North Korea
Climate Score
— / 100
CO\u2082 per capita
World Bank WDI (2023)
GDP
Renewable electricity
↑ +12.6pp (5yr)
Ember (2022)
Vulnerability
- CO₂ at 2.5t per capita — moderate by global standards
- Renewable electricity at 63.1%, up 12.6pp over 5 years
North Korea
CO₂ per capita, 2023
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Emissions Trajectory
Emissions are shifting. But is it enough?
Pre-Paris (2000-2014)
North Korea's emissions trajectory is being tracked across multiple data sources.
North Korea — CO₂ per capita (2000-2023)
Source: World Bank WDI
Post-Paris Shift
North Korea's emissions trajectory reflects ongoing energy transition dynamics.
Pre-Paris vs Post-Paris CAGR
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Source: World Bank WDI
Sector Breakdown
Power dominates at 16.7% of total emissions. Transportation follows at 16.7%. Total: 736153.48 Gt CO₂e.
Emissions by Sector (2024)
Source: Climate TRACE v7
Fossil Fuel Mix
Fossil fuels still make up 36.9% of the electricity mix. In 2023, Coal was the dominant source at 56.7 Mt CO₂.
Fossil CO₂ by Fuel Type
Source: Our World in Data
Energy Transition
The energy transition is underway.
Renewables Progress
63.1% of electricity comes from renewables. That is +12.6pp over 5 years. Fossil fuels still make up 36.9%.
Carbon intensity: 344 gCO₂/kWh.
Electricity Generation Mix (2022)
Source: Ember Global Electricity Review (2022)
63.1%
Renewable Share
+12.6pp over 5yr
36.9%
Fossil Fuel Share
0.0%
Nuclear & Other
344
gCO₂/kWh
High-carbon
Economic Decoupling
Is GDP growth decoupled from emissions growth?
5.4 Gt
Cumulative CO₂
Total since 1850
0.30%
Share of global
Cumulative share since 1850
0.004°C
Warming caused
by this country
Gas Breakdown
CO₂ dominates the warming contribution, followed by methane. N₂O contribution is relatively small. Total warming contribution: 0.004°C.
Temperature Contribution by Gas
Source: Our World in Data
90.7 Mt
Total GHG
All greenhouse gases
3.4
tCO₂e/capita
Total GHG per person
Methane & Nitrous Oxide
Source: Our World in Data
Climate Vulnerability & Resilience
How prepared is North Korea?
Readiness & Vulnerability
North Korea's vulnerability and readiness data is being updated.
Vulnerability vs Readiness
Source: ND-GAIN Country Index 2023
Key Takeaways
North Korea at a glance
Emissions
CO₂/capita: 2.5t. Emissions trajectory under review.
Diagnosis
Renewable: 63.1%
Fossil: 36.9%
Outlook
Vulnerability data pending.
Data Sources
All data for North Korea sourced from World Bank WDI, Ember, ND-GAIN, Our World in Data, and Climate TRACE (2000-2023).
View detailed source list
Data Sources
Derived Indicators — Methodology
Carbon Intensity of GDP (DERIVED.CO2_PER_GDP)
CO₂_per_capita ÷ GDP_per_capita × 1,000
Unit: tCO₂ per $1,000 GDP. Lower = cleaner economy. 2023 range: DEU 0.13 → KOR 0.32.
Decoupling Index (DERIVED.DECOUPLING)
GDP_growth_rate(%) − CO₂_growth_rate(%)
Unit: percentage points. Positive = economy growing faster than emissions.
Energy Transition Momentum (DERIVED.ENERGY_TRANSITION)
RENEWABLE_PCT(t) − RENEWABLE_PCT(t−5)
Unit: pp over 5 years. 2023: DEU +19.2pp, BRA +6.6pp, USA +5.2pp, KOR +4.9pp.
