Death rate, crude (per 1,000 people) in North Korea
North Korea: Death rate, crude (per 1,000 people) was 9.86 per 1,000 people in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
9.86 per 1,000 people
Change on year
up 1.8%
World rank
43rd
of 218 countries
All-time high
11.15 per 1,000 people
in 1960
All-time low
5.63 per 1,000 people
in 1992
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Death rate, crude in North Korea, 1960–2024
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in per 1,000 people.
Analysis
North Korea recorded 9.86 per 1,000 people for death rate, crude in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 1.8% on the previous year and up 17.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, death rate, crude in North Korea peaked at 11.15 per 1,000 people in 1960 and was at its lowest, 5.63 per 1,000 people, in 1992.
North Korea ranks 43rd of 218 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Death rate, crude (per 1,000 people) in North Korea, year by year
| Year | per 1,000 people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 11.15 per 1,000 people | — |
| 1961 | 10.81 per 1,000 people | -3.1% |
| 1962 | 10.62 per 1,000 people | -1.7% |
| 1963 | 10.53 per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 1964 | 10.29 per 1,000 people | -2.3% |
| 1965 | 10.01 per 1,000 people | -2.7% |
| 1966 | 9.78 per 1,000 people | -2.3% |
| 1967 | 9.6 per 1,000 people | -1.8% |
| 1968 | 9.22 per 1,000 people | -4.0% |
| 1969 | 8.85 per 1,000 people | -4.0% |
| 1970 | 8.51 per 1,000 people | -3.9% |
| 1971 | 8.15 per 1,000 people | -4.2% |
| 1972 | 7.89 per 1,000 people | -3.2% |
| 1973 | 7.47 per 1,000 people | -5.3% |
| 1974 | 7.16 per 1,000 people | -4.2% |
| 1975 | 6.92 per 1,000 people | -3.3% |
| 1976 | 6.68 per 1,000 people | -3.5% |
| 1977 | 6.49 per 1,000 people | -2.8% |
| 1978 | 6.34 per 1,000 people | -2.3% |
| 1979 | 6.22 per 1,000 people | -1.8% |
| 1980 | 6.11 per 1,000 people | -1.9% |
| 1981 | 6.02 per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 1982 | 5.92 per 1,000 people | -1.6% |
| 1983 | 5.83 per 1,000 people | -1.5% |
| 1984 | 5.76 per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 1985 | 5.71 per 1,000 people | -0.9% |
| 1986 | 5.68 per 1,000 people | -0.6% |
| 1987 | 5.67 per 1,000 people | -0.1% |
| 1988 | 5.64 per 1,000 people | -0.5% |
| 1989 | 5.64 per 1,000 people | -0.0% |
| 1990 | 5.65 per 1,000 people | +0.1% |
| 1991 | 5.65 per 1,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 5.63 per 1,000 people | -0.4% |
| 1993 | 5.82 per 1,000 people | +3.4% |
| 1994 | 6.08 per 1,000 people | +4.4% |
| 1995 | 10.05 per 1,000 people | +65.3% |
| 1996 | 10.14 per 1,000 people | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 10.25 per 1,000 people | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 10.39 per 1,000 people | +1.3% |
| 1999 | 10.53 per 1,000 people | +1.4% |
| 2000 | 10.69 per 1,000 people | +1.5% |
| 2001 | 10.88 per 1,000 people | +1.7% |
| 2002 | 11.06 per 1,000 people | +1.7% |
| 2003 | 7.9 per 1,000 people | -28.6% |
| 2004 | 8.17 per 1,000 people | +3.5% |
| 2005 | 8.46 per 1,000 people | +3.5% |
| 2006 | 8.75 per 1,000 people | +3.5% |
| 2007 | 8.97 per 1,000 people | +2.4% |
| 2008 | 9 per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 8.92 per 1,000 people | -0.8% |
| 2010 | 8.79 per 1,000 people | -1.4% |
| 2011 | 8.7 per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 8.61 per 1,000 people | -1.1% |
| 2013 | 8.52 per 1,000 people | -1.0% |
| 2014 | 8.42 per 1,000 people | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 8.44 per 1,000 people | +0.3% |
| 2016 | 8.59 per 1,000 people | +1.8% |
| 2017 | 8.82 per 1,000 people | +2.6% |
| 2018 | 9.06 per 1,000 people | +2.8% |
| 2019 | 9.33 per 1,000 people | +2.9% |
| 2020 | 9.72 per 1,000 people | +4.2% |
| 2021 | 9.47 per 1,000 people | -2.6% |
| 2022 | 9.48 per 1,000 people | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 9.68 per 1,000 people | +2.1% |
| 2024 | 9.86 per 1,000 people | +1.8% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 9.86 per 1,000 people is above the median for low income countries, which is 7.01 per 1,000 people, 1.4× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 9.86 per 1,000 people is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 6.92 per 1,000 people, 1.4× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Death rate, crude (per 1,000 people) in North Korea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | +65.3% | 6.08 per 1,000 people | 10.05 per 1,000 people |
| 2003 | -28.6% | 11.06 per 1,000 people | 7.9 per 1,000 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 10.09 per 1,000 people | 8.85 per 1,000 people | 11.15 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 7.18 per 1,000 people | 6.22 per 1,000 people | 8.51 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 5.8 per 1,000 people | 5.64 per 1,000 people | 6.11 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 1990s | 8.02 per 1,000 people | 5.63 per 1,000 people | 10.53 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2000s | 9.28 per 1,000 people | 7.9 per 1,000 people | 11.06 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 8.73 per 1,000 people | 8.42 per 1,000 people | 9.33 per 1,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.64 per 1,000 people | 9.47 per 1,000 people | 9.86 per 1,000 people | 5 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
- 40 Saint Kitts and Nevis 9.98 per 1,000 people compare
- 41 Uruguay 9.93 per 1,000 people compare
- 42 Slovakia 9.9 per 1,000 people compare
- 44 South Sudan 9.82 per 1,000 people compare
- 45 Somalia 9.74 per 1,000 people compare
- 46 United Kingdom 9.7 per 1,000 people compare
More health data for North Korea
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 767 (2100)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.16 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.2456 % change on previous year (2090)
- Diphtheria - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2022)
- Measles - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Diphtheria - number of reported cases, per capita 0 units per person (2022)
- Population ages 15-64, total, annual growth rate -0.1528 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, total, per capita 0.6836 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, female, per capita 0.073 units per person (2025)
- Pertussis - number of reported cases, per capita 0 units per person (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is death rate, crude in North Korea?
- Death rate, crude in North Korea was 9.86 per 1,000 people in 2024, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest death rate, crude recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 11.15 per 1,000 people in 1960.
- What is the lowest death rate, crude recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.63 per 1,000 people in 1992.
- How does North Korea rank for death rate, crude?
- North Korea ranks 43rd out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
- Is death rate, crude rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 17.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Death rate, crude (per 1,000 people). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Crude death rate indicates the number of deaths occurring during the year, per 1,000 population estimated at midyear. Subtracting the crude death rate from the crude birth rate provides the rate of natural increase, which is equal to the rate of population change in the absence of migration.