The Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Service Coverage Index in North Korea
North Korea: The Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Service Coverage Index was 77 in 2023. ▲ Rising
The Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Service Coverage Index in North Korea, 2000–2023
Source: World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
North Korea recorded 77 for the universal health coverage (uhc) service coverage index in 2023.
That represents a change of up 1.3% on the previous year and unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, the universal health coverage (uhc) service coverage index in North Korea peaked at 80 in 2016 and was at its lowest, 70, in 2000.
North Korea ranks 70th of 195 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 24 years of available data.
The Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Service Coverage Index in North Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 70 | — |
| 2001 | 70 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 71 | +1.4% |
| 2003 | 71 | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 72 | +1.4% |
| 2005 | 72 | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 72 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 73 | +1.4% |
| 2008 | 74 | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 74 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 75 | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 73 | -2.7% |
| 2012 | 76 | +4.1% |
| 2013 | 77 | +1.3% |
| 2014 | 78 | +1.3% |
| 2015 | 79 | +1.3% |
| 2016 | 80 | +1.3% |
| 2017 | 80 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 79 | -1.2% |
| 2019 | 80 | +1.3% |
| 2020 | 80 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 80 | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 76 | -5.0% |
| 2023 | 77 | +1.3% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 77 is above the median for low income countries, which is 43, 1.8× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 77 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 69, 1.1× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 71.9 | 70 | 74 | 10 |
| 2010s | 77.7 | 73 | 80 | 10 |
| 2020s | 78.25 | 76 | 80 | 4 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
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)
- Deaths in armed conflicts based on where they occurred 0 deaths (2026)
- Population ages 0-14, total, per capita 0.1893 units per person (2025)
- Deaths in armed conflicts by region 0 deaths (2026)
- Population ages 0-14, total, annual growth rate 0.1729 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, female, annual growth rate -0.1835 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 0-14, male, per capita 0.0972 units per person (2025)
- Population, male, per capita 0.4951 units per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is the universal health coverage (uhc) service coverage index in North Korea?
- The universal health coverage (uhc) service coverage index in North Korea was 77 in 2023, according to World Health Organization – Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest the universal health coverage (uhc) service coverage index recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 80 in 2016.
- What is the lowest the universal health coverage (uhc) service coverage index recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 70 in 2000.
- How does North Korea rank for the universal health coverage (uhc) service coverage index?
- North Korea ranks 70th out of 195 countries with data for 2023.
- Is the universal health coverage (uhc) service coverage index rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. 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 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of The Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Service Coverage Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Service Coverage Index is measured on a scale from 0 (worst) to 100 (best) based on the average coverage of essential services including reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health, infectious diseases, non-communicable diseases and service capacity and access.