Military personnel as a share of total population in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of: Military personnel as a share of total population was 4.9% in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
4.9%
Change on year
down 0.4%
World rank
2nd
of 194 countries
All-time high
5.9%
in 1990
All-time low
0.6%
in 1949
Years of data
75
1948–2022
Military personnel as a share of total population in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of, 1948–2022
Source: Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Korea, Democratic People's Republic of recorded 4.9% for military personnel as a share of total population in 2022.
That represents a change of down 0.4% on the previous year and up 1.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military personnel as a share of total population in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of peaked at 5.9% in 1990 and was at its lowest, 0.6%, in 1949.
That places Korea, Democratic People's Republic of 2nd out of 194 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 75 years of available data.
Military personnel as a share of total population in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 2.1% | — |
| 1949 | 0.6% | -70.8% |
| 1950 | 1.3% | +102.8% |
| 1951 | 1.1% | -13.0% |
| 1952 | 2.4% | +117.3% |
| 1953 | 3.0% | +25.0% |
| 1954 | 3.2% | +7.5% |
| 1955 | 3.4% | +5.5% |
| 1956 | 3.4% | +1.5% |
| 1957 | 3.6% | +4.9% |
| 1958 | 3.7% | +1.9% |
| 1959 | 3.7% | +1.6% |
| 1960 | 3.8% | +1.6% |
| 1961 | 3.6% | -5.4% |
| 1962 | 3.4% | -5.1% |
| 1963 | 3.1% | -9.6% |
| 1964 | 3.1% | +0.2% |
| 1965 | 3.1% | +1.4% |
| 1966 | 3.1% | -1.9% |
| 1967 | 3.0% | -3.4% |
| 1968 | 3.1% | +3.4% |
| 1969 | 3.0% | -3.4% |
| 1970 | 3.1% | +3.4% |
| 1971 | 3.1% | -0.4% |
| 1972 | 3.0% | -0.7% |
| 1973 | 3.0% | -0.6% |
| 1974 | 2.9% | -2.4% |
| 1975 | 2.9% | -2.2% |
| 1976 | 3.0% | +4.3% |
| 1977 | 3.1% | +2.2% |
| 1978 | 3.7% | +19.7% |
| 1979 | 4.0% | +7.9% |
| 1980 | 4.0% | -0.3% |
| 1981 | 4.3% | +8.2% |
| 1982 | 4.3% | +0.4% |
| 1983 | 4.3% | -1.1% |
| 1984 | 4.2% | -1.4% |
| 1985 | 4.1% | -1.4% |
| 1986 | 4.4% | +5.4% |
| 1987 | 4.3% | -1.4% |
| 1988 | 4.3% | -1.0% |
| 1989 | 5.2% | +21.7% |
| 1990 | 5.9% | +13.6% |
| 1991 | 5.8% | -1.6% |
| 1992 | 5.7% | -1.6% |
| 1993 | 5.1% | -9.8% |
| 1994 | 5.1% | -1.7% |
| 1995 | 5.0% | -1.6% |
| 1996 | 4.9% | -1.6% |
| 1997 | 4.8% | -1.6% |
| 1998 | 4.3% | -11.1% |
| 1999 | 4.2% | -1.5% |
| 2000 | 4.4% | +4.0% |
| 2001 | 4.7% | +6.5% |
| 2002 | 4.7% | -0.4% |
| 2003 | 4.6% | -0.9% |
| 2004 | 4.6% | +0.3% |
| 2005 | 4.6% | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 4.6% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 4.6% | -0.6% |
| 2008 | 4.6% | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 4.5% | -0.5% |
| 2010 | 4.5% | -0.5% |
| 2011 | 4.8% | +7.0% |
| 2012 | 4.8% | -0.5% |
| 2013 | 4.8% | -0.9% |
| 2014 | 4.7% | -0.5% |
| 2015 | 4.7% | -0.5% |
| 2016 | 4.7% | -0.5% |
| 2017 | 4.6% | -1.7% |
| 2018 | 4.9% | +7.1% |
| 2019 | 4.9% | -0.4% |
| 2020 | 4.9% | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 4.9% | -0.4% |
| 2022 | 4.9% | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 1.4% | 0.6% | 2.1% | 2 |
| 1950s | 2.9% | 1.1% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 1960s | 3.2% | 3.0% | 3.8% | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.2% | 2.9% | 4.0% | 10 |
| 1980s | 4.3% | 4.0% | 5.2% | 10 |
| 1990s | 5.1% | 4.2% | 5.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 4.6% | 4.4% | 4.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.8% | 4.5% | 4.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 4.9% | 4.9% | 4.9% | 3 |
Countries ranked near Korea, Democratic People's Republic of
More population data for Korea, Democratic People's Republic of
- Population regions with projections, annual growth rate -0.6538 % change on previous year (2100)
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- Population long run with projections, annual growth rate -0.6538 % change on previous year (2100)
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- Africa's Development Dynamics (AfDD) Table 05 - Demographic estimates 25,807 Persons (2050)
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- 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 military personnel as a share of total population in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
- Military personnel as a share of total population in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of was 4.9% in 2022, according to Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military personnel as a share of total population recorded in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
- The highest recorded value was 5.9% in 1990.
- What is the lowest military personnel as a share of total population recorded in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.6% in 1949.
- How does Korea, Democratic People's Republic of rank for military personnel as a share of total population?
- Korea, Democratic People's Republic of ranks 2nd out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
- Is military personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Korea, Democratic People's Republic of?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Korea, Democratic People's Republic of data come from?
- The figures come from Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military personnel as a share of total population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Ratio of military personnel to total population, expressed as a percentage.