Emissions (1)
| Indicator | Source | Years |
|---|---|---|
| CO2 per capita | World Bank WDI | 2000–2023 |
Energy (4)
| Indicator | Source | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Energy use per capita | World Bank WDI | 2000–2022 |
| Carbon intensity | Ember/OWID | 2000–2022 |
| Renewable electricity % | Ember/OWID | 2000–2022 |
| Fossil electricity % | Ember/OWID | 2000–2022 |
Climate Risk (2)
| Indicator | Source | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Forest area | World Bank WDI | 2000–2023 |
| PM2.5 air pollution | World Bank WDI | 2000–2020 |
Derived (41)
| Indicator | Source | Years |
|---|---|---|
| OWID.TEMPERATURE_CHANGE_FROM_CH4 | OWID CO2 | 2000–2023 |
| OWID.NITROUS_OXIDE | OWID CO2 | 2000–2023 |
| OWID.CO2_PER_CAPITA | OWID CO2 | 2000–2023 |
| OWID.NITROUS_OXIDE_PER_CAPITA | OWID CO2 | 2000–2023 |
| OWID.OIL_CO2 | OWID CO2 | 2000–2023 |
| OWID.SHARE_GLOBAL_CO2 | OWID CO2 | 2000–2023 |
| OWID.CO2_PER_GDP | OWID CO2 | 2000–2022 |
| OWID.SHARE_GLOBAL_CUMULATIVE_CO2 | OWID CO2 | 2000–2023 |
| OWID.CO2 | OWID CO2 | 2000–2023 |
| OWID.TOTAL_GHG_EXCLUDING_LUCF | OWID CO2 | 2000–2023 |
| OWID.COAL_CO2 | OWID CO2 | 2000–2023 |
| OWID.CO2_INCLUDING_LUC | OWID CO2 | 2000–2023 |
| OWID.TOTAL_GHG | OWID CO2 | 2000–2023 |
| OWID.CUMULATIVE_CO2 | OWID CO2 | 2000–2023 |
| OWID.ENERGY_PER_CAPITA | OWID CO2 | 2000–2023 |
| OWID.TEMPERATURE_CHANGE_FROM_N2O | OWID CO2 | 2000–2023 |
| OWID.ENERGY_PER_GDP | OWID CO2 | 2000–2022 |
| OWID.TEMPERATURE_CHANGE_FROM_GHG | OWID CO2 | 2000–2023 |
| OWID.FLARING_CO2 | OWID CO2 | 2000–2023 |
| OWID.GHG_PER_CAPITA | OWID CO2 | 2000–2023 |
| OWID.CEMENT_CO2 | OWID CO2 | 2000–2023 |
| OWID.TEMPERATURE_CHANGE_FROM_CO2 | OWID CO2 | 2000–2023 |
| OWID.METHANE | OWID CO2 | 2000–2023 |
| OWID.METHANE_PER_CAPITA | OWID CO2 | 2000–2023 |
| SP.POP.TOTL | World Bank WDI | 2000–2023 |
| DERIVED.CLIMATE_CLASS | VisualClimate derived | 2023–2023 |
| CTRACE.AGRICULTURE | Climate TRACE | 2024–2024 |
| CTRACE.TRANSPORTATION | Climate TRACE | 2024–2024 |
| CTRACE.WASTE | Climate TRACE | 2024–2024 |
| REPORT.TOTAL_SCORE | 2024–2024 | |
| CTRACE.MINERAL_EXTRACTION | Climate TRACE | 2024–2024 |
| REPORT.EMISSIONS_SCORE | 2024–2024 | |
| REPORT.ENERGY_SCORE | 2024–2024 | |
| REPORT.GRADE | 2024–2024 | |
| REPORT.RESPONSIBILITY_SCORE | 2024–2024 | |
| CTRACE.POWER | Climate TRACE | 2024–2024 |
| CTRACE.TOTAL | Climate TRACE | 2024–2024 |
| CTRACE.BUILDINGS | Climate TRACE | 2024–2024 |
| CTRACE.FORESTRY_AND_LAND_USE | Climate TRACE | 2024–2024 |
| CTRACE.FOSSIL_FUEL_OPERATIONS | Climate TRACE | 2024–2024 |
| CTRACE.MANUFACTURING | Climate TRACE | 2024–2024 |