2020 Edition

Background

The first recorded kingdom (Choson) on the Korean Peninsula dates from approximately 2300 B.C. Over the subsequent centuries, three main kingdoms -- Kogoryo, Paekche, and Silla -- were established on the Peninsula. By the 5th century A.D., Kogoryo emerged as the most powerful, with control over much of the Peninsula and part of Manchuria (modern-day northeast China). However, Silla allied with the Chinese to create the first unified Korean state in 688. Following the collapse of Silla in the 9th century, Korea was unified under the Koryo (Goryeo; 918-1392) and the Chosen (Joseon; 1392-1910) dynasties. Korea became the object of intense imperialistic rivalry among the Chinese (its traditional benefactor), Japanese, and Russian empires in the latter half of the 19th and early 20th centuries. After the Sino-Japanese War (1894-95) and the Russo-Japanese War (1904-05), Korea was occupied by Imperial Japan. In 1910, Japan formally annexed the entire peninsula. After World War II, the northern half came under Soviet-sponsored communist control. In 1948, North Korea (formally known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea or DPRK) was founded under President KIM Il Sung, who consolidated power and cemented autocratic one-party rule under the Korean Worker's Party (KWP). North Korea failed to conquer UN-backed South Korea (formally the Republic of Korea or ROK) during the Korean War (1950-53), after which a demilitarized zone separated the two Koreas. KIM's authoritarian rule included tight control over North Korean citizens and the demonization of the US as the central threat to North Korea's political and social system. In addition, he molded the country's economic, military, and political policies around the core objective of unifying Korea under Pyongyang's control. North Korea also declared a central ideology of juche ("self-reliance") as a check against outside influence, while continuing to rely heavily on China and the Soviet Union for economic support. KIM Il Sung's son, KIM Jong Il, was officially designated as his father's successor in 1980, and he assumed a growing political and managerial role until the elder KIM's death in 1994. Under KIM Jong Il's reign, North Korea continued developing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. KIM Jong Un was publicly unveiled as his father's successor in 2010. Following KIM Jong Il's death in 2011, KIM Jong Un quickly assumed power and has since occupied the regime's highest political and military posts.  After the end of Soviet aid in 1991, North Korea faced serious economic setbacks that exacerbated decades of economic mismanagement and resource misallocation. Since the mid-1990s, North Korea has faced chronic food shortages and economic stagnation. In recent years, the North's domestic agricultural production has improved but still falls far short of producing sufficient food for its population. Starting in 2002, North Korea began to tolerate semi-private markets but has made few other efforts to meet its goal of improving the overall standard of living. New economic development plans in the 2010s failed to meet government-mandated goals for key industrial sectors, food production, or overall economic performance. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, North Korea instituted a nationwide lockdown that severely restricted its economy and international engagement. Since then, KIM has repeatedly expressed concerns with the regime's economic failures and food problems, but in 2021, he vowed to continue "self-reliant" policies and has reinvigorated his pursuit of greater regime control of the economy. As of 2024, despite slowly renewing cross-border trade with China, North Korea remained one of the world's most isolated countries and one of Asia's poorest. In 2024, Pyongyang announced it was ending all economic cooperation with South Korea. The move followed earlier proclamations that it was scrapping a 2018 military pact with South Korea to de-escalate tensions along their militarized border, abandoning the country’s decades-long pursuit of peaceful unification with South Korea, and designating the South as North Korea’s “principal enemy.” 

Area

land

120,408 sq km

total

120,538 sq km

water

130 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly larger than Virginia; slightly smaller than Mississippi

Climate

temperate, with rainfall concentrated in summer; long, bitter winters

Coastline

2,495 km

Elevation

highest point

Paektu-san 2,744 m

lowest point

Sea of Japan 0 m

mean elevation

600 m

Geographic coordinates

40 00 N, 127 00 E

Geography - note

strategic location bordering China, South Korea, and Russia; mountainous interior is isolated and sparsely populated

Irrigated land

14,600 sq km (2012)

Land boundaries

border countries

China 1,352 km; South Korea 237 km; Russia 18 km

total

1,607 km

Land use

agricultural land

21.6% (2023 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 19.1% (2023 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 2.1% (2023 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 0.4% (2023 est.)

forest

64% (2023 est.)

other

14.5% (2023 est.)

