Share of population who haver never drunk alcohol in North Korea
North Korea: Share of population who haver never drunk alcohol was 38.5% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Share of population who haver never drunk alcohol in North Korea, 2000–2020
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
North Korea recorded 38.5% for share of population who haver never drunk alcohol in 2020.
The figure is up 2.3% on the previous year and down 2.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of population who haver never drunk alcohol in North Korea peaked at 43.7% in 2001 and was at its lowest, 37.7%, in 2019.
That places North Korea 96th out of 187 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 21 years of available data.
Share of population who haver never drunk alcohol in North Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 41.2% | — |
| 2001 | 43.7% | +5.9% |
| 2002 | 42.0% | -3.8% |
| 2003 | 41.8% | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 41.8% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 41.5% | -0.8% |
| 2006 | 41.0% | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 41.2% | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 41.0% | -0.5% |
| 2009 | 40.4% | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 39.6% | -2.0% |
| 2011 | 39.3% | -0.7% |
| 2012 | 39.0% | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 38.8% | -0.6% |
| 2014 | 38.7% | -0.1% |
| 2015 | 38.8% | +0.2% |
| 2016 | 38.2% | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 38.4% | +0.5% |
| 2018 | 38.2% | -0.6% |
| 2019 | 37.7% | -1.4% |
| 2020 | 38.5% | +2.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 41.6% | 40.4% | 43.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 38.7% | 37.7% | 39.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 38.5% | 38.5% | 38.5% | 1 |
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)
- 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 share of population who haver never drunk alcohol in North Korea?
- Share of population who haver never drunk alcohol in North Korea was 38.5% in 2020, according to World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of population who haver never drunk alcohol recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 43.7% in 2001.
- What is the lowest share of population who haver never drunk alcohol recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 37.7% in 2019.
- How does North Korea rank for share of population who haver never drunk alcohol?
- North Korea ranks 96th out of 187 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of population who haver never drunk alcohol rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 2.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population who haver never drunk alcohol. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Lifetime abstinence is defined as the proportion of adults (15+ years) in a given population who have not consumed any alcohol during their lifetime.