Rural population in North Korea
North Korea: Rural population was 9.52 million in 2025. ▲ Rising
Rural population in North Korea, 1960–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
Analysis
In 2025, rural population in North Korea stood at 9.52 million.
That represents a change of down 0.6% on the previous year and down 3.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rural population in North Korea peaked at 9.92 million in 2010 and was at its lowest, 6.90 million, in 1962.
That places North Korea 58th out of 215 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 66 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 6.92 million | 6.90 million | 6.96 million | 10 |
| 1970s | 7.33 million | 6.95 million | 7.76 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 8.28 million | 7.86 million | 8.68 million | 10 |
| 1990s | 9.20 million | 8.78 million | 9.55 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 9.78 million | 9.60 million | 9.91 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 9.88 million | 9.80 million | 9.92 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.65 million | 9.52 million | 9.77 million | 6 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
More agriculture & rural data for North Korea
- Rural population 35.8% (2025)
- Rural population growth -0.6% (2025)
- Land under cereal production 1.35 million hectares (2024)
- Cereal yield 3,610 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal production 4.89 million metric tons (2024)
- Fertilizer consumption 14.68 kilograms per hectare of arable land (2023)
- Land area 120,410 sq. km (2023)
- Agricultural land 25,953 sq. km (2023)
- Permanent cropland 2.1% (2023)
- Agricultural land 21.6% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is rural population in North Korea?
- Rural population in North Korea was 9.52 million in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest rural population recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 9.92 million in 2010.
- What is the lowest rural population recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.90 million in 1962.
- How does North Korea rank for rural population?
- North Korea ranks 58th out of 215 countries with data for 2025.
- Is rural population rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 3.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Rural population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 66 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.