Location

Eastern Asia, northern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Korea Bay and the Sea of Japan, between China and South Korea

Map references

Asia

Maritime claims

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural hazards

late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding; occasional typhoons during the early fall volcanism: P'aektu-san (2,744 m) (also known as Baitoushan, Baegdu, or Changbaishan), on the Chinese border, is considered historically active

Natural resources

coal, iron ore, limestone, magnesite, graphite, copper, zinc, lead, precious metals, hydropower

Population distribution

population concentrated in the plains and lowlands; least-populated regions are the mountainous provinces adjacent to the Chinese border; largest concentrations are in the western provinces, particularly the municipal district of Pyongyang, and around Hungnam and Wonsan in the east

Terrain

mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys; wide coastal plains in west, discontinuous in east

Age structure

0-14 years

19.9% (male 2,673,822/female 2,548,775)

15-64 years

68.9% (male 9,054,771/female 9,066,447)

65 years and over

11.2% (2024 est.) (male 1,099,676/female 1,855,175)

Alcohol consumption per capita

beer

0.12 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits

3.48 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total

3.61 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

Birth rate

12.99 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Child marriage

men married by age 18

0% (2017)

women married by age 15

0% (2017)

women married by age 18

0.1% (2017)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

9.3% (2017 est.)

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

68.2% (2017 est.)

Death rate

9.01 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

16.8 (2025 est.)

potential support ratio

6 (2025 est.)

total dependency ratio

45.6 (2025 est.)

youth dependency ratio

28.8 (2025 est.)

Drinking water source

improved: rural

rural: 88.8% of population (2022 est.)

improved: total

total: 93.9% of population (2022 est.)

improved: urban

urban: 96.9% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: rural

rural: 11.2% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: total

total: 6.1% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 3.1% of population (2022 est.)

Education expenditure

14.6% national budget (2025 est.)

Ethnic groups

racially homogeneous; there is a small Chinese community and a few ethnic Japanese

Gross reproduction rate

0.87 (2025 est.)

Infant mortality rate

female

13.8 deaths/1,000 live births

male

16.9 deaths/1,000 live births

total

14.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

Languages

Languages

Korean

major-language sample(s)

월드 팩트북, 필수적인 기본 정보 제공처 (Korean) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Life expectancy at birth

female

77 years

male

70.2 years

total population

73.5 years (2024 est.)

Major urban areas - population

3.158 million PYONGYANG (capital) (2023)

Maternal mortality ratio

67 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

Median age

female

37.4 years

male

34.5 years

total

36.2 years (2025 est.)

Nationality

adjective

Korean

noun

Korean(s)

Net migration rate

-0.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

6.8% (2016)

Physician density

3.63 physicians/1,000 population (2017)

Population

female

13,518,572

male

12,884,269

total

26,402,841 (2025 est.)

Population growth rate

0.4% (2025 est.)

Religions

traditionally Buddhist and Confucian, some Christian and syncretic Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way)

Sanitation facility access

improved: rural

rural: 73.1% of population (2022 est.)

improved: total

total: 85.4% of population (2022 est.)

improved: urban

urban: 92.7% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: rural

rural: 26.9% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: total

total: 14.6% of population (2022 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 7.3% of population (2022 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

12 years (2018 est.)

male

12 years (2018 est.)

total

12 years (2018 est.)

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years

1 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.59 male(s)/female

at birth

1.06 male(s)/female

total population

0.95 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Tobacco use

female

0% (2025 est.)

male

32.6% (2025 est.)

total

16% (2025 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.8 children born/woman (2025 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

0.85% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

63.2% of total population (2023)

Administrative divisions

9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 4 special administration cities (si, singular and plural) provinces: Chagang, Hambuk (North Hamgyong), Hamnam (South Hamgyong), Hwangbuk (North Hwanghae), Hwangnam (South Hwanghae), Kangwon, P'yongbuk (North Pyongan), P'yongnam (South Pyongan), Ryanggang special administration cities: Kaesong, Nampo, P'yongyang, Rason

