Life expectancy at birth in North Korea
North Korea: Life expectancy at birth was 72.64 in 2021. ▲ Rising
Life expectancy at birth in North Korea, 2000–2021
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
The most recent figure for life expectancy at birth in North Korea is 72.64, measured in 2021. That is the highest value across all 22 years on record.
That represents a change of up 0.4% on the previous year and up 3.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth in North Korea peaked at 72.64 in 2021 and was at its lowest, 62.52, in 2000.
That places North Korea 87th out of 184 countries with data for 2021, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 22 years of available data.
Life expectancy at birth in North Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 62.52 | — |
| 2001 | 62.63 | +0.2% |
| 2002 | 62.79 | +0.3% |
| 2003 | 69.38 | +10.5% |
| 2004 | 69.5 | +0.2% |
| 2005 | 69.63 | +0.2% |
| 2006 | 69.7 | +0.1% |
| 2007 | 69.69 | -0.0% |
| 2008 | 69.8 | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 69.87 | +0.1% |
| 2010 | 70.02 | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 70.26 | +0.3% |
| 2012 | 70.53 | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 70.84 | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 71.14 | +0.4% |
| 2015 | 71.41 | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 71.62 | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 71.92 | +0.4% |
| 2018 | 72.11 | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 72.32 | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 72.38 | +0.1% |
| 2021 | 72.64 | +0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 67.55 | 62.52 | 69.87 | 10 |
| 2010s | 71.22 | 70.02 | 72.32 | 10 |
| 2020s | 72.51 | 72.38 | 72.64 | 2 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
More health data for North Korea
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.2456 % change on previous year (2090)
- 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 1,462 (2090)
- Deaths in armed conflicts by country 0 (2026)
- Population, male, per capita 0.4951 units per person (2025)
- Population, male, annual growth rate 0.3494 % change on previous year (2025)
- Deaths in armed conflicts by region 0 (2026)
- Age population, age 21, male, interpolated 174,844 (2025)
- Age population, age 17, male, interpolated 168,398 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth in North Korea?
- Life expectancy at birth in North Korea was 72.64 in 2021, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 72.64 in 2021.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 62.52 in 2000.
- How does North Korea rank for life expectancy at birth?
- North Korea ranks 87th out of 184 countries with data for 2021.
- Is life expectancy at birth rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 3.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, published as part of Life expectancy at birth (years). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 22 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO).