Korea, Rep.: Electric power consumption (kWh per capita)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2025, Korea, Rep.'s electric power consumption (kWh per capita) fell 163.27 on 2024 (from 12,235 to 12,071).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1995 to 2024), the average change was +286.09 and a typical year strayed about 293.49 from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 1.5 standard deviations below that average, so it was larger than a typical year, though not out of the range seen before.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 1,158 in 2010 and the biggest yearly fall was 236.11 in 1998. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is upward, about 163.13 a year. A straight line explains 87% of the movement over 10 observed years.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

A straight-line projection, tested first

Extending that straight line gives about 12,708 for 2028. We show this only because the same method, fitted on earlier years, predicted 2023 to 2025 better than "no change" would have: its average miss was 117.38, against 185.83 for assuming no change. Treat it as a continuation of the recent pattern, not a forecast of events: it cannot see a recession, a policy change or a revision to the data.

See how a linear trend forecast works and the guide on forecasting without fooling yourself.

How it compares

In 2025, Korea, Rep. had the 6th highest value of the 40 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Korea, Rep. in the 2025 ranking

• Finland — 3rd of 40: 15,057
• Canada — 4th of 40: 14,655
• United States — 5th of 40: 13,064
• Sweden — 7th of 40: 11,974
• Luxembourg — 8th of 40: 10,209
• Australia — 9th of 40: 9,795

What this measures

Electric power consumption measures the production of power plants and combined heat and power plants less transmission, distribution, and transformation losses and own use by heat and power plants.

Limitations: Data on electric power production and consumption are collected from national energy agencies by the International Energy Agency (IEA) and adjusted by the IEA to meet international definitions. Data are reported as net consumption as opposed to gross consumption. Net consumption excludes the energy consumed by the generating units. For all countries except the United States, total electric power consumption is equal to total net electricity generation plus electricity imports minus electricity exports minus electricity distribution losses. The IEA makes these estimates in consultation with national statistical offices, oil companies, electric utilities, and national energy experts.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 36 values

Electric power consumption (kWh per capita) in nearby economies

• Australia — 9,795 (2025)
• Brunei Darussalam — 10,963 (2024)
• Cambodia — 1,086 (2024)
• China — 7,038 (2024)
• Hong Kong SAR, China — 6,311 (2024)
• Indonesia — 1,611 (2024)
• Japan — 7,531 (2025)
• Korea, Dem. People's Rep. — 793.58 (2024)
• Lao PDR — 1,502 (2024)
• Malaysia — 5,418 (2024)

More environment data for Korea, Rep.

• Population in largest city — 10.03 million (2025)
• Population in the largest city (% of urban population) — 23.9% (2025)
• Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million — 26.41 million (2025)
• Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million (% of total population) — 51.1% (2025)
• Rural population — 9.73 million (2025)
• Rural population (% of total population) — 18.83% (2025)
• Urban population — 41.95 million (2025)
• Urban population (% of total population) — 81.17% (2025)
• Aquaculture production (metric tons) — 2.28 million (2024)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Korea, Rep.'s electric power consumption (kWh per capita)?

12,071 in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1990?

It is up 390.28% from 2,462 in 1990 (4.65% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 12,235 in 2024 and the lowest 2,462 in 1990.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator EG.USE.ELEC.KH.PC, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: IEA Energy Statistics Data Browser, International Energy Agency (IEA), uri: https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/data-tools/energy-statistics-data-browser, publisher: International Energy Agency (IEA), date accessed: 2025-03-25 Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.