Capital

etymology

the name translates as "flat land" in Korean

geographic coordinates

39 01 N, 125 45 E

name

Pyongyang

time difference

UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

time zone note

on 5 May 2018, North Korea reverted to UTC+9, the same time zone as South Korea

Citizenship

citizenship by birth

no

citizenship by descent only

at least one parent must be a citizen of North Korea

dual citizenship recognized

no

residency requirement for naturalization

unknown

Constitution

amendment process

proposed by the Supreme People’s Assembly (SPA); passage requires more than two-thirds majority vote of the total SPA membership

history

previous 1948, 1972; latest adopted 1998

Country name

abbreviation

DPRK

conventional long form

Democratic People's Republic of Korea

conventional short form

North Korea

etymology

derived from the Chinese name for Goryeo, which was the Korean dynasty that united the peninsula in the 10th century A.D.; the North Korean name "Choson" means "[Land of the] Morning Calm"

local long form

Choson-minjujuui-inmin-konghwaguk

local short form

Choson

Diplomatic representation from the US

embassy

none; the Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang represents the US as consular protecting power

Diplomatic representation in the US

none note: North Korea has a Permanent Mission to the UN in New York

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet or Naegak members appointed by the Supreme People's Assembly, except the Minister of People's Armed Forces

chief of state

State Affairs Commission President KIM Jong Un (since 17 December 2011)

election results

2019: KIM Jong Un reelected unopposed

election/appointment process

chief of state and premier indirectly elected by the Supreme People's Assembly

expected date of next election

March 2024

head of government

Supreme People's Assembly President CHOE Ryong Hae (since 11 April 2019)

most recent election date

11 April 2019

Flag

description: three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (triple-width), and blue; the red band is edged in white; on the left side of the red band is a white disk with a red five-pointed star meaning: the red band stands for revolutionary traditions, the white for purity, strength, and dignity; blue for sovereignty, peace, and friendship; the red star represents socialism

Government type

dictatorship, single-party communist state

Independence

15 August 1945 (from Japan)

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

International organization participation

ARF, FAO, G-77, ICAO, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, IMO, IMSO, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO

Judicial branch

highest court(s)

Supreme Court or Central Court (consists of one judge and 2 "People's Assessors" or, for some cases, 3 judges)

judge selection and term of office

judges elected by the Supreme People's Assembly for 5-year terms

subordinate courts

lower provincial courts as determined by the Supreme People's Assembly

Legal system

civil law system based on the Prussian model; influenced by Japanese traditions and Communist legal theory

Legislative branch

electoral system

plurality/majority

expected date of next election

December 2025

legislative structure

unicameral

legislature name

Supreme People's Assembly (Choe Go In Min Hoe Ui)

most recent election date

3/10/2019

number of seats

687 (all directly elected)

percentage of women in chamber

17.6%

scope of elections

full renewal

term in office

5 years

National anthem(s)

history

adopted 1947; North Korea's and South Korea's anthems have the same name and a similar melody, but different lyrics; the North Korean anthem is also known as "Ach'imun pinnara" (Let Morning Shine)

lyrics/music

PAK Se Yong/KIM Won Gyun

title

"Aegukka" (Patriotic Song)

National color(s)

red, white, blue

National heritage

selected World Heritage Site locales

Koguryo Tombs Complex; Historic Monuments and Sites in Kaesong; Mount Kumgang – Diamond Mountain from the Sea (m)

total World Heritage Sites

2 (both cultural, one mixed)

National holiday

Founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), 9 September (1948)

National symbol(s)

red star, chollima (winged horse)

Political parties

major parties: Korean Workers' Party or KWP (formally known as Workers' Party of Korea)  General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon; under KWP control)  minor parties: Chondoist Chongu Party (under KWP control) Social Democratic Party or KSDP (under KWP control)

Suffrage

17 years of age; universal and compulsory

Agricultural products

maize, vegetables, rice, apples, cabbages, fruits, sweet potatoes, potatoes, beans, soybeans (2023)

Economic overview

one of the last centrally planned economies; hard hit by COVID-19, crop failures, international sanctions, and isolationist policies; declining growth and trade, and heavily reliant on China; poor exchange rate stability; economic data integrity issues

Exchange rates

Currency

North Korean won (KPW) per US dollar (average market rate)

Exchange rates 2015

130 (2015 est.)

Exchange rates 2016

130 (2016 est.)

