Number of children, working-age adults, and older people in North Korea

North Korea: Number of children, working-age adults, and older people was 3.18 million people in 2023. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2023)
3.18 million people
Change on year
up 4.1%
World rank
37th
of 236 countries
All-time high
3.18 million people
in 2023
All-time low
264,776 people
in 1952
Years of data
74
1950–2023

Number of children, working-age adults, and older people in North Korea, 1950–2023

01.0M2.0M3.0M195019862023

Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.

Analysis

The most recent figure for number of children, working-age adults, and older people in North Korea is 3.18 million people, measured in 2023. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.

That represents a change of up 4.1% on the previous year and up 18.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of children, working-age adults, and older people in North Korea peaked at 3.18 million people in 2023 and was at its lowest, 264,776 people, in 1952.

North Korea ranks 37th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 305,668 people 264,776 people 367,949 people 10
1960s 451,009 people 384,740 people 513,911 people 10
1970s 582,855 people 526,519 people 645,034 people 10
1980s 774,260 people 661,318 people 912,746 people 10
1990s 1.17 million people 951,063 people 1.43 million people 10
2000s 1.95 million people 1.51 million people 2.37 million people 10
2010s 2.71 million people 2.45 million people 2.84 million people 10
2020s 3.02 million people 2.90 million people 3.18 million people 4

Countries ranked near North Korea

  1. 34 Romania 3.78 million people compare
  2. 35 Netherlands 3.64 million people compare
  3. 36 Democratic Republic of Congo 3.25 million people compare
  4. 38 Peru 3.04 million people compare
  5. 39 Morocco 2.95 million people compare
  6. 40 Algeria 2.94 million people compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More population data for North Korea

All data for North Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of children, working-age adults, and older people in North Korea?
Number of children, working-age adults, and older people in North Korea was 3.18 million people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest number of children, working-age adults, and older people recorded in North Korea?
The highest recorded value was 3.18 million people in 2023.
What is the lowest number of children, working-age adults, and older people recorded in North Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 264,776 people in 1952.
How does North Korea rank for number of children, working-age adults, and older people?
North Korea ranks 37th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is number of children, working-age adults, and older people rising or falling in North Korea?
Over the last ten years it is up 18.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this North Korea data come from?
The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Number of children, working-age adults, and older people. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Number of children, working-age adults, and older people
Unit
people
Source
UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed

The total population, measured on 1 July of the year shown. This only includes people aged 65+.