Urban population (% of total population) in North Korea
North Korea: Urban population (% of total population) was 64.2% in 2025. ▬ Flat
Latest (2025)
64.2%
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
109th
of 218 countries
All-time high
64.2%
in 2025
All-time low
62.9%
in 2021
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Urban population in North Korea, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in % of total population.
Analysis
In 2025, urban population in North Korea stood at 64.2%. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is up 0.5% on the previous year and up 2.0% over five years.
Over the whole period, urban population in North Korea peaked at 64.2% in 2025 and was at its lowest, 62.9%, in 2021.
North Korea ranks 109th of 218 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Urban population (% of total population) in North Korea, year by year
| Year | % of total population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 40.6% | — |
| 1961 | 42.3% | +4.2% |
| 1962 | 43.7% | +3.4% |
| 1963 | 45.0% | +2.9% |
| 1964 | 46.2% | +2.7% |
| 1965 | 47.5% | +2.8% |
| 1966 | 49.0% | +3.1% |
| 1967 | 50.5% | +3.1% |
| 1968 | 52.0% | +2.9% |
| 1969 | 53.3% | +2.5% |
| 1970 | 54.2% | +1.8% |
| 1971 | 54.9% | +1.3% |
| 1972 | 55.6% | +1.2% |
| 1973 | 56.1% | +1.0% |
| 1974 | 56.5% | +0.7% |
| 1975 | 56.7% | +0.3% |
| 1976 | 56.8% | +0.1% |
| 1977 | 56.8% | +0.1% |
| 1978 | 56.8% | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 56.9% | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 56.9% | +0.1% |
| 1981 | 57.0% | +0.1% |
| 1982 | 57.1% | +0.2% |
| 1983 | 57.2% | +0.2% |
| 1984 | 57.4% | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 57.5% | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 57.7% | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 57.9% | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 58.1% | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 58.3% | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 58.4% | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 58.6% | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 58.7% | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 58.9% | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 59.0% | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 59.1% | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 59.2% | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 59.2% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 59.3% | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 59.4% | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 59.4% | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 59.5% | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 59.5% | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 59.6% | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 59.7% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 59.8% | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 59.8% | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 59.9% | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 60.0% | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 60.2% | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 60.3% | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 60.5% | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 60.7% | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 60.9% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 61.1% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 61.3% | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 61.6% | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 61.8% | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 62.1% | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 62.4% | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 62.6% | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 62.9% | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 63.2% | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 63.5% | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 63.9% | +0.5% |
| 2025 | 64.2% | +0.5% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 64.2% is above the median for low income countries, which is 34.5%, 1.9× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 64.2% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 65.4%, 98% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 47.0% | 40.6% | 53.3% | 10 |
| 1970s | 56.1% | 54.2% | 56.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 57.5% | 56.9% | 58.3% | 10 |
| 1990s | 59.0% | 58.4% | 59.4% | 10 |
| 2000s | 59.7% | 59.4% | 60.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 61.3% | 60.3% | 62.4% | 10 |
| 2020s | 63.4% | 62.6% | 64.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
More climate change data for North Korea
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.2% (2100)
- Population, total 26.57 million (2025)
- Precipitation anomalies, annual growth rate 27.14 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban population, per capita 0.6419 units per person (2025)
- Urban population, annual growth rate 0.7919 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population, total, annual growth rate 0.2725 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban population 17.06 million (2025)
- Urban population growth 0.8% (2025)
- Population growth 0.3% (2025)
- Greenhouse gas emissions by gas, per capita 0.0729 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents per person (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population in North Korea?
- Urban population in North Korea was 64.2% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 64.2% in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban population recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 62.9% in 2021.
- How does North Korea rank for urban population?
- North Korea ranks 109th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban population (% of total population). 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
Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. The data are collected and smoothed by United Nations Population Division.