Exchange rates 2017

135 (2017 est.)

Exports - commodities

fake hair, iron alloys, tungsten ore, electricity, cars (2023)

Exports - partners

China 74%, Poland 3%, Senegal 3%, Angola 3%, Austria 3% (2023)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$16.447 billion (2023 est.)

Imports - commodities

processed hair, plastic products, garments, fabric, soybean oil (2023)

Imports - partners

China 97%, Togo 1%, Peru 1%, Gabon 1%, India 0% (2023)

Industries

military products; machine building, electric power, chemicals; mining (coal, iron ore, limestone, magnesite, graphite, copper, zinc, lead, and precious metals), metallurgy; textiles, food processing; tourism

Labor force

17.637 million (2024 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021

$14.982 billion (2021 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022

$14.959 billion (2022 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023

$15.416 billion (2023 est.)

Real GDP per capita

Real GDP per capita 2021

$600 (2021 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2022

$600 (2022 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$600 (2023 est.)

Unemployment rate

Unemployment rate 2022

2.9% (2022 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

2.9% (2023 est.)

Unemployment rate 2024

2.9% (2024 est.)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

female

7.4% (2024 est.)

male

6.1% (2024 est.)

total

6.8% (2024 est.)

Coal

consumption

22.105 million metric tons (2023 est.)

production

21.928 million metric tons (2023 est.)

proven reserves

10.6 billion metric tons (2023 est.)

Electricity

consumption

22.448 billion kWh (2023 est.)

installed generating capacity

8.357 million kW (2023 est.)

transmission/distribution losses

4.101 billion kWh (2023 est.)

Electricity access

electrification - total population

54.7% (2022 est.)

Electricity generation sources

fossil fuels

36.9% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

hydroelectricity

62.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

solar

0.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Energy consumption per capita

Total energy consumption per capita 2023

23.83 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Petroleum

refined petroleum consumption

18,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

Broadcast media

no independent media; radios and TVs are pre-tuned to government stations; 4 state-owned TV stations; the Korean Workers' Party owns and operates the Korean Central Broadcasting Station, and the state-run Voice of Korea operates an external broadcast service; the government prohibits listening to and jams foreign broadcasts (2019)

Internet country code

.kp

Telephones - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

4 (2022 est.)

total subscriptions

1.18 million (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

24 (2022 est.)

total subscriptions

6.35 million (2022 est.)

Airports

81 (2025)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

P

Heliports

8 (2025)

Merchant marine

by type

bulk carrier 10, container ship 5, general cargo 191, oil tanker 29, other 29

total

264 (2023)

Ports

key ports

Ch'ongjin, Haeju Hang, Hungnam, Najin, Nampo, Senbong, Wonsan

large

0

medium

0

ports with oil terminals

0

small

7

total ports

10 (2024)

very small

3

Railways

standard gauge

7,435 km (2014) 1.435-m gauge (5,400 km electrified)

total

7,435 km (2014)

Military - note

the Korean People's Army (KPA) is one of the World’s largest military forces; founded in 1948, the KPA’s primary responsibilities are national defense and protection of the Kim regime; it also provides support to domestic economic projects such as agriculture production and infrastructure construction; North Korea views South Korea and the US as its primary external threats and Russia as its closest security partner in addition to the invasion of South Korea and the subsequent Korean War (1950-53), North Korea from the 1960s to the 1980s launched a number of military and subversive actions against South Korea; including skirmishes along the DMZ, overt attempts to assassinate South Korean leaders, kidnappings, the bombing of an airliner, and a failed effort in 1968 to foment an insurrection and conduct a guerrilla war in the South with more than 100 seaborne commandos; from the 1990s until 2010, the North lost two submarines and a semi-submersible boat attempting to insert infiltrators into the South (1996, 1998) and provoked several engagements in the Northwest Islands area along the disputed Northern Limit Line (NLL), including naval skirmishes between patrol boats in 1999 and 2002, the torpedoing and sinking of a South Korean Navy corvette in 2010, and the bombardment of a South Korean military installation on Yeonpyeong Island, also in 2010; since 2010, further minor incidents continue to occur periodically along the DMZ, where both the KPA and the South Korean military maintain large numbers of troops North Korea also has a history of provocative regional military actions and posturing that are of major concern to the international community, including: proliferation of military-related items; ballistic and cruise missile development and testing; weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programs including tests of nuclear devices in 2006, 2009, 2013, 2016, and 2017; and large conventional armed forces (2025)

