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North Korea

Population

26,651,545

Estimated as of Oct 22, 2026View source
Population rank
56th
Share of world
0.32%
Annual change
+62,6550.30%

Population of North Korea

10M15M20M25M30M95% prediction intervalProjected peak202626.7M2050 projection25.8M↓ 3% from 202619601980200020202040206020802100

Source: United Nations — World Population Prospects (2024 Revision)

Current population estimate: 26,651,545. 2050 projection: 25,787,128.Use the arrow keys on the chart to inspect individual years.

Historical population estimates for North Korea. Annual change is shown as a percentage.
202626,633,6910.30%56
202526,571,0360.33%56
202026,136,3120.38%54
201926,037,6320.41%53
201825,931,1470.44%53
201725,817,7090.47%53
201525,575,3500.47%51
201024,987,2580.48%49
200524,396,4330.61%46
200023,665,9100.86%44

Showing 10 of 19 years.

Population by City

South Pyongan is home to 4,672,958 people, 17.55% of North Korea's population.

City population4M2M700K
South Pyongan 4.7MPyongyang 4.0MSouth Hamgyong 3.5MNorth Pyongan 3.1MSouth Hwanghae 2.7MNorth Hamgyong 2.7MP'yongyang 2.5MNorth Hwanghae 2.5MKangwon Province 1.7MChagang Province 1.5M
Largest cities by 2026 population and share of the national population.
1South Pyongan4.7M17.55%
2Pyongyang4.0M15.02%
3South Hamgyong3.5M13.22%
4North Pyongan3.1M11.73%
5South Hwanghae2.7M10.25%
6North Hamgyong2.7M10.11%
7P'yongyang2.5M9.47%
8North Hwanghae2.5M9.33%
9Kangwon Province1.7M6.44%
10Chagang Province1.5M5.64%

North Korea by the Numbers

Estimated as of Oct 22, 2026

Population
North Korea is home to an estimated 26,651,545 people, the 56th largest population in the world.
Daily change
North Korea has a net population change of approximately 158 people per day, driven by 899 births, 733 deaths, and net emigration of 8 people.
Share of world
North Korea makes up 0.32% of the world's population and 0.53% of Asia's.
Density
221.2 people per km² of land (572.9 per mi²), ranking 72nd among countries and territories.
Urban living
64.19% of people live in urban areas.

North Korea Demographics

Age & longevity

MaleFemale100+ years, male: 38100+ years, female: 41395–99 years, male: 88995–99 years, female: 5,46890–94 years, male: 10,88090–94 years, female: 38,37085–89 years, male: 59,49485–89 years, female: 142,20780–84 years, male: 158,07680–84 years, female: 279,99875–79 years, male: 266,08875–79 years, female: 380,28270–74 years, male: 358,30270–74 years, female: 427,14765–69 years, male: 633,46065–69 years, female: 703,86260–64 years, male: 797,95760–64 years, female: 846,19055–59 years, male: 1,045,87455–59 years, female: 1,075,05650–54 years, male: 956,19550–54 years, female: 962,14245–49 years, male: 801,06745–49 years, female: 792,97740–44 years, male: 889,42840–44 years, female: 872,48235–39 years, male: 956,92735–39 years, female: 932,56630–34 years, male: 1,008,56330–34 years, female: 975,85625–29 years, male: 968,44125–29 years, female: 931,77520–24 years, male: 869,34620–24 years, female: 832,83315–19 years, male: 830,10415–19 years, female: 791,09410–14 years, male: 845,89810–14 years, female: 803,7175–9 years, male: 876,0075–9 years, female: 830,0500–4 years, male: 861,6770–4 years, female: 814,503100+95–9990–9485–8980–8475–7970–7465–6960–6455–5950–5445–4940–4435–3930–3425–2920–2415–1910–145–90–4500K500K

Hover or tap an age group to see exact counts. Use the up and down arrow keys to inspect age groups.

Median age

37.8 yrs

World: 31

Life expectancy

74 yrs

World: 73.8

Male

49.54%

Female

50.46%

Life expectancy 71.8Life expectancy 76.2

Ethnicity

Percentages are not reported for these groups.

  • racially homogeneousNot reported

Some groups have no reported percentage.

Data notes

Source estimate: est.

racially homogeneous: small Chinese and Japanese communities

Religion

Percentages are not reported for these groups.

  • traditionally Buddhist and ConfucianNot reported
  • religious activities now almost Nonexistent; government-sponsored religious groups exist to provide illusion of religious freedomNot reported

Some groups have no reported percentage.

Data notes

Source estimate: 2006 est.

autonomous religious activities virtually non-existent

Related Pages

Sources

  1. World Population Prospects (2024 Revision) - United Nations population estimates and projections.
  2. World Population Prospects (2024 Revision) - North Korea United Nations Graphs/Profiles
  3. World Bank / UN World Urbanization Prospects - 2025: Urban population (% of total population), using national definitions.
  4. Central Intelligence Agency
  5. Statistics Korea (KOSTAT)