Tonne-kilometers of air freight in South Korea

South Korea: Tonne-kilometers of air freight was 12.29 billion million ton-km in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
12.29 billion million ton-km
Change on year
down 10.5%
World rank
6th
of 180 countries
All-time high
15.37 billion million ton-km
in 2021
All-time low
5.60 million million ton-km
in 1970
Years of data
54
1970–2023

Tonne-kilometers of air freight in South Korea, 1970–2023

05.0B10.0B15.0B197019962023

Source: International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in million ton-km.

Analysis

In 2023, tonne-kilometers of air freight in South Korea stood at 12.29 billion million ton-km.

That represents a change of down 10.5% on the previous year and up 10.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, tonne-kilometers of air freight in South Korea peaked at 15.37 billion million ton-km in 2021 and was at its lowest, 5.60 million million ton-km, in 1970.

That places South Korea 6th out of 180 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top 10%.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 263.73 million million ton-km 5.60 million million ton-km 666.20 million million ton-km 10
1980s 1.40 billion million ton-km 836.00 million million ton-km 2.37 billion million ton-km 10
1990s 5.27 billion million ton-km 2.46 billion million ton-km 8.10 billion million ton-km 10
2000s 8.55 billion million ton-km 6.83 billion million ton-km 15.16 billion million ton-km 10
2010s 11.56 billion million ton-km 10.66 billion million ton-km 12.94 billion million ton-km 10
2020s 13.47 billion million ton-km 12.29 billion million ton-km 15.37 billion million ton-km 4

Countries ranked near South Korea

  1. 3 Qatar 13.93 billion million ton-km compare
  2. 4 United Arab Emirates 13.57 billion million ton-km compare
  3. 5 Germany 12.77 billion million ton-km compare
  4. 7 Hong Kong 8.64 billion million ton-km compare
  5. 8 Japan 8.47 billion million ton-km compare
  6. 9 Turkey 8.37 billion million ton-km compare

See the full ranking of 180 places →

More reference data data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is tonne-kilometers of air freight in South Korea?
Tonne-kilometers of air freight in South Korea was 12.29 billion million ton-km in 2023, according to International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest tonne-kilometers of air freight recorded in South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 15.37 billion million ton-km in 2021.
What is the lowest tonne-kilometers of air freight recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 5.60 million million ton-km in 1970.
How does South Korea rank for tonne-kilometers of air freight?
South Korea ranks 6th out of 180 countries with data for 2023.
Is tonne-kilometers of air freight rising or falling in South Korea?
Over the last ten years it is up 10.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Korea data come from?
The figures come from International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Tonne-kilometers of air freight. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 54 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

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.