COUNTRY PROFILE / PRK
North Korea
Korea, Dem. People's Rep. / PRK / KP
For North Korea, population is 26,571,036 people (2025, #56/215) and area is 120,540 km² (2023, #100/215). This profile covers 55 comparable rankings and 8 thematic maps. Main language: Korean; Currency: North Korean Won.
01 / BASIC INFORMATION
North Korea in numbers.
02 / JAPAN COMPARISON & TRENDS
Compare North Korea with Japan and track change.
JAPAN REFERENCE
In the recorded data for North Korea, population is about 21.5% of Japan's value and area is about 31.9% of Japan's value. Reference years can differ, so check the year shown for each value.
| Indicator | North Korea | Japan |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 26,571,036 people2025 / About 21.5% of Japan's value | 123,366,734 people2025 |
| Area | 120,540 km²2023 / About 31.9% of Japan's value | 377,969 km²2023 |
| Population density | 220.4 people/km²Population 2025 · area 2023 / About 67.5% of Japan's value | 326.4 people/km²Population 2025 · area 2023 |
| Life expectancy | 73.74 years2024 / 10.29 years shorter than Japan | 84.04 years2024 |
RECORDED CHANGE OVER TIME
Population
2000 → 2025Recorded population moved from 23,665,910 people in 2000 to 26,571,036 people in 2025, an increase of about 12.3%.Life expectancy
2000 → 2024Recorded life expectancy moved from 60.91 years in 2000 to 73.74 years in 2024, an increase of 12.83 years.03 / ALL RANKINGS
51 additional rankings for North Korea.
51 rankings in 9 categories
Essentials5 rankings
People & society11 rankings
Health8 rankings
Economy & work3 rankings
Education & science2 rankings
Food & agriculture6 rankings
Environment & digital10 rankings
Safety & politics4 rankings
04 / CULTURE & INDUSTRY