Germany vs South Korea: Tonne-kilometers of air freight

Germany
12.77 billion million ton-km
in 2023
South Korea
12.29 billion million ton-km
in 2023
Germany rank
5th
South Korea rank
6th

Tonne-kilometers of air freight over time

  • Germany
  • South Korea
05.0B10.0B15.0B197019962023

How they compare

Germany currently reports 12.77 billion million ton-km against 12.29 billion million ton-km in South Korea, a difference of 472.70 million million ton-km.

The two have swapped places 8 times across 54 shared years of data; in 1970 it was Germany ahead.

Germany ranks 5th and South Korea ranks 6th of 180 countries.

Across the 6 decades both report, Germany averaged higher in 3 and South Korea in 3.

Head to head by decade

Decade Germany South Korea Difference Ahead
1970s 946.55 million million ton-km 263.73 million million ton-km 682.82 million million ton-km Germany
1980s 2.45 billion million ton-km 1.40 billion million ton-km 1.05 billion million ton-km Germany
1990s 5.33 billion million ton-km 5.27 billion million ton-km 60.10 million million ton-km Germany
2000s 7.96 billion million ton-km 8.55 billion million ton-km 586.04 million million ton-km South Korea
2010s 7.45 billion million ton-km 11.56 billion million ton-km 4.11 billion million ton-km South Korea
2020s 11.58 billion million ton-km 13.47 billion million ton-km 1.88 billion million ton-km South Korea

Averages of every year both report within each decade.

Frequently asked questions

Which has higher tonne-kilometers of air freight, Germany or South Korea?
Germany, at 12.77 billion million ton-km against 12.29 billion million ton-km in South Korea as of 2023.
What is the difference in tonne-kilometers of air freight between Germany and South Korea?
472.70 million million ton-km, with Germany ahead.
How many years of comparable data are there for Germany and South Korea?
54 years are reported by both, from 1970 to 2023.
How do Germany and South Korea rank globally for tonne-kilometers of air freight?
Germany ranks 5th and South Korea ranks 6th of 180 countries.
Where does this data come from?
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Tonne-kilometers of air freight. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.

Individual pages

About this data

Indicator
Tonne-kilometers of air freight
Unit
million ton-km
Source
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
180 places, 7,506 data points, 1970–2023
Last refreshed

Air freight is the volume of freight, express, and diplomatic bags carried on each flight stage (operation of an aircraft from takeoff to its next landing), measured in metric tonnes times kilometers traveled.