Military and security forces

Korean People's Army (KPA): KPA Ground Forces, KPA Navy, KPA Air Force and Air Defense Forces, KPA Strategic Forces (missile forces), KPA Special Forces (special operations forces); Security Guard Command (aka Bodyguard Command); Military Security Command Ministry of Social Security (formerly Ministry of Public Security): Border Guard General Bureau, civil security forces; Ministry of State Security: internal security, investigations (2025)

Military and security service personnel strengths

estimates vary; as many as 1.3 million active-duty Korean People's Army (2025)

Military deployments

estimated 10-12,000 Russia (2025)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the KPA is equipped with older weapon systems acquired from China, Russia, and the former Soviet Union, as well as some domestically produced armaments; North Korea produces an array of military hardware, including armored vehicles, artillery, munitions, naval vessels, and some advanced weapons systems, such as cruise and ballistic missiles; most are copies or upgrades of older foreign supplied equipment (2025)

Military expenditures

defense spending is a regime priority; between 2010 and 2020, military expenditures accounted for an estimated 20-30% of North Korea's GDP annually; spending estimates ranged from $7 billion to $11 billion annually; in 2024, North Korea announced that it would spend nearly 16% of state expenditures on defense; North Korea in the 2010s and 2020s has increasingly relied on illicit activities — including cybercrime — to generate revenue for its weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs to evade US and UN sanctions

Military service age and obligation

compulsory military service for men (17-30 years of age) and women (17-23 years of age); service obligation is reportedly up to 10 years for men and up to 7 years for women (2025)

Trafficking in persons

tier rating

Tier 3 — the government of North Korea does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so, therefore, North Korea remained on Tier 3; for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2025-trafficking-in-persons-report/north-korea/

Key space-program milestones

1980s - initiated space program  1998 - failed first attempt to place a satellite in orbit on a 3-stage Paektusan-1 satellite launch vehicle (SLV)  2012 - successfully placed first satellite (Kwangmyŏngsŏng-3 or Bright Star-3) in orbit on Unha-3 SLV (satellite failed to operate) 2016 - second satellite (Kwangmyŏngsŏng-4) placed in orbit on Unha-3 SLV (reportedly a remote sensing (RS) satellite that also failed to operate) 2023 - placed a military RS satellite (Malligyong-1) in orbit on Chollima-1 SLV  2024 - failed attempt to place a second military RS satellite in orbit on new type SLV

Space agency/agencies

National Aerospace Technology Administration (NATA; established 2013; re-named in 2023 from the National Aerospace Development Administration or NADA); State Space Development Bureau; Academy of National Defense Science; Ministry of People’s Armed Forces (2025)

Space launch site(s)

Sohae Satellite Launching Station (aka Tongch'ang-dong Space Launch Center; North Pyongan province); Tonghae Satellite Launching Ground (North Hamgyong province) (2025)

Space program overview

North Korea’s leader has emphasized the development of space capabilities, particularly satellite launch vehicles (SLVs) and remote sensing satellites; manufactures satellites and rockets/SLVs; independently launches rockets/SLVs; SLV program is viewed as closely related to the country's development of intercontinental ballistic missiles; passed a national space law in 2013, and revised it in 2022 to allow for the use of space for national defense; has cooperated with Iran on space-related technologies, and signed a mutual defense treaty with Russia in 2024 that stated the two countries would “develop exchanges and joint research in science and technology, including space” (2025)

Carbon dioxide emissions

from coal and metallurgical coke

52.985 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

from petroleum and other liquids

2.759 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

total emissions

55.744 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)

Environmental issues

water pollution; inadequate potable water; deforestation; soil erosion and degradation

Geoparks

global geoparks and regional networks

Mt Paektu (2025)

total global geoparks and regional networks

1 (2025)

International environmental agreements

party to

Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified

Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Law of the Sea

Particulate matter emissions

41.8 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

Total renewable water resources

77.15 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

Total water withdrawal

agricultural

6.61 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

industrial

1.145 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

municipal

902.8 million cubic meters (2022 est.)