Share of electricity production by source in North Korea
North Korea: Share of electricity production by source was 34.1% in 2024. ▼ Falling
Share of electricity production by source in North Korea, 2000–2024
Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, share of electricity production by source in North Korea stood at 34.1%. That is the lowest value across all 25 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 1.4% on the previous year and down 8.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of electricity production by source in North Korea peaked at 49.7% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 34.1%, in 2024.
North Korea ranks 23rd of 210 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 25 years of available data.
Share of electricity production by source in North Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 43.5% | — |
| 2001 | 42.8% | -1.8% |
| 2002 | 41.4% | -3.2% |
| 2003 | 39.7% | -4.1% |
| 2004 | 38.8% | -2.3% |
| 2005 | 39.3% | +1.2% |
| 2006 | 41.1% | +4.8% |
| 2007 | 35.0% | -15.0% |
| 2008 | 36.2% | +3.5% |
| 2009 | 44.5% | +22.8% |
| 2010 | 41.3% | -7.2% |
| 2011 | 34.4% | -16.7% |
| 2012 | 34.9% | +1.4% |
| 2013 | 34.7% | -0.4% |
| 2014 | 37.3% | +7.4% |
| 2015 | 43.3% | +16.0% |
| 2016 | 42.7% | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 46.2% | +8.2% |
| 2018 | 45.6% | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 49.7% | +8.9% |
| 2020 | 42.9% | -13.6% |
| 2021 | 34.7% | -19.2% |
| 2022 | 34.8% | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 34.5% | -0.6% |
| 2024 | 34.1% | -1.4% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 34.1% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 11.7%, 2.9× the median. (32 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 40.2% | 35.0% | 44.5% | 10 |
| 2010s | 41.0% | 34.4% | 49.7% | 10 |
| 2020s | 36.2% | 34.1% | 42.9% | 5 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
More reference data data for North Korea
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.75 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - Burning - Crop residues 3.54 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Agricultural Soils 1,939 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Direct emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.838 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Direct emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 5.57 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Direct emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.91 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Manure Management 325.47 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - Manure Management 11.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Agricultural 1,939 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Burning - Crop 24.3 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of electricity production by source in North Korea?
- Share of electricity production by source in North Korea was 34.1% in 2024, according to Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of electricity production by source recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 49.7% in 2019.
- What is the lowest share of electricity production by source recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 34.1% in 2024.
- How does North Korea rank for share of electricity production by source?
- North Korea ranks 23rd out of 210 countries with data for 2024.
- Is share of electricity production by source rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 8.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of electricity production by source. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 25 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measured as a percentage of total electricity produced in the country or region.