North Korea Population

North Korea at a glance

How North Korea's population is changing

North Korea's population is roughly stable: +0.27% a year, which works out to about +72,311 people per year, or +198 a day. Births (12.9 per 1,000) and deaths (9.9 per 1,000) alone would give +0.30% a year; net migration removes about 2,787 people a year (−0.01%). Roughly one in every 309 people on Earth lives in North Korea.

Population of North Korea since 1960

In 1960, North Korea had 11,722,953 people. By 2025 that was 26,571,036 — 2.3× larger. The fastest growth came between 1962 and 1972, when the population rose by 30%.

North Korea from 1800 to 2100

Modelled estimates put North Korea at about 4,345,000 people in 1800; the UN estimates 26,571,043 in 2025 (6× 1800) and projects 19,512,148 for 2100 in its medium scenario. The population is projected to peak around 2032 at 26,801,083 and decline afterwards.

Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.

Largest listed places in North Korea

10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 26,571,036. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.

How North Korea compares

North Korea has almost the same population as Syria (25,620,427).

Rank	Country	Population	vs North Korea
#54	Niger	27,917,831	+5%	compare →
#55	Australia	27,614,411	+4%	compare →
#57	Syria	25,620,427	−4%	compare →
#58	Mali	25,198,821	−5%	compare →

Compare North Korea with any country →

Same region (East Asia & Pacific): China, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand.

Explore around North Korea

Land neighbours (3)

• China 1,406,585,000 · 52.9× the population · compare
• Russia 143,513,328 · 5.4× the population · compare
• South Korea 51,684,564 · 1.9× the population · compare

North Korea's 3 neighbours together hold 1,601,782,892 people — 60.3× North Korea's population. The most populous is China (1,406,585,000).

In its region

North Korea is the 11th most populous of the 37 economies in East Asia & Pacific, holding 1.1% of the region's 2,367,527,180 people.

Rankings

Largest countries, fastest-growing, oldest populations, densest — all rankings.

Cities

Pyongyang, Chongjin, Hamhŭng, Wŏnsan, Hŭngnam, P’yŏngsŏng, Man’gyŏngdae-ri, Kanggye — all North Korea's cities on the map.

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