Number of new cars sold, by type in South Korea

South Korea: Number of new cars sold, by type was 217,000 cars in 2025. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2025)
217,000 cars
Change on year
up 69.7%
World rank
9th
of 58 countries
All-time high
217,000 cars
in 2025
All-time low
61 cars
in 2010
Years of data
16
2010–2025

Number of new cars sold, by type in South Korea, 2010–2025

050.0k100.0k150.0k200.0k2010201720252010: 61 cars2011: 270 cars2012: 510 cars2013: 600 cars2014: 1.3k cars2015: 3.4k cars2016: 5.0k cars2017: 14.7k cars2018: 59.4k cars2019: 35.7k cars2020: 39.7k cars2021: 91.0k cars2022: 131.0k cars2023: 132.0k cars2024: 127.9k cars2025: 217.0k cars

Source: International Energy Agency. Global EV Outlook 2025. – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in cars.

Analysis

South Korea recorded 217,000 cars for number of new cars sold, by type in 2025. That is the highest value across all 16 years on record.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 69.7% on the previous year and up 6,377.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of new cars sold, by type in South Korea peaked at 217,000 cars in 2025 and was at its lowest, 61 cars, in 2010.

South Korea ranks 9th of 58 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

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

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
2010s 12,089 cars 61 cars 59,400 cars 10
2020s 123,100 cars 39,700 cars 217,000 cars 6

Countries ranked near South Korea

  1. 6 Turkey 237,000 cars compare
  2. 7 Spain 230,000 cars compare
  3. 8 Netherlands 228,000 cars compare
  4. 10 Italy 193,000 cars compare
  5. 11 Vietnam 180,077 cars compare
  6. 12 Belgium 180,000 cars compare

See the full ranking of 58 places →

More reference data data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of new cars sold, by type in South Korea?
Number of new cars sold, by type in South Korea was 217,000 cars in 2025, according to International Energy Agency. Global EV Outlook 2025. – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest number of new cars sold, by type recorded in South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 217,000 cars in 2025.
What is the lowest number of new cars sold, by type recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 61 cars in 2010.
How does South Korea rank for number of new cars sold, by type?
South Korea ranks 9th out of 58 countries with data for 2025.
Is number of new cars sold, by type rising or falling in South Korea?
Over the last ten years it is up 6,377.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this South Korea data come from?
The figures come from International Energy Agency. Global EV Outlook 2025. – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of new cars sold, by type. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 16 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Number of new cars sold, by type
Unit
cars
Source
International Energy Agency. Global EV Outlook 2025. – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
58 places, 752 data points, 2010–2025
Last refreshed

Electric cars include fully battery-electric and plug-in hybrids.