Insecticide use in South Korea
South Korea: Insecticide use was 6,472 tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling
Insecticide use in South Korea, 1990–2023
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2023, insecticide use in South Korea stood at 6,472 tonnes.
The figure is up 27.5% on the previous year and up 8.0% over ten years.
Over the whole period, insecticide use in South Korea peaked at 10,503 tonnes in 1991 and was at its lowest, 4,727 tonnes, in 2020.
That places South Korea 23rd out of 211 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Insecticide use in South Korea, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 9,332 tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 10,503 tonnes | +12.5% |
| 1992 | 9,878 tonnes | -6.0% |
| 1993 | 7,642 tonnes | -22.6% |
| 1994 | 8,267 tonnes | +8.2% |
| 1995 | 8,892 tonnes | +7.6% |
| 1996 | 8,407 tonnes | -5.5% |
| 1997 | 9,166 tonnes | +9.0% |
| 1998 | 8,765 tonnes | -4.4% |
| 1999 | 9,544 tonnes | +8.9% |
| 2000 | 8,867 tonnes | -7.1% |
| 2001 | 9,880 tonnes | +11.4% |
| 2002 | 9,556 tonnes | -3.3% |
| 2003 | 9,332 tonnes | -2.3% |
| 2004 | 8,958 tonnes | -4.0% |
| 2005 | 8,734 tonnes | -2.5% |
| 2006 | 8,334 tonnes | -4.6% |
| 2007 | 8,568 tonnes | +2.8% |
| 2008 | 9,960 tonnes | +16.2% |
| 2009 | 8,810 tonnes | -11.5% |
| 2010 | 7,414 tonnes | -15.8% |
| 2011 | 6,634 tonnes | -10.5% |
| 2012 | 5,047 tonnes | -23.9% |
| 2013 | 5,991 tonnes | +18.7% |
| 2014 | 6,620 tonnes | +10.5% |
| 2015 | 6,274 tonnes | -5.2% |
| 2016 | 7,092 tonnes | +13.0% |
| 2017 | 6,282 tonnes | -11.4% |
| 2018 | 5,674 tonnes | -9.7% |
| 2019 | 4,953 tonnes | -12.7% |
| 2020 | 4,727 tonnes | -4.6% |
| 2021 | 5,286 tonnes | +11.8% |
| 2022 | 5,078 tonnes | -3.9% |
| 2023 | 6,472 tonnes | +27.5% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 6,472 tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 90 tonnes, 71.9× the median. (73 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 6,472 tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 22 tonnes, 294.2× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 9,040 tonnes | 7,642 tonnes | 10,503 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 9,100 tonnes | 8,334 tonnes | 9,960 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 6,198 tonnes | 4,953 tonnes | 7,414 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 5,391 tonnes | 4,727 tonnes | 6,472 tonnes | 4 |
Countries ranked near South Korea
More reference data data for South Korea
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.9638 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.9281 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 3.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.2074 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 3.55 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.23 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 4.37 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 5.17 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 19.85 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.13 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is insecticide use in South Korea?
- Insecticide use in South Korea was 6,472 tonnes in 2023, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest insecticide use recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 10,503 tonnes in 1991.
- What is the lowest insecticide use recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 4,727 tonnes in 2020.
- How does South Korea rank for insecticide use?
- South Korea ranks 23rd out of 211 countries with data for 2023.
- Is insecticide use rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.0%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this South Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Insecticide use. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 34 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Annual quantity of insecticides used in agriculture, measured as the tonnes of active ingredient per year.