Annual precipitation in North Korea
North Korea: Annual precipitation was 1,237 millimeters in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
1,237 millimeters
Change on year
up 2.3%
World rank
70th
of 192 countries
All-time high
1,684 millimeters
in 1990
All-time low
640.48 millimeters
in 1942
Years of data
86
1940–2025
Annual precipitation in North Korea, 1940–2025
Source: Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in millimeters.
Analysis
In 2025, annual precipitation in North Korea stood at 1,237 millimeters.
That represents a change of up 2.3% on the previous year and up 28.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, annual precipitation in North Korea peaked at 1,684 millimeters in 1990 and was at its lowest, 640.48 millimeters, in 1942.
North Korea ranks 70th of 192 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Annual precipitation in North Korea, year by year
| Year | millimeters | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1940 | 979.24 millimeters | — |
| 1941 | 901.94 millimeters | -7.9% |
| 1942 | 640.48 millimeters | -29.0% |
| 1943 | 983.66 millimeters | +53.6% |
| 1944 | 888.33 millimeters | -9.7% |
| 1945 | 1,095 millimeters | +23.2% |
| 1946 | 1,038 millimeters | -5.1% |
| 1947 | 1,379 millimeters | +32.8% |
| 1948 | 1,108 millimeters | -19.7% |
| 1949 | 1,286 millimeters | +16.1% |
| 1950 | 941.47 millimeters | -26.8% |
| 1951 | 921.14 millimeters | -2.2% |
| 1952 | 1,043 millimeters | +13.2% |
| 1953 | 1,121 millimeters | +7.5% |
| 1954 | 1,324 millimeters | +18.1% |
| 1955 | 1,152 millimeters | -13.0% |
| 1956 | 1,292 millimeters | +12.2% |
| 1957 | 1,151 millimeters | -10.9% |
| 1958 | 913.91 millimeters | -20.6% |
| 1959 | 1,150 millimeters | +25.9% |
| 1960 | 1,264 millimeters | +9.9% |
| 1961 | 1,124 millimeters | -11.1% |
| 1962 | 1,510 millimeters | +34.3% |
| 1963 | 1,368 millimeters | -9.4% |
| 1964 | 1,598 millimeters | +16.8% |
| 1965 | 1,127 millimeters | -29.5% |
| 1966 | 1,520 millimeters | +34.8% |
| 1967 | 1,191 millimeters | -21.6% |
| 1968 | 1,158 millimeters | -2.7% |
| 1969 | 1,232 millimeters | +6.4% |
| 1970 | 1,132 millimeters | -8.1% |
| 1971 | 1,334 millimeters | +17.9% |
| 1972 | 1,574 millimeters | +18.0% |
| 1973 | 1,194 millimeters | -24.1% |
| 1974 | 1,156 millimeters | -3.2% |
| 1975 | 1,156 millimeters | -0.1% |
| 1976 | 1,132 millimeters | -2.1% |
| 1977 | 872.1 millimeters | -23.0% |
| 1978 | 1,225 millimeters | +40.5% |
| 1979 | 1,333 millimeters | +8.8% |
| 1980 | 934.17 millimeters | -29.9% |
| 1981 | 1,159 millimeters | +24.1% |
| 1982 | 1,065 millimeters | -8.1% |
| 1983 | 1,137 millimeters | +6.8% |
| 1984 | 1,277 millimeters | +12.3% |
| 1985 | 1,245 millimeters | -2.5% |
| 1986 | 1,352 millimeters | +8.6% |
| 1987 | 1,357 millimeters | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 960.49 millimeters | -29.2% |
| 1989 | 1,232 millimeters | +28.3% |
| 1990 | 1,684 millimeters | +36.6% |
| 1991 | 1,029 millimeters | -38.9% |
| 1992 | 1,158 millimeters | +12.5% |
| 1993 | 973.42 millimeters | -15.9% |
| 1994 | 1,129 millimeters | +16.0% |
| 1995 | 1,283 millimeters | +13.6% |
| 1996 | 1,125 millimeters | -12.3% |
| 1997 | 951.58 millimeters | -15.4% |
| 1998 | 1,242 millimeters | +30.5% |
| 1999 | 987.04 millimeters | -20.5% |
| 2000 | 1,071 millimeters | +8.5% |
| 2001 | 1,048 millimeters | -2.1% |
| 2002 | 1,045 millimeters | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 1,075 millimeters | +2.9% |
| 2004 | 1,145 millimeters | +6.5% |
| 2005 | 1,131 millimeters | -1.2% |
| 2006 | 1,032 millimeters | -8.8% |
| 2007 | 1,436 millimeters | +39.2% |
| 2008 | 993.87 millimeters | -30.8% |
| 2009 | 1,096 millimeters | +10.2% |
| 2010 | 1,434 millimeters | +30.9% |
| 2011 | 1,203 millimeters | -16.1% |
| 2012 | 1,315 millimeters | +9.3% |
| 2013 | 1,222 millimeters | -7.1% |
| 2014 | 710.39 millimeters | -41.9% |
| 2015 | 960.75 millimeters | +35.2% |
| 2016 | 1,149 millimeters | +19.6% |
| 2017 | 863.84 millimeters | -24.8% |
| 2018 | 1,133 millimeters | +31.2% |
| 2019 | 846.01 millimeters | -25.3% |
| 2020 | 1,484 millimeters | +75.4% |
| 2021 | 1,143 millimeters | -23.0% |
| 2022 | 1,393 millimeters | +21.9% |
| 2023 | 1,259 millimeters | -9.6% |
| 2024 | 1,209 millimeters | -3.9% |
| 2025 | 1,237 millimeters | +2.3% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 1,237 millimeters is above the median for low income countries, which is 845.66 millimeters, 1.5× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 1,237 millimeters is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1,984 millimeters, 62% of the median. (27 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 1,030 millimeters | 640.48 millimeters | 1,379 millimeters | 10 |
| 1950s | 1,101 millimeters | 913.91 millimeters | 1,324 millimeters | 10 |
| 1960s | 1,309 millimeters | 1,124 millimeters | 1,598 millimeters | 10 |
| 1970s | 1,211 millimeters | 872.1 millimeters | 1,574 millimeters | 10 |
| 1980s | 1,172 millimeters | 934.17 millimeters | 1,357 millimeters | 10 |
| 1990s | 1,156 millimeters | 951.58 millimeters | 1,684 millimeters | 10 |
| 2000s | 1,107 millimeters | 993.87 millimeters | 1,436 millimeters | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,084 millimeters | 710.39 millimeters | 1,434 millimeters | 10 |
| 2020s | 1,287 millimeters | 1,143 millimeters | 1,484 millimeters | 6 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
More climate change data for North Korea
- Spring temperature anomalies 2.29 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.3103 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month -2.22 °C (2026)
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.2% (2100)
- Population, total, annual growth rate 0.2725 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban population, annual growth rate 0.7919 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban population, per capita 0.6419 units per person (2025)
- Precipitation anomalies, annual growth rate 27.14 % change on previous year (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 2 °C (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.9637 °C (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is annual precipitation in North Korea?
- Annual precipitation in North Korea was 1,237 millimeters in 2025, according to Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest annual precipitation recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 1,684 millimeters in 1990.
- What is the lowest annual precipitation recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 640.48 millimeters in 1942.
- How does North Korea rank for annual precipitation?
- North Korea ranks 70th out of 192 countries with data for 2025.
- Is annual precipitation rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 28.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Annual precipitation. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 86 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total annual precipitation—rain and snow—calculated as the sum of daily averages, reported as the depth of water falling to Earth's surface, excluding fog and dew.