Pesticide use in South Korea
South Korea: Pesticide use was 20,402 tonnes in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
20,402 tonnes
Change on year
up 2.6%
World rank
24th
of 211 countries
All-time high
28,218 tonnes
in 2001
All-time low
16,745 tonnes
in 2019
Years of data
34
1990–2023
Pesticide 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
The most recent figure for pesticide use in South Korea is 20,402 tonnes, measured in 2023.
The figure is up 2.6% on the previous year and up 9.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, pesticide use in South Korea peaked at 28,218 tonnes in 2001 and was at its lowest, 16,745 tonnes, in 2019.
South Korea ranks 24th of 211 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 34 years of available data.
Pesticide use in South Korea, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 25,082 tonnes | — |
| 1991 | 27,476 tonnes | +9.5% |
| 1992 | 26,718 tonnes | -2.8% |
| 1993 | 25,999 tonnes | -2.7% |
| 1994 | 25,922 tonnes | -0.3% |
| 1995 | 25,845 tonnes | -0.3% |
| 1996 | 24,620 tonnes | -4.7% |
| 1997 | 24,819 tonnes | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 22,103 tonnes | -10.9% |
| 1999 | 25,837 tonnes | +16.9% |
| 2000 | 25,684 tonnes | -0.6% |
| 2001 | 28,218 tonnes | +9.9% |
| 2002 | 25,844 tonnes | -8.4% |
| 2003 | 24,610 tonnes | -4.8% |
| 2004 | 25,323 tonnes | +2.9% |
| 2005 | 24,506 tonnes | -3.2% |
| 2006 | 24,076 tonnes | -1.8% |
| 2007 | 24,262 tonnes | +0.8% |
| 2008 | 25,368 tonnes | +4.6% |
| 2009 | 22,790 tonnes | -10.2% |
| 2010 | 20,431 tonnes | -10.4% |
| 2011 | 19,131 tonnes | -6.4% |
| 2012 | 17,438 tonnes | -8.8% |
| 2013 | 18,708 tonnes | +7.3% |
| 2014 | 19,788 tonnes | +5.8% |
| 2015 | 19,482 tonnes | -1.5% |
| 2016 | 19,798 tonnes | +1.6% |
| 2017 | 20,043 tonnes | +1.2% |
| 2018 | 18,716 tonnes | -6.6% |
| 2019 | 16,745 tonnes | -10.5% |
| 2020 | 17,132 tonnes | +2.3% |
| 2021 | 19,014 tonnes | +11.0% |
| 2022 | 19,882 tonnes | +4.6% |
| 2023 | 20,402 tonnes | +2.6% |
South Korea compared with similar countries
- South Korea's 20,402 tonnes is above the median for high income countries, which is 1,224 tonnes, 16.7× the median. (73 countries reporting)
- South Korea's 20,402 tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 287 tonnes, 71.1× the median. (33 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 25,442 tonnes | 22,103 tonnes | 27,476 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 25,068 tonnes | 22,790 tonnes | 28,218 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 19,028 tonnes | 16,745 tonnes | 20,431 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 19,108 tonnes | 17,132 tonnes | 20,402 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 pesticide use in South Korea?
- Pesticide use in South Korea was 20,402 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 pesticide use recorded in South Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 28,218 tonnes in 2001.
- What is the lowest pesticide use recorded in South Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 16,745 tonnes in 2019.
- How does South Korea rank for pesticide use?
- South Korea ranks 24th out of 211 countries with data for 2023.
- Is pesticide use rising or falling in South Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.1%. 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 Pesticide 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
Total pesticide use measured in tonnes of pesticide consumption per year.