Life expectancy by sex in North Korea
North Korea: Life expectancy by sex was 75.74 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
75.74 years
Change on year
up 0.0%
World rank
146th
of 236 countries
All-time high
75.86 years
in 2019
All-time low
21.12 years
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Life expectancy by sex in North Korea, 1950–2023
Source: Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, life expectancy by sex in North Korea stood at 75.74 years.
That represents a change of up 1.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy by sex in North Korea peaked at 75.86 years in 2019 and was at its lowest, 21.12 years, in 1950.
That places North Korea 146th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Life expectancy by sex in North Korea, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 21.12 years | — |
| 1951 | 25.28 years | +19.7% |
| 1952 | 39.56 years | +56.5% |
| 1953 | 45.39 years | +14.7% |
| 1954 | 52.46 years | +15.6% |
| 1955 | 53.57 years | +2.1% |
| 1956 | 54.57 years | +1.9% |
| 1957 | 55.46 years | +1.6% |
| 1958 | 56.24 years | +1.4% |
| 1959 | 56.94 years | +1.2% |
| 1960 | 57.59 years | +1.1% |
| 1961 | 58.21 years | +1.1% |
| 1962 | 58.82 years | +1.0% |
| 1963 | 59.41 years | +1.0% |
| 1964 | 60.01 years | +1.0% |
| 1965 | 60.63 years | +1.0% |
| 1966 | 61.27 years | +1.1% |
| 1967 | 61.94 years | +1.1% |
| 1968 | 62.62 years | +1.1% |
| 1969 | 63.29 years | +1.1% |
| 1970 | 63.95 years | +1.0% |
| 1971 | 64.58 years | +1.0% |
| 1972 | 65.2 years | +1.0% |
| 1973 | 65.78 years | +0.9% |
| 1974 | 66.35 years | +0.9% |
| 1975 | 66.88 years | +0.8% |
| 1976 | 67.42 years | +0.8% |
| 1977 | 67.92 years | +0.7% |
| 1978 | 68.44 years | +0.8% |
| 1979 | 68.92 years | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 69.41 years | +0.7% |
| 1981 | 69.89 years | +0.7% |
| 1982 | 70.35 years | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 70.79 years | +0.6% |
| 1984 | 71.2 years | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 71.58 years | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 71.92 years | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 72.18 years | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 72.5 years | +0.4% |
| 1989 | 72.75 years | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 73 years | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 73.28 years | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 73.79 years | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 73.79 years | -0.0% |
| 1994 | 73.69 years | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 63.59 years | -13.7% |
| 1996 | 63.68 years | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 63.76 years | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 63.81 years | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 63.87 years | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 63.9 years | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 63.91 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 63.92 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 72.95 years | +14.1% |
| 2004 | 72.9 years | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 72.81 years | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 72.74 years | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 72.64 years | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 72.79 years | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 72.96 years | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 73.26 years | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 73.57 years | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 73.92 years | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 74.3 years | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 74.68 years | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 74.99 years | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 75.2 years | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 75.46 years | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 75.64 years | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 75.86 years | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 75.69 years | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 75.49 years | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 75.72 years | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 75.74 years | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 46.06 years | 21.12 years | 56.94 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 60.38 years | 57.59 years | 63.29 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 66.54 years | 63.95 years | 68.92 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 71.26 years | 69.41 years | 72.75 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 68.63 years | 63.59 years | 73.79 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 70.15 years | 63.9 years | 72.96 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 74.69 years | 73.26 years | 75.86 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 75.66 years | 75.49 years | 75.74 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
- 143 El Salvador 76.26 years compare
- 144 Saint Kitts and Nevis 76.02 years compare
- 145 American Samoa 75.84 years compare
- 147 Republic of Moldova 75.54 years compare
- 148 Honduras 75.5 years compare
- 149 Uzbekistan 75.4 years compare
More population data for North Korea
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.6538 % change on previous year (2100)
- Urban and rural population 2050, annual growth rate -2.81 % change on previous year (2050)
- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.6538 % change on previous year (2100)
- Un population 2024 vs 2022, annual growth rate -0.5276 % change on previous year (2100)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 25,807 Persons (2050)
- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 03 - Annual population 0.1188 Percent per annum (2030)
- Projected population under age 5, annual growth rate -0.7483 % change on previous year (2100)
- World population growth -0.7% (2100)
- Population density 162.05 people per km² (2100)
- Number of children under 5, by world region 794,407 people (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy by sex in North Korea?
- Life expectancy by sex in North Korea was 75.74 years in 2023, according to Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy by sex recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 75.86 years in 2019.
- What is the lowest life expectancy by sex recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.12 years in 1950.
- How does North Korea rank for life expectancy by sex?
- North Korea ranks 146th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy by sex rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Human Mortality Database (2025); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectancy by sex. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Period life expectancy at birth among females, in a given year.