Country profile · East Asia & Pacific

🇰🇵 Korea, Dem. People's Rep.

Low income. Capital Pyongyang. Full World Bank, WHO, ILO & OECD indicator profile across 29 measures, with regional peers and rankings.

26.5 million
Population
N/A
GDP
-
GDP / capita
73.7 years
Life expectancy
East Asia & Pacific Low income Capital: Pyongyang

The verdict

Korea, Dem. People's Rep. ranks 119th for life expectancy - a low income economy in East Asia & Pacific.

#119
Life-expectancy rank
#56
Population rank

Ranks are computed across the 217 countries with data for each indicator; see the full tables and sources below.

Korea, Dem. People's Rep. on the global income map

Korea, Dem. People's Rep. (PRK) plotted alongside its largest economic peers on GDP per capita and the Human Development Index. Bubble area scales with population; color encodes income tier; gold rings mark OECD members.

Korea, Dem. People's Rep. on the global income map Korea, Dem. People's Rep. positioned on the GDP-per-capita / HDI plane against its largest economic peers. 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 $200 $1K $10K $100K GDP per capita (USD, log scale) Human Development Index (0–1) India - GDP/cap $2,695 · lower-middle income IND China - GDP/cap $13,303 · upper-middle income CHN United States - GDP/cap $84,534 · high income · OECD USA Indonesia - GDP/cap $4,925 · upper-middle income IDN Pakistan - GDP/cap $1,479 · lower-middle income Nigeria - GDP/cap $1,084 · low income Brazil - GDP/cap $10,311 · upper-middle income Bangladesh - GDP/cap $2,593 · lower-middle income Russian Federation - GDP/cap $14,889 · high income Ethiopia - GDP/cap $1,134 · low income Mexico - GDP/cap $14,186 · high income · OECD Japan - GDP/cap $32,487 · high income · OECD Egypt, Arab Rep. - GDP/cap $3,338 · lower-middle income Philippines - GDP/cap $3,985 · lower-middle income Congo, Dem. Rep. - GDP/cap $693 · low income Viet Nam - GDP/cap $4,717 · upper-middle income Iran, Islamic Rep. - GDP/cap $5,190 · upper-middle income Turkiye - GDP/cap $15,893 · high income · OECD Germany - GDP/cap $56,104 · high income · OECD Thailand - GDP/cap $7,387 · upper-middle income United Kingdom - GDP/cap $53,246 · high income · OECD Tanzania - GDP/cap $1,193 · lower-middle income France - GDP/cap $46,103 · high income · OECD South Africa - GDP/cap $6,267 · upper-middle income Italy - GDP/cap $40,385 · high income · OECD Kenya - GDP/cap $2,133 · lower-middle income Myanmar - GDP/cap $1,359 · lower-middle income Colombia - GDP/cap $7,951 · upper-middle income · OECD Korea, Rep. - GDP/cap $36,239 · high income · OECD Sudan - GDP/cap $985 · low income Income tier Low Lower-middle Upper-middle High OECD member

Indicators tracked

29

Across 8 topic areas

GDP per capita

N/A

Latest WB report

Population

26.5 million

UN estimate

OECD member

No

Outside OECD harmonized stats

Population
26.5 million
GDP
N/A
GDP per Capita
N/A
Life Expectancy
73.7 years

Overview

Korea, Dem. People's Rep. has a population of 26.5 million, making it the 56th-most populous country out of 217 tracked in East Asia & Pacific.

Life expectancy at birth is 73.7 years (ranked 119th globally), reflecting overall health outcomes as measured by the World Bank.

The capital is Pyongyang.

👥 Demographics

Population
26.5 million
2024
Population Ages 0-14
18.9%
2024
Population Ages 65+
12.4%
2024
Population Density
219.4/km²
2023
Urban Population
63.9%
2024

💰 Economy

Unemployment Rate
3.5%
2024

🏥 Health

Infant Mortality Rate
13.3 per 1,000
2024
Life Expectancy at Birth
73.7 years
2024
Maternal Mortality Ratio
67
2023
Physicians (per 1,000 people)
3.6 per 1,000
2017
Stunting Prevalence (under 5)
19.1
2017
Under-5 Mortality Rate
16.7 per 1,000
2024

📚 Education

Literacy Rate (Adult)
100
2008
School Enrollment (Primary)
92.1
2018
School Enrollment (Secondary)
94.3
2015
School Enrollment (Tertiary)
26.7
2018
Youth Literacy Rate
100
2008

🌍 Environment

CO2 Emissions Per Capita
2.5
2024
Electric Power Consumption
789 kWh
2023
Forest Area
49.6
2023
Freshwater Withdrawal
12.9
2022
Renewable Energy Consumption
14.7%
2021

🏗️ Infrastructure

Access to Clean Water
66.6%
2023
Access to Electricity
57.5%
2023
Internet Users
0.0%
2004
Mobile Subscriptions
24.1
2022

⚖️ Social

Female Labor Participation
77.7
2024
Male Labor Participation
86.8
2024
Net Migration
-2,473
2024

🫀 Disease Burden

Key causes of death and disease risk in Korea, Dem. People's Rep.. Source: WHO Global Health Observatory.

