North Korea vs Russia
Russia is 142 times larger than North Korea. North Korea would fit into Russia about 142 times.
North KoreaRussiaNorth Korea moved onto Russia · Equal-area projection
Remote islands and overseas parts not drawn; the figures include them
0.01×
North Korea is 0.01× the area of Russia. Put the other way, Russia is 142× the size of North Korea.
 North Korea |  Russia | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaRussia: 142× the area | 120,540 km²#96 of 194 | 17,075,400 km²#1 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Has a coast |
| Land neighbours | 3 | 14 |
| People | ||
| PopulationRussia: 5.4× the population | 26,571,036#56 of 194 · 2025 | 143,513,328#9 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityNorth Korea: 26.2× the density | 220 / km²#45 of 194 | 8.4 / km²#183 of 194 |
| Urban populationRussia: 1.17× the urban share | 64%#91 of 192 · 2025 | 75%#57 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateNorth Korea: 1.25× the births per woman | 1.78 per woman#110 of 192 · 2024 | 1.42 per woman#154 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthNorth Korea: 0.38 points higher | +0.27%#145 of 192 · 2025 | −0.11%#163 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateNorth Korea: 1.54× the birth rate | 12.9 per 1,000#106 of 192 · 2024 | 8.4 per 1,000#163 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateRussia: 1.25× the death rate | 9.9 per 1,000#37 of 192 · 2024 | 12.4 per 1,000#15 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15North Korea: 1.9 points higher | 18.9%#122 of 192 · 2025 | 17.0%#142 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Russia: 5.1 points higher | 12.7%#64 of 192 · 2025 | 17.8%#42 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationNorth Korea: 1.7 per 1,000 higher | −0.1 per 1,000#78 of 192 · 2025 | −1.8 per 1,000#137 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadRussia: 69× the refugees for its size | 0.01 per 1,000#155 of 190 · 2025 | 0.69 per 1,000#68 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyNorth Korea: 0.3 years longer | 73.7 years#98 of 192 · 2024 | 73.4 years#101 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortalityNorth Korea: 3.24× the infant mortality | 13.3 per 1,000 births#92 of 191 · 2024 | 4.1 per 1,000 births#150 of 191 · 2024 |
| Doctors | — | 5.11 per 1,000#8 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolment | — | 60.4%#56 of 145 · 2024 |
| Human Development Index | — | 0.832#63 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capita | — | $15,960#63 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDP | — | $2.56T2025 |
| Income group | Low income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP) | — | $49,568#45 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growth | — | +1.0%#156 of 187 · 2025 |
| Inflation | — | +8.7%#25 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentNorth Korea: 1.67× the unemployment | 3.5%#121 of 178 · 2025 | 2.1%#161 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | — | 0.1%#126 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini) | — | 33.0#94 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureNorth Korea: 49.0 points higher | 54.1% of jobs#20 of 178 · 2025 | 5.1% of jobs#130 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryRussia: 3.4 points higher | 22.4% of jobs#62 of 178 · 2025 | 25.8% of jobs#39 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesRussia: 45.6 points higher | 23.5% of jobs#172 of 178 · 2025 | 69.1% of jobs#56 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investment | — | 0.4% of GDP#150 of 184 · 2025 |
| Exports | — | 18.2% of GDP#138 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spending | — | 7.5% of GDP#4 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet users | — | 94%#28 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsRussia: 7.75× the mobile subscriptions | 24 per 100#190 of 191 · 2022 | 186 per 100#5 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest areaNorth Korea: 1.26× the forest share | 64% of land#20 of 192 · 2024 | 51% of land#47 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personRussia: 5.59× the CO₂ per person | 2.50 t a year#94 of 185 · 2024 | 14.0 t a year#12 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyNorth Korea: 11.2 points higher | 14.7%#124 of 190 · 2021 | 3.5%#162 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityRussia: 38.6 points higher | 61.4%#162 of 192 · 2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5)North Korea: 1.88× the air pollution | 21.8 µg/m³#73 of 191 · 2023 | 11.6 µg/m³#141 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected landRussia: 9.1 points higher | 2.4% of land#178 of 191 · 2025 | 11.5% of land#138 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable landNorth Korea: 11.7 points higher | 19.1% of land#56 of 190 · 2024 | 7.4% of land#113 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stressNorth Korea: 6.76× the water stress | 27.7%#59 of 176 · 2022 | 4.1%#129 of 176 · 2022 |
| PrecipitationNorth Korea: 2.29× the rain and snow | 1,054 mm#88 of 180 · 2022 | 460 mm#145 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityNorth Korea: 1.02 higher | +0.08#100 of 193 · 2025 | −0.94#165 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionRussia: 0.57 higher | −1.55#186 of 193 · 2025 | −0.98#153 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rate | — | 6.8 per 100,000#38 of 146 · 2021 |
| State | ||
| Status | Independent state | Independent state |
| Government | One-party statedictatorship, single-party communist state | Semi-presidential republicsemi-presidential federation |
| Member of | — | G20, BRICS |
| Capital | Pyongyang | Moscow |
| Currency | North Korean won (KPW) | Russian ruble (RUB) |
| Official languages | Korean, North Korean standard language | Russian, Ukrainian, Azerbaijani, Tatar, Bashkir, Chechen, Chuvash, Ossetian, Crimean Tatar, Yakut, Avar, Udmurt, Tuvan, Erzya, Adyghe, Komi, Buryat, Lezgian, Karachay-Balkar, Ingush, Mari, Moksha, Kabardian, Abaza, Kalmyk, Khakas, Lak, Kumyk, Nogai, Rutulian, Tabasaran, Tat, Aghul, Tsakhur, Dargwa, Southern Altai |
| Traffic drives | On the right | On the right |
| Time zone | UTC+9 | UTC+3 · UTC+2 to UTC+12, 11 time zones |
| Calling code | +850 | +7 |
| Region | Eastern Asia, Asia | Eastern Europe, Europe |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. North Korea sits at about 40° N and is stretched to 1.71× its true area; Russia at 66° N is stretched to 6.06×. That difference is why Russia looks so much bigger than it is next to North Korea. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is North Korea bigger than Russia?
- No. North Korea is 142 times smaller than Russia. North Korea covers 120,540 km² and Russia covers 17,075,400 km².
- How many times does North Korea fit into Russia?
- About 142 times: Russia has 142× the area of North Korea.
- Why do North Korea and Russia look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. North Korea is drawn about 1.71× its true area there and Russia about 6.06×. That is why Russia looks so much bigger than it really is next to North Korea. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, North Korea or Russia?
- Russia: 143,513,328 people against 26,571,036. Density: North Korea 220 per km², Russia 8.4 per km².
- Where do people live longer, North Korea or Russia?
- In North Korea: life expectancy at birth is 73.7 years, against 73.4 — 0.3 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do North Korea and Russia have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — North Korea: one-party state; Russia: semi-presidential republic.