North Korea vs Netherlands: Number of people living in urban and rural areas
North Korea
17.06 million people
in 2025
Netherlands
17.60 million people
in 2025
North Korea rank
52nd
Netherlands rank
51st
Number of people living in urban and rural areas over time
- North Korea
- Netherlands
How they compare
Netherlands currently reports 17.60 million people against 17.06 million people in North Korea, a difference of 545,800 people.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 76 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Netherlands ahead.
North Korea ranks 52nd and Netherlands ranks 51st of 236 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, North Korea averaged higher in 5 and Netherlands in 3.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | North Korea | Netherlands | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.27 million people | 6.22 million people | 3.95 million people | Netherlands |
| 1960s | 6.21 million people | 7.44 million people | 1.23 million people | Netherlands |
| 1970s | 9.39 million people | 8.69 million people | 704,571 people | North Korea |
| 1980s | 11.21 million people | 9.77 million people | 1.44 million people | North Korea |
| 1990s | 13.23 million people | 11.17 million people | 2.05 million people | North Korea |
| 2000s | 14.52 million people | 13.60 million people | 918,580 people | North Korea |
| 2010s | 15.63 million people | 15.43 million people | 202,850 people | North Korea |
| 2020s | 16.71 million people | 17.11 million people | 400,250 people | Netherlands |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher number of people living in urban and rural areas, North Korea or Netherlands?
- Netherlands, at 17.60 million people against 17.06 million people in North Korea as of 2025.
- What is the difference in number of people living in urban and rural areas between North Korea and Netherlands?
- 545,800 people, with Netherlands ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for North Korea and Netherlands?
- 76 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2025.
- How do North Korea and Netherlands rank globally for number of people living in urban and rural areas?
- North Korea ranks 52nd and Netherlands ranks 51st of 236 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Number of people living in urban and rural areas. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Number of people living in urban areas, based on each country's national definition.