North Korea

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

Temperature

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

Population

Population density

Emigration

Immigration

Literacy

Health

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

Other religions (share of the total population)

Non-religious (share of the total population)

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

In total, North Korea spends US$1.6 billion, or 9.8 percent of its GDP on its military. This makes North Korea the 69th highest military spender in the world representing 0.08 percent total global military spending.

The military of North Korea, called the Korean People's Army, consists of a Navy, an army and an air force. Despite its's relatively small population, it has the fourth largest army in terms of military personnel in the world. Its military equipment is estimated to be over 50 years old on average and due to international sanctions, North Korea lacks the spare parts to maintain most of its military equipment.

Military membership

North Korea is also a member of three international military organizations which makes it the 168th most connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

States with nuclear weapons
Conference on Disarmament
Non-Aligned Movement

Military membership

International wars

Since its independence, North Korea has partaken in six international wars. These are:

Korean conflict 1945-present
Korean War 1950-1953
Vietnam War 1955-1975
Insurgency of the Communist Party of the Philippines
Third Indochina War 1975-1991
Houthi insurgency in Yemen 2004-2015

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

North Korea is a member of six international political organizations which makes it the 194th most politically connected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Member state of the United Nations
International Labour Organization
Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia
Asian–African Legal Consultative Organization
South Centre (organization)
World Organization for Animal Health

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

North Korea is considered to be one of the least democratic states in the world due to a lack of democratic representation and a one party system.

Democracy/Dictatorship

The politics of North Korea are in the form of a dictatorship which adheres to the Juche ideology. This ideology requires its citizens to be self-reliant while the state still controls the majority of the public and private sphere. The leader of the dictatorship has been a member of the Kim dynasty which is called the supreme leader, or the eternal president of North Korea.

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Known for its parades, its mass games as well as housing the largest flag in the world, North Korea, or the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has been notorious within international relations. The area has been inhabited for more than 8000 years and has had several civilizations for more than 4000 years. From 2000 BC until the end of the second world war, the area has been inhabited by numerous kingdoms and has also served as a vassal state to China as well as Japan. After the second world war, the Korean Peninsula was separated between its socialist northern half and capitalist southern half along the 38th parallel. However, after five years, North Korea invaded South Korea and almost fully conquered the Korean Peninsula. With the aid of the United States and other Western powers the north Korean Army had made heavy territorial losses. With the help of Chinese troops, North Korea regained large parts of its territory and an armistice was signed in 1953. Since then, North Korea has seen periods of high growth as well as periods of famine. After the fall of the Soviet Union, North Korea has succeeded in creating nuclear weapons, making it the ninth state with nuclear weapons.

It had high mountains in his central and northern part which is surrounded by low lying mountains. Its terrain is mainly made up of densely forested areas within its mountain range and a lightly forested area in its low-lying plains. It borders China to the north, Russia to the northeast, the Sea of Japan to the east, South Korea to the south and the yellow Sea to the west.

It is the 97th largest state in the world with a total surface area of 121,143 square kilometers or 46,773 square miles. This makes North Korea slightly larger than Malawi and slightly smaller than Nicaragua.

It has a total water surface area of 32 square kilometers 14 square miles which makes it the 150th state with the highest amount of surface water.

Below, a graph is shown which displays the absolute amount of water of each state in square kilometers and square miles.

The majority of its drinking water is derived from ground water. However, this tap water is not considered to be safe to drink.

The climate of North Korea is a continental climate with large influences from Continental Asia. It is known to have four seasons with warm summers and cold and dry winters. The average temperature is 6.7 degrees Celsius or 44.1 degrees Fahrenheit which is the 177th warmest in the world.

The average temperature during summer is 12.6 degrees Celsius or 54.7 degrees Fahrenheit. This mainly occurs between June and September.

During winter, the average temperature is 3.8 degrees Celsius or 38.8 degrees Fahrenheit which is between January and March.

Annually, North Korea receives 91.9 centimetres or 36.2 inches of rainfall per year which makes it the 108th state with the highest amount of rain. The majority, approximately 80 percent, occurs between spring and summer.

