How many people live in North Korea right now?
Right now, according to UN estimates
26,650,401
| Today | In 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Births | · | · |
| Deaths | · | · |
| Growth | · | · |
2026 figures
- Rank by population
- 56 of 237
- Share of world population
- 0.32%
- Median age
- 36.8 years
- Children per woman
- 1.75
- Life expectancy
- 74.0 years
- People per km²
- 221
According to UN estimates, about 26.7 million people live in North Korea right now. It ranks 56th out of 237 countries and territories by population, between Australia and Syria, and it is home to one in every 312 people on the planet.
Every day, about 900 people are born there and about 730 die. Overall, the population grows by about 160 people a day (0.22% a year).
In 1950, about 11.1 million people lived there. Today there are 2.4 times as many. The UN expects it to peak around 2032, at about 26.8 million, and then begin to fall. By 2050 it is projected to have about 25.8 million people (3% fewer than today), and by 2100 about 19.5 million.
Half of its people are younger than 37 (worldwide, 31). Women have an average of 1.75 children each, below the 2.1 needed for each generation to replace the one before, and life expectancy at birth is 74 years (worldwide, 74). There are 221 people per square kilometer.
UN estimates up to today and projections (medium variant) from today onward.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the population of North Korea in 2026?
- North Korea has about 26.7 million people right now, according to the UN's World Population Prospects 2024. On July 1, 2026, there were 26,633,691.
- How many people are born each day in North Korea?
- About 900 a day (328,000 a year). About 730 people die each day (268,000 a year).
- Is the population of North Korea growing?
- Yes: it grows by 0.22% a year, or about 57,900 people.
- What will the population of North Korea be in 2050?
- According to the UN projection (medium variant), about 25.8 million, with a peak around 2032 at about 26.8 million.
- Why doesn't this figure match the country's official statistics?
- The UN estimates the population of every country with the same method, based on censuses, surveys and registers, and projects it year by year. Each national statistics office uses its own censuses and registers, which may be more up to date or count foreign residents differently. That is why the figures can differ slightly.
Countries with a similar population
- Niger 29,099,608
- Venezuela 28,673,188
- Australia 27,305,122
- Syria 26,719,844
- Mali 26,166,489
- Burkina Faso 24,768,058
More countries in Asia
- India 1,480,584,615
- China 1,411,889,025
- Indonesia 288,550,014
- Pakistan 260,627,449
- Bangladesh 178,484,154
- Japan 122,207,107
- Philippines 118,018,776
- Vietnam 102,351,258
- Iran 93,380,180
- Turkey 88,012,236
- Thailand 71,536,979
- Myanmar 55,285,210
All countries and territories →
Where these figures come from
The figures are estimates from the United Nations Population Division, published in World Population Prospects 2024 (medium variant): the reference used by international organizations and by most population counters. The UN estimates how many people there are on July 1 of each year and how many are born, die and migrate; between one date and the next, this counter spreads the change continuously, second by second.
It is not a real-time headcount: nobody can count every person in a country at once. It is the best available estimate, and it may differ slightly from the figures of each country's statistics office, which use their own censuses and population registers.