Urban and rural population in North Korea
North Korea: Urban and rural population was 17.06 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
17.06 million
Change on year
up 0.8%
World rank
52nd
of 236 countries
All-time high
17.06 million
in 2025
All-time low
440,865
in 1950
Years of data
76
1950–2025
Urban and rural population in North Korea, 1950–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for urban and rural population in North Korea is 17.06 million, measured in 2025. That is the highest value across all 76 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.8% on the previous year and up 8.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban and rural population in North Korea peaked at 17.06 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 440,865, in 1950.
That places North Korea 52nd out of 236 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 76 years of available data.
Urban and rural population in North Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 440,865 | — |
| 1951 | 639,626 | +45.1% |
| 1952 | 908,639 | +42.1% |
| 1953 | 1.26 million | +38.9% |
| 1954 | 1.93 million | +52.6% |
| 1955 | 2.54 million | +32.1% |
| 1956 | 3.07 million | +20.8% |
| 1957 | 3.54 million | +15.2% |
| 1958 | 3.99 million | +12.8% |
| 1959 | 4.40 million | +10.2% |
| 1960 | 4.76 million | +8.1% |
| 1961 | 5.07 million | +6.6% |
| 1962 | 5.36 million | +5.7% |
| 1963 | 5.66 million | +5.4% |
| 1964 | 5.96 million | +5.3% |
| 1965 | 6.28 million | +5.4% |
| 1966 | 6.64 million | +5.8% |
| 1967 | 7.05 million | +6.1% |
| 1968 | 7.47 million | +5.9% |
| 1969 | 7.86 million | +5.3% |
| 1970 | 8.22 million | +4.6% |
| 1971 | 8.55 million | +4.0% |
| 1972 | 8.88 million | +3.8% |
| 1973 | 9.18 million | +3.4% |
| 1974 | 9.42 million | +2.7% |
| 1975 | 9.62 million | +2.1% |
| 1976 | 9.79 million | +1.7% |
| 1977 | 9.94 million | +1.5% |
| 1978 | 10.08 million | +1.4% |
| 1979 | 10.22 million | +1.4% |
| 1980 | 10.38 million | +1.5% |
| 1981 | 10.54 million | +1.6% |
| 1982 | 10.72 million | +1.7% |
| 1983 | 10.90 million | +1.7% |
| 1984 | 11.09 million | +1.7% |
| 1985 | 11.29 million | +1.8% |
| 1986 | 11.49 million | +1.8% |
| 1987 | 11.70 million | +1.8% |
| 1988 | 11.91 million | +1.8% |
| 1989 | 12.12 million | +1.8% |
| 1990 | 12.34 million | +1.8% |
| 1991 | 12.56 million | +1.8% |
| 1992 | 12.78 million | +1.8% |
| 1993 | 13.00 million | +1.7% |
| 1994 | 13.21 million | +1.6% |
| 1995 | 13.39 million | +1.4% |
| 1996 | 13.54 million | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 13.69 million | +1.1% |
| 1998 | 13.82 million | +1.0% |
| 1999 | 13.95 million | +0.9% |
| 2000 | 14.06 million | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 14.17 million | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 14.26 million | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 14.36 million | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 14.47 million | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 14.58 million | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 14.67 million | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 14.77 million | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 14.87 million | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 14.97 million | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 15.07 million | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 15.18 million | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 15.30 million | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 15.42 million | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 15.55 million | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 15.68 million | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 15.82 million | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 15.96 million | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 16.10 million | +0.9% |
| 2019 | 16.24 million | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 16.37 million | +0.8% |
| 2021 | 16.51 million | +0.8% |
| 2022 | 16.65 million | +0.8% |
| 2023 | 16.79 million | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 16.92 million | +0.8% |
| 2025 | 17.06 million | +0.8% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 17.06 million is above the median for low income countries, which is 6.96 million, 2.4× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 17.06 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 722,007, 23.6× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Urban and rural population in North Korea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1954 | +52.6% | 1.26 million | 1.93 million |
| 1951 | +45.1% | 440,865 | 639,626 |
| 1952 | +42.1% | 639,626 | 908,639 |
| 1953 | +38.9% | 908,639 | 1.26 million |
| 1955 | +32.1% | 1.93 million | 2.54 million |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 2.27 million | 440,865 | 4.40 million | 10 |
| 1960s | 6.21 million | 4.76 million | 7.86 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 9.39 million | 8.22 million | 10.22 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 11.21 million | 10.38 million | 12.12 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 13.23 million | 12.34 million | 13.95 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 14.52 million | 14.06 million | 14.97 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.63 million | 15.07 million | 16.24 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.71 million | 16.37 million | 17.06 million | 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 urban and rural population in North Korea?
- Urban and rural population in North Korea was 17.06 million in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest urban and rural population recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 17.06 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban and rural population recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 440,865 in 1950.
- How does North Korea rank for urban and rural population?
- North Korea ranks 52nd out of 236 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban and rural population rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 8.7%. 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 Urban and rural population. 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).