🇰🇵 North Korea vs 🇰🇷 South Korea
25 indicators below, published by both countries and set side by side, with 10 more published for only one of them. They differ most on gdp per capita, where South Korea’s figure is 20.1× higher.
Side by Side
Each bar is scaled against the larger of the two values, so the gap is visible rather than only stated.
Bars compare magnitude only. A larger value is not a better one — several of these indicators have no better direction, and for others the lower figure is the favourable one.
Every Shared Indicator
25 indicators published for both countries. Bold marks the larger of the two values — larger is not always better. Ranks are out of the countries that report each indicator.
| Indicator | North Korea | South Korea | North Korea vs South Korea |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 26,571,03656th of 240 | 51,684,56429th of 240 | 49% lower |
| Annual Growth Rate | +0.27%167th of 240 | −0.13%202nd of 240 | 0.40 points apart |
| Population Density/km² | 219/km²69th of 240 | 530/km²27th of 240 | 59% lower |
| Land Areakm² | 120,410 km²99th of 240 | 97,600 km²107th of 240 | 23% higher |
| Urban Population | 64.2%124th of 240 | 81.2%62nd of 240 | 21% lower |
| GDP per Capita | $1,800205th of 240 | $36,22754th of 240 | $34,427 apart |
| Life Expectancyyears | 73.7 years138th of 240 | 83.6 years14th of 240 | 12% lower |
| Fertility Ratebirths per woman | 1.78 births per woman132nd of 240 | 0.75 births per woman238th of 240 | 2.4× higher |
| Birth Rateper 1,000 | 12.9 per 1,000111th of 213 | 4.7 per 1,000212th of 213 | 2.7× higher |
| Death Rateper 1,000 | 9.9 per 1,00041st of 213 | 7.0 per 1,000118th of 213 | 41% higher |
| Infant Mortalityper 1,000 live births | 13.3 per 1,000 live births102nd of 194 | 2.3 per 1,000 live births16th of 194 | 5.8× higher |
| Unemployment Rate | 3.5%60th of 186 | 2.7%29th of 186 | 32% higher |
| Physiciansper 1,000 | 3.63 per 1,00040th of 206 | 2.61 per 1,00073rd of 206 | 39% higher |
| Hospital Bedsper 1,000 | 12.80 per 1,0005th of 199 | 12.81 per 1,0004th of 199 | 0% lower |
| Literacy Rate | 100.0%1st of 175 | 98.0%49th of 175 | 2% higher |
| School Enrollmentgross, secondary | 94.3% gross, secondary88th of 207 | 96.3% gross, secondary78th of 207 | 2% lower |
| Renewable Energyof final consumption | 14.7% of final consumption125th of 211 | 3.6% of final consumption171st of 211 | 4.1× higher |
| Forest Coverageof land area | 49.6% of land area54th of 211 | 64.1% of land area21st of 211 | 23% lower |
| Internet Penetration | 0.0%208th of 211 | 97.9%14th of 211 | 97.9 points apart |
| Mobile Subscriptionsper 100 people | 24.1 per 100 people210th of 212 | 172.5 per 100 people18th of 212 | 7.1× lower |
| Maternal Mortalityper 100,000 live births | 67 per 100,000 live births112th of 193 | 4 per 100,000 live births14th of 193 | 63 per 100,000 live births apart |
| Protected Areasof land area | 2.4% of land area195th of 211 | 17.7% of land area102nd of 211 | 7.4× lower |
| Median Ageyears | 36.5 years95th of 240 | 45.6 years19th of 240 | 20% lower |
| CO₂ Emissionstonnes per capita | 2.36 tonnes per capita122nd of 212 | 11.29 tonnes per capita21st of 212 | 4.8× lower |
| Obesity Rate | 12.1%153rd of 198 | 7.5%182nd of 198 | 1.6× higher |
Values are each country’s most recent published observation, so the two sides of a row may be from different years — the country pages show the year for each. Bold marks the larger of the two, which is not always the better one.
Not Comparable
Published for one country but not the other, so no comparison is shown.
- GDP Growth — +1.0% for South Korea, not published for North Korea
- Inflation Rate — 2.1% for South Korea, not published for North Korea
- Poverty Rate — 15.3% for South Korea, not published for North Korea
- Gini Index — 32.9 for South Korea, not published for North Korea
- Health Spending — 8.7% of GDP for South Korea, not published for North Korea
- Education Spending — 5.4% of GDP for South Korea, not published for North Korea
- Military Spending — 2.56% of GDP for South Korea, not published for North Korea
- Mean Years of Schooling — 13.7 years for South Korea, not published for North Korea
- Human Development Index — 0.937 for South Korea, not published for North Korea
- Happiness Index — 6.04/ 10 for South Korea, not published for North Korea
Population, 1950–2100
Observed to 2024, then the UN medium-variant projection.
| Series | Year | Value |
|---|---|---|
| North Korea | 1950 | 11.1M |
| North Korea | 1975 | 17M |
| North Korea | 2000 | 23.7M |
| North Korea | 2025 | 26.6M |
| North Korea | 2050 | 25.8M |
| North Korea | 2075 | 22.8M |
| North Korea | 2100 | 19.5M |
| South Korea | 1950 | 19.8M |
| South Korea | 1975 | 35.9M |
| South Korea | 2000 | 46.8M |
| South Korea | 2025 | 51.7M |
| South Korea | 2050 | 45.1M |
| South Korea | 2075 | 32M |
| South Korea | 2100 | 21.8M |
Reading This Comparison
Size is not the same as rate
Totals and per-capita measures answer different questions. A country can have a far larger economy and a far lower GDP per capita at the same time — both facts are in the table.
Mind the vintages
Each value is the latest available for that country, which is not always the same year on both sides. For indicators that move slowly this rarely matters; for inflation or GDP growth it can.