North Korea vs South Korea: Prevalence of current tobacco use, males
Prevalence of current tobacco use, males over time
- North Korea
- South Korea
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 31.5% against 31.1% in North Korea, a difference of 0.4%.
Across all 9 years both countries report, South Korea has been ahead every year.
North Korea ranks 72nd and South Korea ranks 70th of 166 countries.
South Korea has averaged higher in every one of the 3 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | North Korea | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 55.1% | 56.7% | 1.6% | South Korea |
| 2010s | 43.0% | 44.1% | 1.2% | South Korea |
| 2020s | 32.7% | 33.1% | 0.5% | South Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher prevalence of current tobacco use, males, North Korea or South Korea?
- South Korea, at 31.5% against 31.1% in North Korea as of 2024.
- What is the difference in prevalence of current tobacco use, males between North Korea and South Korea?
- 0.4%, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for North Korea and South Korea?
- 9 years are reported by both, from 2000 to 2024.
- How do North Korea and South Korea rank globally for prevalence of current tobacco use, males?
- North Korea ranks 72nd and South Korea ranks 70th of 166 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Health Observatory Data Repository, World Health Organization (WHO), published as Prevalence of current tobacco use, males (% of male adults). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
The percentage of the male population ages 15 years and over who currently use any tobacco product (smoked and/or smokeless tobacco) on a daily or non-daily basis. Tobacco products include cigarettes, pipes, cigars, cigarillos, waterpipes (hookah, shisha), bidis, kretek, heated tobacco products, and all forms of smokeless (oral and nasal) tobacco. Tobacco products exclude e-cigarettes (which do not contain tobacco), “e-cigars”, “e-hookahs”, JUUL and “e-pipes”. The rates are age-standardized to the WHO Standard Population.