NCD Death Rate
584
per 100K · 2021
Premature NCD Risk
23.7%
dying 30–70 from NCD
Suicide Rate
128.0
per 100K
Maternal Mortality
67
per 100K births

Sources: WHO Global Health Observatory. NCD mortality rate: 2021. Rates are age-standardized per 100,000 population. Premature NCD risk covers cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and chronic respiratory disease.

Compare Korea, Dem. People's Rep. with Another Country

What the data says about Korea, Dem. People's Rep.

Statistical infrastructure in low-income economies like Korea, Dem. People's Rep. typically relies more heavily on household surveys and modeled estimates than on continuous administrative registration, so several figures on this profile carry a wider margin of uncertainty and a longer lag between the reference year and today than a high-income country's data would. With a small population, a single survey round or a change in methodology can shift Korea, Dem. People's Rep.'s reported figures noticeably from one release to the next, independent of any real change on the ground. Where a field on this page reads "N/A," it usually means the relevant international agency has not yet published a recent estimate for Korea, Dem. People's Rep., not that the underlying condition doesn't exist.

Korea, Dem. People's Rep. sits in East Asia & Pacific with a population of 26.5 million, placing it 56th out of 217 countries by headcount. Its capital, Pyongyang, anchors a Low income economy with total GDP of N/A - ranked mid-ranked globally, and GDP per capita of N/A. This combination of demographic scale and economic output shapes everything from household purchasing power and domestic market depth to the country's weight in regional trade flows and international development programmes.

Life expectancy at birth in Korea, Dem. People's Rep. is 73.7 years, ranking 119th worldwide and offering a summary read on healthcare access, nutrition, sanitation, and long-run living standards. The World Bank's World Development Indicators, combined with the WHO Global Health Observatory and ILO ILOSTAT wage statistics, expose 29 data points across 7 thematic areas, from fertility and urbanisation to CO₂ emissions, school enrolment, and labour-force participation. Reading these indicators together, rather than in isolation, is what turns headline numbers into a grounded portrait of how people actually live.

Use the indicator tables below to track trajectories over time, jump to Korea, Dem. People's Rep.'s placement on specific rankings such as GDP, population density, or life expectancy, and open the side-by-side Compare view to benchmark against peers inside East Asia & Pacific or across income groups. Because all figures come from official, CC BY 4.0-licensed datasets with clear vintages, you can cite them directly in research or journalism. Where a field reads "N/A", the upstream agency has not yet released that value for Korea, Dem. People's Rep. - we never fabricate estimates or carry forward stale values, so missing points stay visible rather than quietly filled in.

Using the Korea, Dem. People's Rep. profile

A single rank only means something in context, read Korea, Dem. People's Rep.'s numbers against its peers and over time.

  • Put Korea, Dem. People's Rep. side-by-side with another country to see exactly where the gaps are. Compare countries
  • Rank all 217 countries on any indicator. All rankings
  • Browse East Asia & Pacific to benchmark Korea, Dem. People's Rep. against its regional peers. Regional peers

Figures come from official World Bank, WHO, ILO and OECD releases; observation years differ by indicator (shown in the “Year” column) and unavailable values appear as “N/A” rather than estimates.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does the data for Korea, Dem. People's Rep. come from?

Data for Korea, Dem. People's Rep. is sourced from the World Bank Open Data catalog, WHO Global Health Observatory, and ILO ILOSTAT (for average wages and working hours). These are official, publicly available datasets.

How current is the data for Korea, Dem. People's Rep.?

It varies by indicator - most points are 2020-2024. See our methodology page for the update cadence per source.

Can I compare Korea, Dem. People's Rep. with other countries?

Yes - use the compare tool above, or the rankings catalog to see where Korea, Dem. People's Rep. stands on any single indicator.

What does GDP per capita tell us about Korea, Dem. People's Rep.?

Korea, Dem. People's Rep.'s total output divided by its population, in current US dollars - an approximate read on average economic productivity per person. See our methodology page for the PPP-adjustment caveats.

How does Korea, Dem. People's Rep.'s life expectancy compare to the global average?

73.7 years, ranking 119th of 217 countries tracked - against a global average near 73 years.

Does PlainCountries cover visa or travel information for Korea, Dem. People's Rep.?

No - PlainCountries is development and health data only. PlainVisa (plainvisa.com) covers immigration policy; PlainFlights (plainflights.com) covers flight routes.

Source: World Bank Open Data, Source: WHO Global Health Observatory, Source: ILO ILOSTAT. World Bank and ILO data licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical, financial, or policy advice. Data is sourced from the World Bank, WHO, ILO, and OECD. See our full disclaimer and editorial policy.