Population ages 15-64, total in North Korea
North Korea: Population ages 15-64, total was 18.16 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
18.16 million
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
53rd
of 218 countries
All-time high
18.27 million
in 2021
All-time low
6.94 million
in 1960
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Population ages 15-64, total in North Korea, 1960–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
Analysis
In 2025, population ages 15-64, total in North Korea stood at 18.16 million.
That represents a change of down 0.2% on the previous year and up 2.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population ages 15-64, total in North Korea peaked at 18.27 million in 2021 and was at its lowest, 6.94 million, in 1960.
That places North Korea 53rd out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Population ages 15-64, total in North Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 6.94 million | — |
| 1961 | 7.15 million | +3.0% |
| 1962 | 7.36 million | +2.9% |
| 1963 | 7.55 million | +2.6% |
| 1964 | 7.73 million | +2.4% |
| 1965 | 7.91 million | +2.3% |
| 1966 | 8.04 million | +1.6% |
| 1967 | 8.12 million | +1.0% |
| 1968 | 8.23 million | +1.4% |
| 1969 | 8.38 million | +1.8% |
| 1970 | 8.57 million | +2.2% |
| 1971 | 8.76 million | +2.3% |
| 1972 | 9.00 million | +2.7% |
| 1973 | 9.28 million | +3.1% |
| 1974 | 9.55 million | +2.9% |
| 1975 | 9.80 million | +2.6% |
| 1976 | 10.04 million | +2.5% |
| 1977 | 10.29 million | +2.5% |
| 1978 | 10.57 million | +2.7% |
| 1979 | 10.87 million | +2.8% |
| 1980 | 11.18 million | +2.8% |
| 1981 | 11.50 million | +2.9% |
| 1982 | 11.86 million | +3.1% |
| 1983 | 12.23 million | +3.2% |
| 1984 | 12.60 million | +3.0% |
| 1985 | 12.97 million | +2.9% |
| 1986 | 13.33 million | +2.8% |
| 1987 | 13.70 million | +2.7% |
| 1988 | 14.03 million | +2.4% |
| 1989 | 14.31 million | +2.0% |
| 1990 | 14.56 million | +1.8% |
| 1991 | 14.79 million | +1.5% |
| 1992 | 14.99 million | +1.3% |
| 1993 | 15.17 million | +1.2% |
| 1994 | 15.35 million | +1.2% |
| 1995 | 15.50 million | +1.0% |
| 1996 | 15.64 million | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 15.77 million | +0.9% |
| 1998 | 15.89 million | +0.8% |
| 1999 | 16.00 million | +0.7% |
| 2000 | 16.10 million | +0.6% |
| 2001 | 16.19 million | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 16.27 million | +0.5% |
| 2003 | 16.36 million | +0.5% |
| 2004 | 16.46 million | +0.6% |
| 2005 | 16.56 million | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 16.67 million | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 16.78 million | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 16.89 million | +0.7% |
| 2009 | 17.01 million | +0.7% |
| 2010 | 17.13 million | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 17.25 million | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 17.36 million | +0.7% |
| 2013 | 17.48 million | +0.7% |
| 2014 | 17.60 million | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 17.71 million | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 17.84 million | +0.8% |
| 2017 | 18.01 million | +0.9% |
| 2018 | 18.14 million | +0.7% |
| 2019 | 18.21 million | +0.4% |
| 2020 | 18.25 million | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 18.27 million | +0.1% |
| 2022 | 18.27 million | -0.0% |
| 2023 | 18.23 million | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 18.19 million | -0.2% |
| 2025 | 18.16 million | -0.2% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 18.16 million is above the median for low income countries, which is 13.06 million, 1.4× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 18.16 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 874,596, 20.8× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 7.74 million | 6.94 million | 8.38 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 9.67 million | 8.57 million | 10.87 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 12.77 million | 11.18 million | 14.31 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 15.37 million | 14.56 million | 16.00 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 16.53 million | 16.10 million | 17.01 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 17.67 million | 17.13 million | 18.21 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 18.23 million | 18.16 million | 18.27 million | 6 |
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, annual growth rate -1.16 % change on previous year (2100)
- 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)
- Population ages 00-04, female, per capita 0.031 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, male, annual growth rate -0.6303 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 00-04, female, annual growth rate -0.6995 % change on previous year (2025)
- Neonatal tetanus - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population ages 15-64, total in North Korea?
- Population ages 15-64, total in North Korea was 18.16 million in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest population ages 15-64, total recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 18.27 million in 2021.
- What is the lowest population ages 15-64, total recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.94 million in 1960.
- How does North Korea rank for population ages 15-64, total?
- North Korea ranks 53rd out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population ages 15-64, total rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 2.6%. 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 Population ages 15-64, total. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Total population between the ages 15 to 64. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.