human caused air pollution exposure. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).