Share of population urban in North Korea
North Korea: Share of population urban was 64.19 in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
64.19
Change on year
up 0.5%
World rank
123rd
of 236 countries
All-time high
64.19
in 2025
All-time low
3.97
in 1950
Years of data
76
1950–2025
Share of population urban in North Korea, 1950–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of population urban in North Korea is 64.19, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 76 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.5% on the previous year and up 4.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population urban in North Korea peaked at 64.19 in 2025 and was at its lowest, 3.97, in 1950.
North Korea ranks 123rd of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 76 years of available data.
Share of population urban in North Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 3.97 | — |
| 1951 | 6.04 | +52.4% |
| 1952 | 8.86 | +46.6% |
| 1953 | 12.4 | +39.9% |
| 1954 | 18.81 | +51.6% |
| 1955 | 24.46 | +30.1% |
| 1956 | 29 | +18.6% |
| 1957 | 32.63 | +12.5% |
| 1958 | 35.78 | +9.7% |
| 1959 | 38.45 | +7.4% |
| 1960 | 40.6 | +5.6% |
| 1961 | 42.31 | +4.2% |
| 1962 | 43.74 | +3.4% |
| 1963 | 45 | +2.9% |
| 1964 | 46.22 | +2.7% |
| 1965 | 47.5 | +2.8% |
| 1966 | 48.95 | +3.1% |
| 1967 | 50.49 | +3.1% |
| 1968 | 51.97 | +2.9% |
| 1969 | 53.25 | +2.5% |
| 1970 | 54.2 | +1.8% |
| 1971 | 54.91 | +1.3% |
| 1972 | 55.57 | +1.2% |
| 1973 | 56.12 | +1.0% |
| 1974 | 56.51 | +0.7% |
| 1975 | 56.7 | +0.3% |
| 1976 | 56.76 | +0.1% |
| 1977 | 56.8 | +0.1% |
| 1978 | 56.82 | +0.0% |
| 1979 | 56.85 | +0.1% |
| 1980 | 56.9 | +0.1% |
| 1981 | 56.97 | +0.1% |
| 1982 | 57.08 | +0.2% |
| 1983 | 57.21 | +0.2% |
| 1984 | 57.36 | +0.3% |
| 1985 | 57.53 | +0.3% |
| 1986 | 57.7 | +0.3% |
| 1987 | 57.89 | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 58.07 | +0.3% |
| 1989 | 58.26 | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 58.44 | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 58.6 | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 58.75 | +0.3% |
| 1993 | 58.88 | +0.2% |
| 1994 | 58.98 | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 59.07 | +0.2% |
| 1996 | 59.15 | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 59.23 | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 59.29 | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 59.36 | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 59.42 | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 59.48 | +0.1% |
| 2002 | 59.54 | +0.1% |
| 2003 | 59.61 | +0.1% |
| 2004 | 59.68 | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 59.75 | +0.1% |
| 2006 | 59.83 | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 59.93 | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 60.03 | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 60.15 | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 60.31 | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 60.48 | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 60.68 | +0.3% |
| 2013 | 60.88 | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 61.09 | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 61.32 | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 61.57 | +0.4% |
| 2017 | 61.82 | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 62.08 | +0.4% |
| 2019 | 62.35 | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 62.64 | +0.5% |
| 2021 | 62.93 | +0.5% |
| 2022 | 63.23 | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 63.54 | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 63.86 | +0.5% |
| 2025 | 64.19 | +0.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 21.04 | 3.97 | 38.45 | 10 |
| 1960s | 47 | 40.6 | 53.25 | 10 |
| 1970s | 56.12 | 54.2 | 56.85 | 10 |
| 1980s | 57.5 | 56.9 | 58.26 | 10 |
| 1990s | 58.97 | 58.44 | 59.36 | 10 |
| 2000s | 59.74 | 59.42 | 60.15 | 10 |
| 2010s | 61.26 | 60.31 | 62.35 | 10 |
| 2020s | 63.4 | 62.64 | 64.19 | 6 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
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)
- Population growth rate -0.656 (2100)
- Population density 162.05 (2100)
- Projected population under age 5 794,407 (2100)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of population urban in North Korea?
- Share of population urban in North Korea was 64.19 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population urban recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 64.19 in 2025.
- What is the lowest share of population urban recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.97 in 1950.
- How does North Korea rank for share of population urban?
- North Korea ranks 123rd out of 236 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of population urban rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population urban. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 76 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).