Labor force, total in North Korea
North Korea: Labor force, total was 17.70 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Labor force, total in North Korea, 1990–2025
Source: International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database.
Analysis
North Korea recorded 17.70 million for labor force, total in 2025. That is the highest value across all 36 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.3% on the previous year and up 5.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, labor force, total in North Korea peaked at 17.70 million in 2025 and was at its lowest, 12.64 million, in 1990.
That places North Korea 39th out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 36 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 13.56 million | 12.64 million | 14.33 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 15.17 million | 14.48 million | 15.91 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 16.73 million | 16.07 million | 17.31 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 17.44 million | 17.05 million | 17.70 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
- 36 Malaysia 18.72 million compare
- 37 Saudi Arabia 18.38 million compare
- 38 Poland 18.17 million compare
- 40 Madagascar 17.09 million compare
- 41 Angola 16.32 million compare
- 42 Mozambique 15.66 million compare
More education data for North Korea
- Population ages 15-64 68.4% (2025)
- Population ages 0-14 18.9% (2025)
- Primary school starting age 7 years (2025)
- Lower secondary school starting age 12 years (2025)
- Labor force, female 48.2% (2025)
- Probability of dying among youth ages 20-24 years 5 per 1,000 (2024)
- Probability of dying among adolescents ages 10-14 years 1.8 per 1,000 (2024)
- Probability of dying among adolescents ages 15-19 years 3.9 per 1,000 (2024)
- Probability of dying among children ages 5-9 years 2 per 1,000 (2024)
- Government expenditure on education, total 14.6% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is labor force, total in North Korea?
- Labor force, total in North Korea was 17.70 million in 2025, according to International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database.
- What is the highest labor force, total recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 17.70 million in 2025.
- What is the lowest labor force, total recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 12.64 million in 1990.
- How does North Korea rank for labor force, total?
- North Korea ranks 39th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is labor force, total rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (ILO), type: estimates based on external database, published as part of Labor force, total. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Labor force comprises people ages 15 and older who supply labor for the production of goods and services during a specified period. It includes people who are currently employed and people who are unemployed but seeking work as well as first-time job-seekers. Not everyone who works is included, however. Unpaid workers, family workers, and students are often omitted, and some countries do not count members of the armed forces. Labor force size tends to vary during the year as seasonal workers enter and leave.