Population by labor force status in North Korea
North Korea: Population by labor force status was 5.03 million people in 2025. ▼ Falling
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.
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
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15+) 82.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) 91.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-6 89.3% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 77.7% (2025)
- Ratio of female to male labor force participation rate (%) 89.6% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15+) 86.8% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) 78.5% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) 81.9% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) 75.2% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15 87.3% (2025)
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.
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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).