Life expectancy in North Korea
North Korea: Life expectancy was 73.64 years in 2023. ▲ Rising
Latest (2023)
73.64 years
Change on year
up 0.0%
World rank
133rd
of 236 countries
All-time high
73.64 years
in 2023
All-time low
14.2 years
in 1950
Years of data
82
1908–2023
Life expectancy in North Korea, 1908–2023
Source: Riley (2005); Zijdeman et al. (2015); HMD (2025); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in years.
Analysis
In 2023, life expectancy in North Korea stood at 73.64 years. That is the highest value across all 82 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 2.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy in North Korea peaked at 73.64 years in 2023 and was at its lowest, 14.2 years, in 1950.
That places North Korea 133rd 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 82 years of available data.
Life expectancy in North Korea, year by year
| Year | years | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1908 | 23.51 years | — |
| 1913 | 24.98 years | +6.3% |
| 1918 | 26.98 years | +8.0% |
| 1923 | 29.53 years | +9.5% |
| 1928 | 33.6 years | +13.8% |
| 1933 | 37.39 years | +11.3% |
| 1938 | 42.57 years | +13.9% |
| 1942 | 44.89 years | +5.4% |
| 1950 | 14.2 years | -68.4% |
| 1951 | 17.66 years | +24.4% |
| 1952 | 32.79 years | +85.6% |
| 1953 | 40.26 years | +22.8% |
| 1954 | 50.63 years | +25.8% |
| 1955 | 51.77 years | +2.2% |
| 1956 | 52.78 years | +2.0% |
| 1957 | 53.68 years | +1.7% |
| 1958 | 54.48 years | +1.5% |
| 1959 | 55.17 years | +1.3% |
| 1960 | 55.81 years | +1.2% |
| 1961 | 56.41 years | +1.1% |
| 1962 | 57 years | +1.0% |
| 1963 | 57.58 years | +1.0% |
| 1964 | 58.17 years | +1.0% |
| 1965 | 58.79 years | +1.1% |
| 1966 | 59.42 years | +1.1% |
| 1967 | 60.09 years | +1.1% |
| 1968 | 60.76 years | +1.1% |
| 1969 | 61.41 years | +1.1% |
| 1970 | 62.05 years | +1.0% |
| 1971 | 62.66 years | +1.0% |
| 1972 | 63.25 years | +0.9% |
| 1973 | 63.82 years | +0.9% |
| 1974 | 64.33 years | +0.8% |
| 1975 | 64.83 years | +0.8% |
| 1976 | 65.33 years | +0.8% |
| 1977 | 65.81 years | +0.7% |
| 1978 | 66.29 years | +0.7% |
| 1979 | 66.75 years | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 67.21 years | +0.7% |
| 1981 | 67.66 years | +0.7% |
| 1982 | 68.09 years | +0.6% |
| 1983 | 68.5 years | +0.6% |
| 1984 | 68.88 years | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 69.23 years | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 69.54 years | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 69.77 years | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 70.05 years | +0.4% |
| 1989 | 70.27 years | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 70.48 years | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 70.72 years | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 71.01 years | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 70.79 years | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 70.47 years | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 60.77 years | -13.8% |
| 1996 | 60.82 years | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 60.87 years | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 60.89 years | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 60.91 years | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 60.91 years | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 60.89 years | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 60.88 years | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 69.4 years | +14.0% |
| 2004 | 69.29 years | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 69.17 years | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 69.06 years | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 69.02 years | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 69.3 years | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 69.7 years | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 70.25 years | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 70.77 years | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 71.32 years | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 71.87 years | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 72.45 years | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 72.83 years | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 72.97 years | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 73.03 years | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 73.02 years | -0.0% |
| 2019 | 72.93 years | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 72.78 years | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 73.44 years | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 73.64 years | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 73.64 years | +0.0% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 73.64 years is above the median for low income countries, which is 63.65 years, 1.2× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 73.64 years is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 72.85 years, 1.0× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Life expectancy 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | +85.6% | 17.66 years | 32.79 years |
| 1950 | -68.4% | 44.89 years | 14.2 years |
| 1954 | +25.8% | 40.26 years | 50.63 years |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900s | 23.51 years | 23.51 years | 23.51 years | 1 |
| 1910s | 25.98 years | 24.98 years | 26.98 years | 2 |
| 1920s | 31.57 years | 29.53 years | 33.6 years | 2 |
| 1930s | 39.98 years | 37.39 years | 42.57 years | 2 |
| 1940s | 44.89 years | 44.89 years | 44.89 years | 1 |
| 1950s | 42.34 years | 14.2 years | 55.17 years | 10 |
| 1960s | 58.54 years | 55.81 years | 61.41 years | 10 |
| 1970s | 64.51 years | 62.05 years | 66.75 years | 10 |
| 1980s | 68.92 years | 67.21 years | 70.27 years | 10 |
| 1990s | 65.77 years | 60.77 years | 71.01 years | 10 |
| 2000s | 66.76 years | 60.88 years | 69.7 years | 10 |
| 2010s | 72.14 years | 70.25 years | 73.03 years | 10 |
| 2020s | 73.38 years | 72.78 years | 73.64 years | 4 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
- 130 Kazakhstan 74.4 years compare
- 131 Paraguay 73.84 years compare
- 132 Dominican Republic 73.72 years compare
- 134 Suriname 73.63 years compare
- 135 Belize 73.57 years compare
- 136 Trinidad and Tobago 73.49 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)
- Estimated changes in temperature-related death rates compared to projected death rates 1,462 deaths per 1,000 people (2090)
- Number of infants who die before age 1 767 deaths (2100)
- Deaths in armed conflicts by region 0 deaths (2026)
- Deaths in armed conflicts based on where they occurred 0 deaths (2026)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.6303 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.031 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, per capita 0.0327 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.6995 % change on previous year (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy in North Korea?
- Life expectancy in North Korea was 73.64 years in 2023, according to Riley (2005); Zijdeman et al. (2015); HMD (2025); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest life expectancy recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 73.64 years in 2023.
- What is the lowest life expectancy recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 14.2 years in 1950.
- How does North Korea rank for life expectancy?
- North Korea ranks 133rd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is life expectancy rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Riley (2005); Zijdeman et al. (2015); HMD (2025); UN WPP (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Life expectancy. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 82 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Period life expectancy is the number of years the average person born in a certain year would live if they experienced the same chances of dying at each age as people did that year.