North Korea

North Korea is a country in Eastern Asia. Its capital is Pyongyang.

Find North Korea

● Capital · Gold highlights this card’s area.
Map: Natural Earth. Boundaries show geographic context, not a position on sovereignty. Small islands may use enlarged markers.

At a glance

Capital: Pyongyang
Languages: Korean
Currency: North Korean won (KPW)
Population: 26.6 million2025 · World Bank
Area: 120,538 km²46,540 square miles
State established: 1948

North Korea in context

Asia and its surrounding regions. The dot marks Pyongyang; the mapped territory is highlighted in gold.

Natural Earth · locator map

Geography & languages

Physical geography

Mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys; wide coastal plains in west, discontinuous in east.

Languages

Languages used in public life include Korean.

Location

Eastern Asia, northern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Korea Bay and the Sea of Japan, between China and South Korea.

Flag

Three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (triple-width), and blue; the red band is edged in white; on the left side of the red band is a white disk with a red five-pointed star

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

History & independence

Japanese colonial rule over Korea ended in 1945, after which the peninsula was divided into Soviet and US occupation zones. Separate states formed in 1948. The Korean War began in 1950 and ended in a 1953 armistice, leaving the peninsula divided without a peace treaty.

1945
Japanese rule ends
1948
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea established
1953
Korean War armistice

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Economy

Main activities

A state-directed economy includes mining, manufacturing and agriculture. Sanctions, limited international trade and restricted data access make economic comparisons difficult.

Industry and production

military products; machine building, electric power, chemicals; mining (coal, iron ore, limestone, magnesite, graphite, copper, zinc, lead, and precious metals), metallurgy; textiles, food processing; tourism

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Population trends

Population, 1970–2025

Millions of people

26.62025 · millions of people

Population estimates may be revised. Selected years are shown.

Sources: World Bank · Population

View data table

Population: source values and plotted units
Year	People	Millions of people
1970	15,172,775	15.173
1980	18,236,786	18.237
1990	21,112,137	21.112
2000	23,665,910	23.666
2010	24,987,258	24.987
2020	26,136,312	26.136
2025	26,571,036	26.571

Government

One-party state led by the Workers’ Party of Korea, with power concentrated in the national leadership. The Supreme People’s Assembly is the formal national legislature.

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Knowledge check

Three questions about North Korea.

QUESTION 1 OF 3

Which currency is listed for North Korea?

Sources & notes

Sources: CIA World Factbook · archived profile

Prepared 24 September 2026. World Bank series: SP.POP.TOTL (persons) and NY.GDP.MKTP.KD (constant 2015 US dollars); downloaded 24 September 2026, provider update 13 July 2026. UNDP values use the 2025 report and 2023 observation year. These are dated statistical snapshots, not live population or economic counters.

Maps use Natural Earth geographic data. Background geography, flag descriptions and selected historical facts use archived public-domain CIA World Factbook profiles, supplemented by the sources linked above. The Factbook is no longer updated; dated statistics here come from the separately named providers.