North Korea

Democratic People's Republic of Korea
ISO: KN / null Choson-minjujuui-inmin-konghwaguk

📊 Quick Facts

Capital
Pyongyang
Population (2024)
26,298,666
Total Area
120,538 km²
GDP (PPP)
N/A
Government Type
dictatorship, single-party communist state
Independence
15 August 1945 (from Japan)

🌍 Geography

Location: Eastern Asia, northern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Korea Bay and the Sea of Japan, between China and South Korea

Area & Boundaries

Total Area 120,538 km²
Land Area 120,408 km²
Water Area 130 km²
World Rank by Area #null
Land Boundaries 1,607 km
Coastline 2,495 km

Bordering Countries

China 1 (N/A km)
352 km; South Korea (237 km)

Terrain & Climate

Terrain: mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys; wide coastal plains in west, discontinuous in east

Climate: temperate, with rainfall concentrated in summer; long, bitter winters

Elevation

Highest Point : N/Am
Lowest Point : nullm
Mean Elevation 600m

Natural Resources

coal, iron ore, limestone, magnesite, graphite, copper, zinc, lead, precious metals, hydropower

👥 Demographics

Population Overview

Total Population (2024) 26,298,666
World Rank #null
Growth Rate 0.4%
Urbanization null%

Age & Life Expectancy

Median Age 35.9 years
Life Expectancy null years
Birth Rate 13.2 per 1,000
Death Rate 9.2 per 1,000

Major Urban Areas

Education

Literacy Rate: null% (Male: null%, Female: null%)

💼 Economy

one of the last centrally planned economies; hard hit by COVID-19, crop failures, international sanctions, and isolationist policies; declining growth and trade, and heavily reliant on China; poor exchange rate stability; economic data integrity issues

GDP & Economic Indicators

GDP (PPP) N/A
GDP (Official Rate) $16.45 billion
GDP per Capita (PPP) N/A
World GDP Rank #null
GDP Growth Rate null%
Unemployment Rate null%
Inflation Rate null%
Public Debt (% of GDP) null%

GDP Composition by Sector

Agriculture null%
Industry null%
Services null%

Major Industries

military products; machine building, electric power, chemicals; mining (coal, iron ore, limestone, magnesite, graphite, copper, zinc, lead, and precious metals), metallurgy; textiles, food processing; tourism

Trade

Exports N/A
Imports N/A
Foreign Exchange Reserves N/A
Currency (null)

🏛️ Government

Government Type dictatorship, single-party communist state
Suffrage 17 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive Branch

Chief of State:

Head of Government:

Legislative Branch

National Holiday

Founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), 9 September (1948)

📈 Social Indicators

Physicians 3.63 per 1,000

🎨 Cultural Heritage

UNESCO World Heritage Sites 2

Notable Sites

Data Sources: CIA World Factbook, World Bank, United Nations, IMF, OECD
Reference Year: 2024
Last Updated: 2026-01-11