North Korea at its true size
North Korea covers 120,540 km², number 96 of 194 countries by area. Home to 26,571,036 people (2025). A Mercator map draws it about 1.71× too large.
Equal-area projection · Natural Earth 50m
| Area | 120,540 km² Wikidata |
|---|---|
| Population | 26,571,036 World Bank, 2025 |
| Density | 220 per km² |
| Capital | Pyongyang |
| Local time in Pyongyang | |
| Time zone | UTC+9 IANA |
| Currency | North Korean won (KPW) Wikidata |
| Languages | Korean, North Korean standard language |
| Traffic | On the right |
| Region | Eastern Asia, Asia |
| Status | Independent state |
| Coast | Has a coastline |
| Calling code | +850 |
| Codes | KP · PRK · 408 |
Weather in Pyongyang now
Now
—Loading the forecast…
The next three days
Weather data: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0), updated hourly · Temperatures on the map
Where North Korea ranks
Among the independent states, in 30 rankings. Each links to its table.
People
- Population#56 of 19427 million people#21 of 48 in Asia
- Population density#45 of 194220 people per km²#17 of 48 in Asia
- Urban population#91 of 19264% urban#24 of 47 in Asia
- Fertility rate#110 of 1921.78 births per woman#30 of 47 in Asia
- Population growth#145 of 192+0.27% a year#39 of 47 in Asia
- Birth rate#106 of 19212.9 births per 1,000 people#28 of 47 in Asia
- Death rate#37 of 1929.9 deaths per 1,000 people#3 of 47 in Asia
- Children under 15#122 of 19218.9% under 15#37 of 47 in Asia
- People over 65#64 of 19212.7% aged 65 and over#9 of 47 in Asia
- Net migration#78 of 192−0.1 per 1,000 people#24 of 47 in Asia
- Refugees abroad#155 of 1900.01 refugees abroad per 1,000 people#39 of 47 in Asia
Health & education
Economy
- Unemployment#121 of 1783.5% of the labour force#27 of 47 in Asia
- Jobs in agriculture#20 of 17854.1% of jobs#2 of 47 in Asia
- Jobs in industry#62 of 17822.4% of jobs#26 of 47 in Asia
- Jobs in services#172 of 17823.5% of jobs#47 of 47 in Asia
- Mobile subscriptions#190 of 19124 subscriptions per 100 people#47 of 47 in Asia
Energy & environment
- CO₂ per person#94 of 1852.50 tonnes a person#29 of 47 in Asia
- Forest area#20 of 19264% forest#6 of 47 in Asia
- Renewable energy#124 of 19014.7% renewable#20 of 47 in Asia
- Access to electricity#162 of 19261.4% with electricity#47 of 47 in Asia
- Air pollution (PM2.5)#73 of 19121.8 µg/m³#35 of 47 in Asia
- Protected land#178 of 1912.4% of the land protected#44 of 47 in Asia
- Arable land#56 of 19019.1% of the land arable#11 of 47 in Asia
- Water stress#59 of 17627.7% of its available fresh water#34 of 47 in Asia
- Precipitation#88 of 1801,054 mm a year#20 of 47 in Asia
Governance & safety
Countries of a similar size
Every country within 25% of North Korea’s area, lit up on the map →
- Nicaragua1.0×North Korea and Nicaragua are almost exactly the same size.
- Malawi1.02×North Korea and Malawi are almost exactly the same size.
- Eritrea1.02×North Korea and Eritrea are almost exactly the same size.
- Benin1.05×North Korea is 5% larger than Benin.
- Honduras1.07×North Korea is 7% larger than Honduras.
- Liberia1.08×North Korea is 8% larger than Liberia.
How many times does North Korea fit into…
- Russia: about 142 times
- Canada: about 83 times
- United States: about 82 times
The land itself
Rivers, summits and lakes North Korea shares with the rest of the world. Turn on “Rivers & lakes” and “Physical names” in the atlas to see them on the map.
Rivers
- Han514 km
Summits
- Baekdu Mountain2,744 m
Rivers are listed by the published length of their whole course, not the part inside North Korea. Figures from Wikidata, features from Natural Earth.
Neighbours
Questions about North Korea
- How big is North Korea?
- North Korea covers 120,540 km², which makes it number 96 of 194 countries by area. About 26,571,036 people live there (2025), 220 per km².
- Is North Korea bigger than Nicaragua?
- North Korea and Nicaragua are almost exactly the same size. North Korea: 120,540 km²; Nicaragua: 120,340 km².
- How much does the Mercator map distort North Korea?
- At about 40° latitude, Mercator stretches North Korea to roughly 1.71× its true area relative to a country on the equator. Kartavera draws it in the Equal Earth projection, where areas are exact.
- Which countries border North Korea?
- North Korea shares a land border with Russia, China, South Korea.