Rank #100 by World Population

🇰🇵Korea, Dem. People's Rep.

Korea, Dem. People's Rep. has a population of 26,418,204, ranking #100 in the world. The capital is Pyongyang. Located in East Asia & Pacific.

World Bank: Low income

26,418,204

Population

#100

World Rank

73.6

Life Expectancy

GDP Per Capita

Korea, Dem. People's Rep., #100 by world population

Korea, Dem. People's Rep. Population History (1960-2024)

The country of Korea, Dem. People's Rep. had a population of 11,722,953 in 1960 and 26,498,823 in 2024, a 2.3× growth over 64 years. The peak was 26,498,823 in 2024. Average annual growth rate: 1.29%.

Korea, Dem. People's Rep. population, 1960–2024 · Source: U.S. Census Bureau — decennial census & Population Estimates

26,498,823

Population (2024)

11,722,953

Population (1960)

26,498,823

Peak (2024)

1.29%

Avg Annual Growth

Year	Population	Change	Annual %	Source
1960	11,722,953	-	-	estimate
1961	11,990,713	+267,760	+2.28%	estimate
1962	12,262,882	+272,169	+2.27%	estimate
1963	12,567,057	+304,175	+2.48%	estimate
1964	12,889,770	+322,713	+2.57%	estimate
1965	13,219,369	+329,599	+2.56%	estimate
1966	13,569,094	+349,725	+2.65%	estimate
1967	13,958,350	+389,256	+2.87%	estimate
1968	14,365,596	+407,246	+2.92%	estimate
1969	14,767,615	+402,019	+2.80%	estimate
1970	15,172,775	+405,160	+2.74%	estimate
1971	15,572,457	+399,682	+2.63%	estimate
1972	15,975,069	+402,612	+2.59%	estimate
1973	16,350,367	+375,298	+2.35%	estimate
1974	16,673,121	+322,754	+1.97%	estimate
1975	16,971,055	+297,934	+1.79%	estimate
1976	17,243,450	+272,395	+1.61%	estimate
1977	17,492,798	+249,348	+1.45%	estimate
1978	17,735,995	+243,197	+1.39%	estimate
1979	17,983,470	+247,475	+1.40%	estimate
1980	18,236,786	+253,316	+1.41%	estimate
1981	18,501,295	+264,509	+1.45%	estimate
1982	18,776,357	+275,062	+1.49%	estimate
1983	19,054,034	+277,677	+1.48%	estimate
1984	19,335,043	+281,009	+1.47%	estimate
1985	19,620,388	+285,345	+1.48%	estimate
1986	19,910,855	+290,467	+1.48%	estimate
1987	20,205,483	+294,628	+1.48%	estimate
1988	20,503,161	+297,678	+1.47%	estimate
1989	20,804,367	+301,206	+1.47%	estimate
1990	21,112,137	+307,770	+1.48%	estimate
1991	21,428,638	+316,501	+1.50%	estimate
1992	21,750,911	+322,273	+1.50%	estimate
1993	22,073,352	+322,441	+1.48%	estimate
1994	22,393,975	+320,623	+1.45%	estimate
1995	22,669,304	+275,329	+1.23%	estimate
1996	22,895,746	+226,442	+1.00%	estimate
1997	23,110,830	+215,084	+0.94%	estimate
1998	23,311,564	+200,734	+0.87%	estimate
1999	23,497,599	+186,035	+0.80%	estimate
2000	23,665,910	+168,311	+0.72%	estimate
2001	23,815,358	+149,448	+0.63%	estimate
2002	23,943,973	+128,615	+0.54%	estimate
2003	24,090,380	+146,407	+0.61%	estimate
2004	24,254,943	+164,563	+0.68%	estimate
2005	24,396,433	+141,490	+0.58%	estimate
2006	24,524,507	+128,074	+0.52%	estimate
2007	24,646,383	+121,876	+0.50%	estimate
2008	24,764,618	+118,235	+0.48%	estimate
2009	24,878,332	+113,714	+0.46%	estimate
2010	24,987,258	+108,926	+0.44%	estimate
2011	25,097,874	+110,616	+0.44%	estimate
2012	25,211,728	+113,854	+0.45%	estimate
2013	25,329,451	+117,723	+0.47%	estimate
2014	25,451,262	+121,811	+0.48%	estimate
2015	25,575,350	+124,088	+0.49%	estimate
2016	25,698,326	+122,976	+0.48%	estimate
2017	25,817,709	+119,383	+0.46%	estimate
2018	25,931,147	+113,438	+0.44%	estimate
2019	26,037,632	+106,485	+0.41%	estimate
2020	26,136,312	+98,680	+0.38%	estimate
2021	26,232,534	+96,222	+0.37%	estimate
2022	26,328,845	+96,311	+0.37%	estimate
2023	26,418,204	+89,359	+0.34%	estimate
2024	26,498,823	+80,619	+0.31%	estimate

Demographics

Population	26,418,204
Population Growth Rate	0.34%
Urban Population	63.5%
Fertility Rate	1.78 births/woman
Life Expectancy	73.6 years
Infant Mortality Rate	14.5 per 1,000
Literacy Rate	-

Economy & Trade

GDP Per Capita

3.5%

Unemployment Rate

Low income

Income Level

Health & Education

14.5

Infant Mortality (per 1,000)

Development & Connectivity

57.5%

Electricity Access

Mobile Subs per 100

219.4

People per km2

-1,997

Net Migration

Environment

49.6%

Forest Area

Other Countries in East Asia & Pacific

American Samoa Australia Brunei Darussalam Cambodia China

Korea, Dem. People's Rep. in global context

Korea, Dem. People's Rep. is one of 212 countries tracked. See how it ranks globally, regional shares of world population, and projections to 2050 / 2100.

World Population 2026: Top 10 Countries, Regions & Trends →

Other related entities

American Samoa (47,521)Australia (26,659,922)Brunei Darussalam (458,949)Cambodia (17,423,880)China (1,410,710,000)All countries →

Country rankings

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Frequently Asked Questions

Korea, Dem. People's Rep. has a population of 26,418,204, ranking #100 in the world. The annual population growth rate is 0.34%.

Life expectancy in Korea, Dem. People's Rep. is 73.6 years. The infant mortality rate is 14.5 per 1,000 live births.

GDP data for Korea, Dem. People's Rep. is available from the World Bank Open Data portal.

63.5% of Korea, Dem. People's Rep.'s population lives in urban areas. The overall population density is 219.4 people per square kilometer.

Literacy data for Korea, Dem. People's Rep. is available from the World Bank.

Sources: World Bank Open Data

International data from the World Bank Open Data API. Population figures are latest available estimates. GDP per capita in current US dollars.

With 26,418,204 residents, Korea, Dem. People's Rep. is a country in East Asia & Pacific. The population is growing slowly, about 0.3% annually.

Life expectancy is 73.6 years, with a fertility rate of 1.8 births per woman, and 63.5% of the population lives in urban areas.

Source: World Bank Open Data, 2026.