Share of electricity production by source in South Korea

South Korea: Share of electricity production by source was 31.1% in 2025. ▲ Rising

Latest (2025)
31.1%
Change on year
up 2.1%
World rank
26th
of 206 countries
All-time high
46.3%
in 2009
All-time low
28.0%
in 1991
Years of data
41
1985–2025

Share of electricity production by source in South Korea, 1985–2025

010203040501985200520251985: 39.5 %1986: 35.9 %1987: 29.5 %1988: 31.7 %1989: 29.5 %1990: 28.3 %1991: 28 %1992: 28.9 %1993: 33 %1994: 35.5 %1995: 35.4 %1996: 36.2 %1997: 38.1 %1998: 43.4 %1999: 42.4 %2000: 39.6 %2001: 41.1 %2002: 41.4 %2003: 40 %2004: 39 %2005: 38.6 %2006: 38.2 %2007: 40.2 %2008: 43.1 %2009: 46.3 %2010: 44.1 %2011: 43.4 %2012: 42.1 %2013: 41.7 %2014: 41.8 %2015: 42.5 %2016: 41.5 %2017: 45.2 %2018: 43.5 %2019: 41.8 %2020: 36 %2021: 35.1 %2022: 33.6 %2023: 32.6 %2024: 30.5 %2025: 31.1 %

Source: Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

South Korea recorded 31.1% for share of electricity production by source in 2025.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.1% on the previous year and down 26.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of electricity production by source in South Korea peaked at 46.3% in 2009 and was at its lowest, 28.0%, in 1991.

South Korea ranks 26th of 206 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 41 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 33.2% 29.5% 39.5% 5
1990s 34.9% 28.0% 43.4% 10
2000s 40.7% 38.2% 46.3% 10
2010s 42.8% 41.5% 45.2% 10
2020s 33.2% 30.5% 36.0% 6

Countries ranked near South Korea

  1. 23 North Korea 34.1% compare
  2. 24 Hong Kong 33.7% compare
  3. 25 Japan 32.1% compare
  4. 27 North Macedonia 30.6% compare
  5. 28 Dominican Republic 29.1% compare
  6. 29 Sri Lanka 27.5% compare

See the full ranking of 212 places →

More reference data data for South Korea

All data for South Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of electricity production by source in South Korea?
Share of electricity production by source in South Korea was 31.1% in 2025, 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 South Korea?
The highest recorded value was 46.3% in 2009.
What is the lowest share of electricity production by source recorded in South Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 28.0% in 1991.
How does South Korea rank for share of electricity production by source?
South Korea ranks 26th out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
Is share of electricity production by source rising or falling in South Korea?
Over the last ten years it is down 26.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this South 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 — 41 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Share of electricity production by source
Unit
%
Source
Ember (2026) and other sources – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
212 places, 6,128 data points, 1920–2025
Last refreshed

Measured as a percentage of total electricity produced in the country or region.