South Korea's forest cover fell from 67.6 % in 1994 to 64.1 % in 2023.
South Korea · Environment
Forests, air quality, land, water and protected areas.
10 indicators · 10 with data
Land
South Korea's forest area fell from 65,210 km in 1994 to 62,570 km in 2023.
Terrestrial protected areas (% of total land area)
% of land area
102nd of 213 · 14th in East Asia & Pacific
South Korea's terrestrial protected areas (% of total land area) rose from 6.6 % in 2013 to 17.7 % in 2025.
South Korea's agricultural land (% of land area) fell from 21.7 % in 1994 to 16.1 % in 2023.
South Korea's arable land (% of land area) fell from 19.1 % in 1994 to 14.9 % in 2023.
Air
South Korea's air pollution (pm2.5) rose from 21.3 in 1994 to 21.9 in 2023.
Water
South Korea's water stress rose from 34.9 % in 1993 to 45.0 % in 2022.
Renewable internal freshwater resources per capita
cubic metres per person
120th of 181 · 21st in East Asia & Pacific
South Korea's renewable internal freshwater resources per capita fell from 1,467 in 1993 to 1,255 in 2022.
Access
South Korea's safe drinking water rose from 97.2 % in 2002 to 99.3 % in 2024.
South Korea's safe sanitation rose from 86.9 % in 2000 to 99.3 % in 2024.