Life expectancy at birth, by sex in North Korea
North Korea: Life expectancy at birth, by sex was 75.74 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
75.74 years
Change on year
up 0.0%
World rank
146th
of 236 countries
All-time high
75.86 years
in 2019
All-time low
21.12 years
in 1950
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Life expectancy at birth, by sex in North Korea, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, life expectancy at birth, by sex in North Korea stood at 75.74 years.
That represents a change of up 1.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth, by sex in North Korea peaked at 75.86 years in 2019 and was at its lowest, 21.12 years, in 1950.
That places North Korea 146th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Life expectancy at birth, by sex in North Korea, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 21.12 years | — |
| 1951 | 25.28 years | +19.7% |
| 1952 | 39.56 years | +56.5% |
| 1953 | 45.39 years | +14.7% |
| 1954 | 52.46 years | +15.6% |
| 1955 | 53.57 years | +2.1% |
| 1956 | 54.57 years | +1.9% |
| 1957 | 55.45 years | +1.6% |
| 1958 | 56.24 years | +1.4% |
| 1959 | 56.94 years | +1.2% |
| 1960 | 57.59 years | +1.1% |
| 1961 | 58.21 years | +1.1% |
| 1962 | 58.82 years | +1.0% |
| 1963 | 59.41 years | +1.0% |
| 1964 | 60.01 years | +1.0% |
| 1965 | 60.63 years | +1.0% |
| 1966 | 61.27 years | +1.1% |
| 1967 | 61.94 years | +1.1% |
| 1968 | 62.62 years | +1.1% |
| 1969 | 63.29 years | +1.1% |
| 1970 | 63.95 years | +1.0% |
| 1971 | 64.58 years | +1.0% |
| 1972 | 65.2 years | +1.0% |
| 1973 | 65.78 years | +0.9% |
| 1974 | 66.34 years | +0.9% |
| 1975 | 66.88 years | +0.8% |
| 1976 | 67.42 years | +0.8% |
| 1977 | 67.92 years | +0.7% |
| 1978 | 68.44 years | +0.8% |
| 1979 | 68.92 years | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 69.41 years | +0.7% |
| 1981 | 69.89 years | +0.7% |
| 1982 | 70.35 years | +0.7% |
| 1983 | 70.79 years | +0.6% |
| 1984 | 71.2 years | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 71.58 years | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 71.92 years | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 72.18 years | +0.4% |
| 1988 | 72.5 years | +0.4% |
| 1989 | 72.75 years | +0.4% |
| 1990 | 73 years | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 73.28 years | +0.4% |
| 1992 | 73.79 years | +0.7% |
| 1993 | 73.79 years | -0.0% |
| 1994 | 73.69 years | -0.1% |
| 1995 | 63.59 years | -13.7% |
| 1996 | 63.68 years | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 63.76 years | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 63.81 years | +0.1% |
| 1999 | 63.87 years | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 63.9 years | +0.1% |
| 2001 | 63.91 years | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 63.92 years | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 72.95 years | +14.1% |
| 2004 | 72.9 years | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 72.81 years | -0.1% |
| 2006 | 72.74 years | -0.1% |
| 2007 | 72.64 years | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 72.79 years | +0.2% |
| 2009 | 72.96 years | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 73.26 years | +0.4% |
| 2011 | 73.57 years | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 73.92 years | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 74.3 years | +0.5% |
| 2014 | 74.68 years | +0.5% |
| 2015 | 74.99 years | +0.4% |
| 2016 | 75.2 years | +0.3% |
| 2017 | 75.46 years | +0.3% |
| 2018 | 75.64 years | +0.2% |
| 2019 | 75.86 years | +0.3% |
| 2020 | 75.69 years | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 75.49 years | -0.3% |
| 2022 | 75.72 years | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 75.74 years | +0.0% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 46.06 years | 21.12 years | 56.94 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 60.38 years | 57.59 years | 63.29 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 66.54 years | 63.95 years | 68.92 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 71.26 years | 69.41 years | 72.75 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 68.63 years | 63.59 years | 73.79 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 70.15 years | 63.9 years | 72.96 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 74.69 years | 73.26 years | 75.86 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 75.66 years | 75.49 years | 75.74 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
- 143 El Salvador 76.26 years compare
- 144 Saint Kitts and Nevis 76.02 years compare
- 145 American Samoa 75.84 years compare
- 147 Republic of Moldova 75.53 years compare
- 148 Honduras 75.5 years compare
- 149 Uzbekistan 75.4 years compare
More health data for North Korea
- 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)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 767 deaths (2100)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,462 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Deaths in armed conflicts based on where they occurred 0 deaths (2026)
- Deaths in armed conflicts by region 0 deaths (2026)
- Age population, age 16, male, interpolated 166,971 (2025)
- Age population, age 18, female, interpolated 159,845 (2025)
- Age population, age 17, male, interpolated 168,398 (2025)
- Age population, age 17, female, interpolated 160,530 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth, by sex in North Korea?
- Life expectancy at birth, by sex in North Korea was 75.74 years in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth, by sex recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 75.86 years in 2019.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth, by sex recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 21.12 years in 1950.
- How does North Korea rank for life expectancy at birth, by sex?
- North Korea ranks 146th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy at birth, by sex rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectancy at birth, by sex. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Period life expectancy at birth.