Population by labor force status in North Korea
North Korea: Population by labor force status was 5.03 million people in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
5.03 million people
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
72nd
of 186 countries
All-time high
6.06 million people
in 1999
All-time low
4.98 million people
in 2019
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Population by labor force status in North Korea, 1991–2025
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
North Korea recorded 5.03 million people for population by labor force status in 2025.
The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and down 0.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population by labor force status in North Korea peaked at 6.06 million people in 1999 and was at its lowest, 4.98 million people, in 2019.
That places North Korea 72nd out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Population by labor force status in North Korea, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 5.65 million people | — |
| 1992 | 5.73 million people | +1.4% |
| 1993 | 5.82 million people | +1.6% |
| 1994 | 5.91 million people | +1.6% |
| 1995 | 5.98 million people | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 6.02 million people | +0.7% |
| 1997 | 6.05 million people | +0.4% |
| 1998 | 6.06 million people | +0.3% |
| 1999 | 6.06 million people | +0.1% |
| 2000 | 6.05 million people | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 6.03 million people | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 5.98 million people | -0.7% |
| 2003 | 5.94 million people | -0.8% |
| 2004 | 5.89 million people | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 5.82 million people | -1.1% |
| 2006 | 5.75 million people | -1.4% |
| 2007 | 5.66 million people | -1.4% |
| 2008 | 5.58 million people | -1.5% |
| 2009 | 5.50 million people | -1.5% |
| 2010 | 5.41 million people | -1.6% |
| 2011 | 5.32 million people | -1.6% |
| 2012 | 5.24 million people | -1.5% |
| 2013 | 5.18 million people | -1.3% |
| 2014 | 5.12 million people | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 5.07 million people | -0.9% |
| 2016 | 5.03 million people | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 5.00 million people | -0.5% |
| 2018 | 4.98 million people | -0.4% |
| 2019 | 4.98 million people | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 4.99 million people | +0.2% |
| 2021 | 5.00 million people | +0.3% |
| 2022 | 5.01 million people | +0.2% |
| 2023 | 5.01 million people | +0.1% |
| 2024 | 5.02 million people | +0.1% |
| 2025 | 5.03 million people | +0.2% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 5.03 million people is below the median for low income countries, which is 9.15 million people, 55% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 5.03 million people is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 1.11 million people, 4.5× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 5.92 million people | 5.65 million people | 6.06 million people | 9 |
| 2000s | 5.82 million people | 5.50 million people | 6.05 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 5.13 million people | 4.98 million people | 5.41 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 5.01 million people | 4.99 million people | 5.03 million people | 6 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
More work & labour data for North Korea
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 17,790 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 82.13 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 3,871 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 0.555 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 3.56 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 3,086 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 931.04 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 79.21 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 0.3313 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate 0.2604 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population by labor force status in North Korea?
- Population by labor force status in North Korea was 5.03 million people in 2025, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest population by labor force status recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 6.06 million people in 1999.
- What is the lowest population by labor force status recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.98 million people in 2019.
- How does North Korea rank for population by labor force status?
- North Korea ranks 72nd out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population by labor force status rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Population by labor force status. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Population below working age (under 15 years old).