Country profile
North Korea
North Korea ranks #56 of 215 for population, #118 of 216 for life expectancy, across 17 open-data indicators.
People
Population
26M
people · 2024
Rank #56 of 215
Life expectancy
73.7
years · 2024
Rank #118 of 216
Under-5 mortality
16.7
per 1,000 live births · 2024
Rank #119 of 244
Tobacco use
16.5%
% of adults · 2022
Rank #96 of 163
Calorie supply
1,981
kcal per person per day · 2018
Rank #183 of 189
Planet
Forest area
49.6%
% of land area · 2023
Rank #57 of 262
PM2.5 air pollution
29.9
micrograms per cubic meter · 2020
Rank #77 of 248
Protected areas
1.3%
% of territorial area · 2025
Rank #223 of 261
CO2 emissions per capita
2.36
tonnes per person · 2024
Rank #120 of 210
Fertilizer use
13.2
kg per hectare · 2023
Rank #147 of 194
Cereal yield
3.61
tonnes per hectare · 2024
Rank #81 of 182
Digital
Internet users
0%
% of population · 2004
Rank #211 of 213
Mobile cellular subscriptions
24.1
per 100 people · 2022
Rank #260 of 262
Energy
Access to electricity
57.5%
% of population · 2023
Rank #186 of 215
Renewable electricity output
63.1%
% of electricity output · 2021
Rank #51 of 257
Energy use per person
6,984
kWh per person · 2023
Rank #139 of 210
Society
Electoral democracy index
0.08
index (0-1) · 2025
Rank #166 of 174
Countries ranked nearby
Sources and methodology
Each value is the latest available observation for North Korea; years differ by indicator. Ranks compare countries and territories with data, so totals vary. Read about our methods.
- World Bank Open Data: Population
- World Bank Open Data: Access to electricity
- World Bank Open Data: Internet users
- World Bank Open Data: Life expectancy
- World Bank Data360 / WDI: Forest area
- World Bank Data360 / WDI: PM2.5 air pollution
- World Bank Data360 / WDI: Renewable electricity output
- World Bank Data360 / WDI: Protected areas
- World Bank Data360 / WDI: Mobile cellular subscriptions
- World Bank Data360 / WDI: Under-5 mortality
- Our World in Data: CO2 emissions per capita
- Our World in Data: Energy use per person
- Our World in Data: Electoral democracy index
- Our World in Data: Tobacco use
- FAOSTAT via Our World in Data: Fertilizer use
- FAOSTAT via Our World in Data: Calorie supply
- FAOSTAT via Our World in Data: Cereal yield