Population, male in North Korea
North Korea: Population, male was 13.15 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Latest (2025)
13.15 million
Change on year
up 0.3%
World rank
56th
of 218 countries
All-time high
13.15 million
in 2025
All-time low
5.30 million
in 1960
Years of data
66
1960–2025
Population, male in North Korea, 1960–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
Analysis
North Korea recorded 13.15 million for population, male in 2025. That is the highest value across all 66 years on record.
The figure is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 4.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population, male in North Korea peaked at 13.15 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 5.30 million, in 1960.
North Korea ranks 56th of 218 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Population, male in North Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 5.30 million | — |
| 1961 | 5.44 million | +2.7% |
| 1962 | 5.59 million | +2.6% |
| 1963 | 5.75 million | +2.9% |
| 1964 | 5.92 million | +2.9% |
| 1965 | 6.09 million | +2.9% |
| 1966 | 6.27 million | +3.0% |
| 1967 | 6.48 million | +3.2% |
| 1968 | 6.69 million | +3.3% |
| 1969 | 6.90 million | +3.1% |
| 1970 | 7.11 million | +3.1% |
| 1971 | 7.32 million | +2.9% |
| 1972 | 7.53 million | +2.9% |
| 1973 | 7.73 million | +2.6% |
| 1974 | 7.90 million | +2.2% |
| 1975 | 8.05 million | +2.0% |
| 1976 | 8.20 million | +1.8% |
| 1977 | 8.33 million | +1.6% |
| 1978 | 8.46 million | +1.5% |
| 1979 | 8.59 million | +1.5% |
| 1980 | 8.72 million | +1.6% |
| 1981 | 8.86 million | +1.6% |
| 1982 | 9.01 million | +1.6% |
| 1983 | 9.15 million | +1.6% |
| 1984 | 9.30 million | +1.6% |
| 1985 | 9.45 million | +1.6% |
| 1986 | 9.60 million | +1.6% |
| 1987 | 9.76 million | +1.6% |
| 1988 | 9.91 million | +1.6% |
| 1989 | 10.07 million | +1.6% |
| 1990 | 10.23 million | +1.6% |
| 1991 | 10.40 million | +1.6% |
| 1992 | 10.57 million | +1.6% |
| 1993 | 10.73 million | +1.6% |
| 1994 | 10.90 million | +1.5% |
| 1995 | 11.04 million | +1.3% |
| 1996 | 11.15 million | +1.1% |
| 1997 | 11.26 million | +1.0% |
| 1998 | 11.37 million | +0.9% |
| 1999 | 11.46 million | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 11.55 million | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 11.63 million | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 11.69 million | +0.6% |
| 2003 | 11.76 million | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 11.85 million | +0.7% |
| 2005 | 11.92 million | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 11.98 million | +0.5% |
| 2007 | 12.04 million | +0.5% |
| 2008 | 12.10 million | +0.5% |
| 2009 | 12.16 million | +0.5% |
| 2010 | 12.22 million | +0.5% |
| 2011 | 12.28 million | +0.5% |
| 2012 | 12.35 million | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 12.42 million | +0.6% |
| 2014 | 12.49 million | +0.6% |
| 2015 | 12.56 million | +0.6% |
| 2016 | 12.64 million | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 12.71 million | +0.6% |
| 2018 | 12.77 million | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 12.83 million | +0.5% |
| 2020 | 12.89 million | +0.4% |
| 2021 | 12.94 million | +0.4% |
| 2022 | 13.00 million | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 13.06 million | +0.4% |
| 2024 | 13.11 million | +0.4% |
| 2025 | 13.15 million | +0.3% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 13.15 million is above the median for low income countries, which is 11.99 million, 1.1× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 13.15 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 715,244, 18.4× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 6.04 million | 5.30 million | 6.90 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 7.92 million | 7.11 million | 8.59 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 9.38 million | 8.72 million | 10.07 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 10.91 million | 10.23 million | 11.46 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.87 million | 11.55 million | 12.16 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 12.53 million | 12.22 million | 12.83 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 13.03 million | 12.89 million | 13.15 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 767 (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates 1,462 (2090)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.16 % change on previous year (2100)
- Population, male, annual growth rate 0.3494 % change on previous year (2025)
- Deaths in armed conflicts by country 0 (2026)
- Deaths in armed conflicts by region 0 (2026)
- Population, male, per capita 0.4951 units per person (2025)
- Age population, age 10, female, interpolated 162,379 (2025)
- Age population, age 13, female, interpolated 157,831 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population, male in North Korea?
- Population, male in North Korea was 13.15 million in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest population, male recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 13.15 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest population, male recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 5.30 million in 1960.
- How does North Korea rank for population, male?
- North Korea ranks 56th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population, male rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.7%. 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, male. 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
Male population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all male residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.