Population, total in North Korea
North Korea: Population, total was 26.57 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
26.57 million
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
56th
of 218 countries
All-time high
26.57 million
in 2025
All-time low
11.72 million
in 1960
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Population, total in North Korea, 1960–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
In 2025, population, total in North Korea stood at 26.57 million. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.3% on the previous year and up 3.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population, total in North Korea peaked at 26.57 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 11.72 million, in 1960.
North Korea ranks 56th of 218 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Population, total in North Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 11.72 million | — |
| 1961 | 11.99 million | +2.3% |
| 1962 | 12.26 million | +2.3% |
| 1963 | 12.57 million | +2.5% |
| 1964 | 12.89 million | +2.6% |
| 1965 | 13.22 million | +2.6% |
| 1966 | 13.57 million | +2.6% |
| 1967 | 13.96 million | +2.9% |
| 1968 | 14.37 million | +2.9% |
| 1969 | 14.77 million | +2.8% |
| 1970 | 15.17 million | +2.7% |
| 1971 | 15.57 million | +2.6% |
| 1972 | 15.98 million | +2.6% |
| 1973 | 16.35 million | +2.3% |
| 1974 | 16.67 million | +2.0% |
| 1975 | 16.97 million | +1.8% |
| 1976 | 17.24 million | +1.6% |
| 1977 | 17.49 million | +1.4% |
| 1978 | 17.74 million | +1.4% |
| 1979 | 17.98 million | +1.4% |
| 1980 | 18.24 million | +1.4% |
| 1981 | 18.50 million | +1.5% |
| 1982 | 18.78 million | +1.5% |
| 1983 | 19.05 million | +1.5% |
| 1984 | 19.34 million | +1.5% |
| 1985 | 19.62 million | +1.5% |
| 1986 | 19.91 million | +1.5% |
| 1987 | 20.21 million | +1.5% |
| 1988 | 20.50 million | +1.5% |
| 1989 | 20.80 million | +1.5% |
| 1990 | 21.11 million | +1.5% |
| 1991 | 21.43 million | +1.5% |
| 1992 | 21.75 million | +1.5% |
| 1993 | 22.07 million | +1.5% |
| 1994 | 22.39 million | +1.5% |
| 1995 | 22.67 million | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 22.90 million | +1.0% |
| 1997 | 23.11 million | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 23.31 million | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 23.50 million | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 23.67 million | +0.7% |
| 2001 | 23.82 million | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 23.94 million | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 24.09 million | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 24.25 million | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 24.40 million | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 24.52 million | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 24.65 million | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 24.76 million | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 24.88 million | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 24.99 million | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 25.10 million | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 25.21 million | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 25.33 million | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 25.45 million | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 25.58 million | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 25.70 million | +0.5% |
| 2017 | 25.82 million | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 25.93 million | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 26.04 million | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 26.14 million | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 26.23 million | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 26.33 million | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 26.42 million | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 26.50 million | +0.3% |
| 2025 | 26.57 million | +0.3% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 26.57 million is above the median for low income countries, which is 24.07 million, 1.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 26.57 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.42 million, 18.7× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 13.13 million | 11.72 million | 14.77 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 16.72 million | 15.17 million | 17.98 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 19.49 million | 18.24 million | 20.80 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 22.42 million | 21.11 million | 23.50 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 24.30 million | 23.67 million | 24.88 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 25.51 million | 24.99 million | 26.04 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 26.36 million | 26.14 million | 26.57 million | 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 population, total in North Korea?
- Population, total in North Korea was 26.57 million in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest population, total recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 26.57 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest population, total recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 11.72 million in 1960.
- How does North Korea rank for population, total?
- North Korea ranks 56th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population, total rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Population, total. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.