What is emissions of air pollutants in South Korea?

Emissions of air pollutants in South Korea was 1.63 million tonnes in 2022, according to Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data.

What is the highest emissions of air pollutants recorded in South Korea?

The highest recorded value was 2.58 million tonnes in 2004.

What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants recorded in South Korea?

The lowest recorded value was 1,058 tonnes in 1750.

How does South Korea rank for emissions of air pollutants?

South Korea ranks 14th out of 220 countries with data for 2022.

Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in South Korea?

Over the last ten years it is down 7.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.

Where does this South Korea data come from?

The figures come from Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Emissions of air pollutants. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Emissions of air pollutants in South Korea

Name: Emissions of air pollutants in South Korea
Creator: Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

South Korea: Emissions of air pollutants was 1.63 million tonnes in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)

1.63 million tonnes

Change on year

up 0.7%

World rank

14th

of 220 countries

All-time high

2.58 million tonnes

in 2004

All-time low

1,058 tonnes

in 1750

Years of data

273

1750–2022

Emissions of air pollutants in South Korea, 1750–2022

Source: Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.

Analysis

In 2022, emissions of air pollutants in South Korea stood at 1.63 million tonnes.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.7% on the previous year and down 7.5% over ten years.

Over the whole period, emissions of air pollutants in South Korea peaked at 2.58 million tonnes in 2004 and was at its lowest, 1,058 tonnes, in 1750.

South Korea ranks 14th of 220 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1750s	1,061 tonnes	1,058 tonnes	1,064 tonnes	10
1760s	1,068 tonnes	1,065 tonnes	1,071 tonnes	10
1770s	1,075 tonnes	1,072 tonnes	1,078 tonnes	10
1780s	1,082 tonnes	1,079 tonnes	1,084 tonnes	10
1790s	1,088 tonnes	1,085 tonnes	1,090 tonnes	10
1800s	1,094 tonnes	1,091 tonnes	1,098 tonnes	10
1810s	1,102 tonnes	1,099 tonnes	1,105 tonnes	10
1820s	1,090 tonnes	1,073 tonnes	1,106 tonnes	10
1830s	1,075 tonnes	1,069 tonnes	1,081 tonnes	10
1840s	1,088 tonnes	1,083 tonnes	1,094 tonnes	10
1850s	1,102 tonnes	1,095 tonnes	1,108 tonnes	10
1860s	1,118 tonnes	1,110 tonnes	1,126 tonnes	10
1870s	1,132 tonnes	1,128 tonnes	1,136 tonnes	10
1880s	1,144 tonnes	1,137 tonnes	1,153 tonnes	10
1890s	1,169 tonnes	1,156 tonnes	1,182 tonnes	10
1900s	1,475 tonnes	1,185 tonnes	1,852 tonnes	10
1910s	2,526 tonnes	1,944 tonnes	3,198 tonnes	10
1920s	4,858 tonnes	3,461 tonnes	6,538 tonnes	10
1930s	10,201 tonnes	6,598 tonnes	16,554 tonnes	10
1940s	18,882 tonnes	8,195 tonnes	30,798 tonnes	10
1950s	26,878 tonnes	15,100 tonnes	42,522 tonnes	10
1960s	76,132 tonnes	45,705 tonnes	124,701 tonnes	10
1970s	285,262 tonnes	159,299 tonnes	455,861 tonnes	10
1980s	637,448 tonnes	444,034 tonnes	1.01 million tonnes	10
1990s	1.84 million tonnes	1.08 million tonnes	2.37 million tonnes	10
2000s	2.33 million tonnes	1.84 million tonnes	2.58 million tonnes	10
2010s	1.80 million tonnes	1.61 million tonnes	1.95 million tonnes	10
2020s	1.61 million tonnes	1.59 million tonnes	1.63 million tonnes	3

Countries ranked near South Korea

11 South Africa 1.86 million tonnes compare
12 Iran 1.74 million tonnes compare
13 Pakistan 1.68 million tonnes compare
15 Canada 1.41 million tonnes compare
16 Thailand 1.24 million tonnes compare
17 Mexico 1.23 million tonnes compare

See the full ranking of 220 places →

More environment data for South Korea

Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF 668.25 Mt CO2e (2024)
Total greenhouse gas emissions excluding LULUCF per capita 12.91 t CO2e/capita (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Agriculture 21.02 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Building (Energy) 0.3304 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Fugitive Emissions (Energy) 3.86 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Industrial Combustion (Energy) 0.1549 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF 44.74 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) 0.2523 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Transport (Energy) 0.2291 Mt CO2e (2024)
Methane (CH4) emissions from Waste 18.6 Mt CO2e (2024)

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is emissions of air pollutants in South Korea?: Emissions of air pollutants in South Korea was 1.63 million tonnes in 2022, according to Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest emissions of air pollutants recorded in South Korea?: The highest recorded value was 2.58 million tonnes in 2004.
What is the lowest emissions of air pollutants recorded in South Korea?: The lowest recorded value was 1,058 tonnes in 1750.
How does South Korea rank for emissions of air pollutants?: South Korea ranks 14th out of 220 countries with data for 2022.
Is emissions of air pollutants rising or falling in South Korea?: Over the last ten years it is down 7.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Korea data come from?: The figures come from Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Emissions of air pollutants. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 273 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator: Emissions of air pollutants
Unit: tonnes
Source: Hoesly et al. (2024) - Community Emissions Data System (CEDS) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 220 places, 60,060 data points, 1750–2022
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

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.