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.
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
- Spring temperature anomalies 1.1 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.7164 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month -0.8996 °C (2026)
- Universal right to vote in practice 2 (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 2.24 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.9115 °C (2025)
- Consumer price index 135 2010 = 100 (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Competitive elections 1 (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote 1 (2025)
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.