Signal Korea's total energy consumption grew only 1.0 percent a year in 2020 to 2025

Summary

Korea's total primary energy consumption rose by an average of just 1.0 percent a year between 2020 and 2025, held back by the COVID-19 shock and the global economic slowdown. After a rapid rebound in 2021, consumption turned down in 2023 as the global economy weakened. It fell again in 2025 as energy-intensive industries remained in a slump. Except in 2021, energy use grew more slowly than the economy, so energy intensity measured in tonnes of oil equivalent per million won improved by 1.5 percent a year. The Korea Energy Economics Institute uses these recent figures as the starting point for its medium-term demand outlook.