The capital of North Korea, Pyongyang, is home to approximately 3 million people. The capital that is closest to Pyongyang is Seoul of South Korea with a distance of 201 kilometers or 125 miles. The capital that is furthest removed from Pyongyang is Montevideo of Uruguay with a distance of 19,507 kilometers or 12,121 miles.

The economy of North Korea has had large ups and downs since 1953. Until 1991, North Korea has had the majority of its trade with China and the Soviet Union. However, after the fall of the Soviet Union, the economy ground to a halt. This has led to a neglect in the upkeep of its industries and a rapid decline in output. This, combined with international sanctions as well as a famine had destroyed most of the economy. The economy of North Korea used to be centrally planned, but with the decline in output, private enterprise has been permitted and has overtaken the public sector since 2020. The majority of its exports products as well as its imports products are unknown, but it is estimated that it are natural minerals along with tungsten are mainly exported. Due to international sanctions, it is unknown to who North Korea exports these products, but it is assumed that China represents more than 90 percent of all exports.

North Korea is a member of two international economic organizations which makes it the least economically interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

International Monetary Fund
Group of 77

Its GDP is estimated to be US$12.2 billion which makes it the 140th highest in the world and represents 0.015 percent of total global GDP.

Its GDP per square kilometer is US$101,106 or US$261,867 per square mile which is the 146th highest in the world.

Its GDP per capita is US$476 which is the 191st highest in the world.

The absolute earnings (GDP per capita) reflect the average yearly income. The figure below shows how much, on average, an inhabitant of another state earns for every $1 earned by a citizen of this state.

Its purchasing power parity is US$1700 which is the 181st highest in the world.

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of this state with that of the rest of the world. The graph on the left shows how much purchasing power of 1$ compared to the purchasing power of other states

With a population of 25.7 million people, North Korea is the 54th most populous state in the world. It is also the ethnically most homogenous state and is represented by more than 99.9 percent ethnically Korean. Therefore, it's language is also Korean, but is slightly distinct from South Korean with the exclusion of words that originate from the Western world.

It is the 49th most densely populated state in the world with 212 people per square kilometer or 549 people per square mile.

Emigration from North Korea has been limited. This is because it is illegal to migrate from North Korea and North Korea has a strict and border guard. However, just under 50,000 people have managed to cross the North Korean border which is 0.2 percent of the population and 0.016 percent of total global emigration.

Immigration to North Korea has been limited as well. It is estimated that less than 50,000 people, mainly South Koreans and the Chinese have migrated to North Korea as well as a handful of people from Europe. This makes North Korea the 119th state with the largest number of immigrants representing 0.018 percent of total global immigration.

The North Korean educational system has been fully funded by the North Korean government and is free and compulsory between the ages of five and 16. This has led to a literacy rate of 99.6 percent, which is the fourth highest in the world.

Even though North Korea provides free and universal healthcare to all of its citizens, it is argued that there are certain classes within North Korea that have access to better healthcare. The largest threats to health in North Korea are currently malnutrition and communicable diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis. The average life expectancy, with 72.9 years is the 93rd highest in the world. Women reach an average age of 76.4 years while men reach an average age of 69.3 years.

North Korea is considered to be an atheist state. However, there are small religious minorities residing within Korea.

Christianity is represented by 1.7 percent of the population and mainly adhere to the Silhak school of thought which is related to Catholicism. Despite allegations that North Korea has been the largest persecutor of Christians, there are several state-controlled Christian churches within North Korea.

On the right, the global share of Christians per state is displayed

It is estimated that less than 5000 Muslims reside within North Korea. This makes North Korea the 191st most Islamic state in the world. These are mainly people that work for Iran or the Iranian Embassy.

Buddhism is represented by 1.5 percent of the population and was introduced when North Korea was under Chinese rule. However, after gaining its independence from China, North Korea has developed its own version of Buddhism. Today, Buddhism is regulated by the state.

Less than 0.03 percent of the population adheres to Hinduism. These are mainly Embassy workers from India.

There are no official Jewish organizations in North Korea.

Other religions are mainly Chondoism, which is considered to be a religion that is in line with State ideology because of its anti-imperialist and revolutionary character.

Irreligion is represented by 47.7 percent of the population. This is largely because of the promotion by the state as well as the reward system that is in place regarding religion.