North Korea Population

North Korea is an unusual case among poorer countries, with fertility below the replacement level and a slowly ageing population. Reliable data is scarce given the country's isolation, but the legacy of past famine and chronic hardship is visible in its demographics. The result is a population growing very slowly, more like a developed country than a developing one.

North Korea is home to about 26.6 million people in 2026, the 56th largest population of any country. In Eastern Asia, where it lies, that future is driven by fertility, longevity and the movement of people across its borders. Population density stands at about 221 people for every square kilometre of land.

The defining marker in North Korea's future is its peak, expected around 2032 at about 26.8 million. After that the population eases back toward 19.6 million by 2100, having passed through 25.8 million at mid-century.

Fertility sits at about 1.78 births per woman, below the replacement level of roughly 2.1, so without migration the population would eventually shrink.

Half of North Korea is currently younger than about 36, but by 2100 the median age is projected to reach around 49, even as life expectancy improves from about 74 years. That ageing slowly changes everything from the size of the workforce to the cost of care and pensions.

Read these numbers as the midpoint of a range. Under the UN's high and low fertility paths North Korea's 2100 population could land well above or below the figures here; the medium variant is simply the central case.