North Korea Population 2015

﻿Trustworthy data about North Korean demographics is hard to come by. The most recent data comes from a<a href=""> census conducted by the North Korean Government in 2008</a>. The results, released in 2011, claimed that the population of North Korea stood at exactly 25 million.

North Korea Population 2014

Although the number is clearly rounded, it is roughly borne out by other estimates - for example the <a href="">United Nations Department of Education and Social Affairs estimate from 2010</a> of 24,346,229 and the <a href="">CIA Factbook’s estimate</a> that the population of North Korea in 2012 was 24,589,122. Today, we estimate the population to be approximately 25,028,853.



Estimates vary wildly as to how many citizens were lost as a result of the <a href="">North Korean famine</a> of the 1990’s. <a href="">It is claimed that up to 3.5 million people may have died while others suggest that the final death toll may have been nearer 800,000</a>.


What is the largest city in North Korea?




North Korea Population Density



North Korean Demographics


North Korea Population Clock
What is the population of North Korea (as of [[date]])? [[getCurrentPopulation()]]
Births Per Day 4,974
Deaths Per Day 3,300
Net Migrations Per Day
Net Change Per Day 1,674
Population Change Since January 1st [[getPopChangeThisYear()]]

  • Population estimated based on interpolation of World Population Prospects data.

North Korea Population Indicators
Indicator Value World Ranking
Median (Average) Age 33.86 years 60th
Crude Birth Rate 14.26 births/thousand 121st
Crude Death Rate 9.46 deaths/thousand 56th
Crude Net Migration Rate 0 people/thousand 64th
Life Expectancy (Both Sexes) 71.16 years 116th
Life Expectancy (Male) 67.57 years 119th
Life Expectancy (Female) 74.59 years 113th
Total Fertility Rate 1.939 children/woman 121st
Net Reproduction Rate 0.911 surviving daughters/woman 130th
Sex Ratio At Birth 1.05 males per female 83rd
Infant Mortality Rate 17.79 deaths/1,000 live births 84th
Under Five Mortality 22.474 deaths/thousand 83rd
Mean Age at Childbearing 28.733 years 104th

Population Data via United Nations WPP

North Korea Population Growth

The famine of the 1990’s is likely to have had a severe bearing on life expectancy in the country - not so much because of deaths at the time but because of the effect of malnutrition that follows people through the rest of their lives. In 2009, the <a href="">CIA World Factbook</a> claimed that the national average stood at 63.8 years which, in global terms is pretty poor – roughly comparable to former Soviet countries in Central Asia such as Turkmenistan (also fabled for its repressive government) and Kazakhstan.

Add in an infant mortality rate that is 12.5 times higher than that of its neighbour South Korea and the overall picture is actually pretty grim. The Government is certainly conscious that North Korea is outmatched by the population of South Korea, its southern neighbour and great rival, and has launched a number of drives to boost the total population. So far those drives have had limited effect – the <a href="">current growth rate according to US estimates</a> is around 0.5% per annum, which makes North Korea one of the slowest growing countries in the world.

Data Sources