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North Korea
Officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea is one of the world's most isolated and secretive states, governed by the Kim dynasty since 1948. The capital Pyongyang is a showcase city with monumental architecture. The Korean Peninsula was divided at the 38th parallel after World War II, and North Korea maintains one of the world's largest standing armies relative to its population.
Major cities: Pyongyang, Hamhung, Chongjin, Nampo
2024
26.5M
UN
2050
25.8M
UN
2100
19.5M
UN
~2200
9.0M
GPU
~2500
3.0M
GPU
Population26.5M
Fertility (TFR)1.78
Life expectancy73.7
Median age36.0
Infant mortality14.5 per 1,000
Pop. density219/km²
Urbanization64%
Youth share (0-14)19%
Land area120,410 km²
RegionAsia
Latest available year is shown in parentheses where the source series varies across indicators. Governance metrics use World Bank percentile ranks; battle deaths and military spending are context variables, not direct fertility drivers.
UN WPP 2024 — verified data through 2100
| Year | Population | TFR | Life Exp. | CBR | CDR | Net Migration | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 11.1M | 4.99 | 14.2 | 40.6 | 73.4 | -191K | -3.3% |
| 1955 | 10.4M | 3.67 | 51.8 | 34.0 | 12.6 | -35K | 2.1% |
| 1960 | 11.7M | 3.57 | 55.8 | 34.8 | 11.2 | 0K | 2.4% |
| 1965 | 13.2M | 3.56 | 58.8 | 35.4 | 10.0 | 0K | 2.5% |
| 1970 | 15.2M | 3.85 | 62.0 | 35.3 | 8.5 | 0K | 2.7% |
| 1975 | 17.0M | 3.05 | 64.8 | 23.9 | 6.9 | 0K | 1.7% |
| 1980 | 18.2M | 2.84 | 67.2 | 20.1 | 6.1 | 0K | 1.4% |
| 1985 | 19.6M | 2.65 | 69.2 | 20.4 | 5.7 | 0K | 1.5% |
| 1990 | 21.1M | 2.39 | 70.5 | 20.4 | 5.7 | 0K | 1.5% |
| 1995 | 22.7M | 2.15 | 60.8 | 20.3 | 10.0 | -3K | 1.0% |
| 2000 | 23.7M | 1.94 | 60.9 | 17.5 | 10.7 | -3K | 0.7% |
| 2005 | 24.4M | 1.87 | 69.2 | 13.9 | 8.5 | -3K | 0.5% |
| 2010 | 25.0M | 1.89 | 70.2 | 13.3 | 8.8 | -3K | 0.5% |
| 2015 | 25.6M | 1.86 | 72.8 | 13.4 | 8.4 | -3K | 0.5% |
| 2020 | 26.1M | 1.82 | 72.8 | 13.4 | 9.7 | -2K | 0.4% |
| 2024Now | 26.5M | 1.78 | 73.7 | 12.9 | 9.9 | -2K | 0.3% |
| 2025 | 26.6M | 1.77 | 73.9 | 12.6 | 10.0 | -3K | 0.3% |
| 2030 | 26.8M | 1.72 | 74.5 | 11.2 | 10.4 | -3K | 0.1% |
| 2035 | 26.8M | 1.70 | 75.1 | 10.2 | 11.0 | -4K | -0.1% |
| 2040 | 26.5M | 1.69 | 75.7 | 9.9 | 11.9 | -3K | -0.2% |
| 2045 | 26.2M | 1.68 | 76.4 | 10.2 | 12.9 | -3K | -0.3% |
| 2050 | 25.8M | 1.67 | 77.1 | 10.3 | 13.8 | -3K | -0.4% |
| 2055 | 25.3M | 1.67 | 77.7 | 9.9 | 14.2 | -3K | -0.4% |
| 2060 | 24.7M | 1.66 | 78.4 | 9.2 | 14.1 | -3K | -0.5% |
| 2065 | 24.0M | 1.66 | 79.1 | 8.7 | 14.0 | -3K | -0.5% |
| 2070 | 23.4M | 1.66 | 79.8 | 8.7 | 14.1 | -2K | -0.5% |
| 2075 | 22.8M | 1.65 | 80.5 | 8.9 | 14.4 | -2K | -0.5% |
| 2080 | 22.1M | 1.65 | 81.2 | 9.0 | 14.7 | -2K | -0.6% |
| 2085 | 21.5M | 1.65 | 81.8 | 8.8 | 14.8 | -2K | -0.6% |
| 2090 | 20.8M | 1.65 | 82.5 | 8.4 | 14.6 | -3K | -0.6% |
| 2095 | 20.2M | 1.65 | 83.1 | 8.1 | 14.5 | -2K | -0.6% |
| 2100 | 19.5M | 1.64 | 83.8 | 8.1 | 14.5 | -2K | -0.6% |