Life Expectancy at Birth in North Korea
North Korea: Life Expectancy at Birth was 73.74 in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
73.74
Change on year
up 0.1%
World rank
118th
of 216 countries
All-time high
73.74
in 2024
All-time low
55.81
in 1960
Years of data
65
1960–2024
Life Expectancy at Birth in North Korea, 1960–2024
Source: International Monetary Fund.
Analysis
North Korea recorded 73.74 for life expectancy at birth in 2024. That is the highest value across all 65 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.1% on the previous year and up 1.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, life expectancy at birth in North Korea peaked at 73.74 in 2024 and was at its lowest, 55.81, in 1960.
That places North Korea 118th out of 216 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 65 years of available data.
Life Expectancy at Birth in North Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 55.81 | — |
| 1961 | 56.41 | +1.1% |
| 1962 | 57 | +1.0% |
| 1963 | 57.58 | +1.0% |
| 1964 | 58.17 | +1.0% |
| 1965 | 58.78 | +1.1% |
| 1966 | 59.42 | +1.1% |
| 1967 | 60.09 | +1.1% |
| 1968 | 60.76 | +1.1% |
| 1969 | 61.41 | +1.1% |
| 1970 | 62.05 | +1.0% |
| 1971 | 62.66 | +1.0% |
| 1972 | 63.25 | +0.9% |
| 1973 | 63.82 | +0.9% |
| 1974 | 64.33 | +0.8% |
| 1975 | 64.83 | +0.8% |
| 1976 | 65.33 | +0.8% |
| 1977 | 65.81 | +0.7% |
| 1978 | 66.29 | +0.7% |
| 1979 | 66.75 | +0.7% |
| 1980 | 67.21 | +0.7% |
| 1981 | 67.66 | +0.7% |
| 1982 | 68.09 | +0.6% |
| 1983 | 68.5 | +0.6% |
| 1984 | 68.88 | +0.6% |
| 1985 | 69.23 | +0.5% |
| 1986 | 69.54 | +0.4% |
| 1987 | 69.77 | +0.3% |
| 1988 | 70.05 | +0.4% |
| 1989 | 70.27 | +0.3% |
| 1990 | 70.48 | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 70.72 | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 71.01 | +0.4% |
| 1993 | 70.79 | -0.3% |
| 1994 | 70.47 | -0.5% |
| 1995 | 60.77 | -13.8% |
| 1996 | 60.82 | +0.1% |
| 1997 | 60.87 | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 60.89 | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 60.91 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 60.91 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 60.89 | -0.0% |
| 2002 | 60.88 | -0.0% |
| 2003 | 69.4 | +14.0% |
| 2004 | 69.29 | -0.2% |
| 2005 | 69.17 | -0.2% |
| 2006 | 69.06 | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 69.02 | -0.1% |
| 2008 | 69.3 | +0.4% |
| 2009 | 69.7 | +0.6% |
| 2010 | 70.25 | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 70.77 | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 71.32 | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 71.87 | +0.8% |
| 2014 | 72.45 | +0.8% |
| 2015 | 72.83 | +0.5% |
| 2016 | 72.97 | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 73.03 | +0.1% |
| 2018 | 73.02 | -0.0% |
| 2019 | 72.93 | -0.1% |
| 2020 | 72.78 | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 73.44 | +0.9% |
| 2022 | 73.64 | +0.3% |
| 2023 | 73.64 | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 73.74 | +0.1% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 73.74 is above the median for low income countries, which is 63.84, 1.2× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 73.74 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 72.99, 1.0× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 58.54 | 55.81 | 61.41 | 10 |
| 1970s | 64.51 | 62.05 | 66.75 | 10 |
| 1980s | 68.92 | 67.21 | 70.27 | 10 |
| 1990s | 65.77 | 60.77 | 71.01 | 10 |
| 2000s | 66.76 | 60.88 | 69.7 | 10 |
| 2010s | 72.14 | 70.25 | 73.03 | 10 |
| 2020s | 73.45 | 72.78 | 73.74 | 5 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
- 115 Dominican Republic 73.87 compare
- 116 Mauritius 73.79 compare
- 117 Suriname 73.76 compare
- 119 Belize 73.74 compare
- 120 Trinidad and Tobago 73.62 compare
- 121 West Bank and Gaza 73.44 compare
More gender data for North Korea
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) 4,948 (2030)
- Child population (UN estimates and projections) (0-14), annual growth -0.7158 % change on previous year (2030)
- Population 21,837 (2030)
- Working-age population (UN estimates and projections) 21,837 (2030)
- Population (UN estimates and projections), annual growth rate 0.2686 % change on previous year (2030)
- Age population, age 00, female, interpolated 162,142 (2025)
- Age population, age 00, male, interpolated 171,689 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, female, interpolated 163,466 (2025)
- Age population, age 01, male, interpolated 172,928 (2025)
- Age population, age 02, female, interpolated 164,613 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is life expectancy at birth in North Korea?
- Life expectancy at birth in North Korea was 73.74 in 2024, according to International Monetary Fund.
- What is the highest life expectancy at birth recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 73.74 in 2024.
- What is the lowest life expectancy at birth recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 55.81 in 1960.
- How does North Korea rank for life expectancy at birth?
- North Korea ranks 118th out of 216 countries with data for 2024.
- Is life expectancy at birth rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from International Monetary Fund, published as part of Life Expectancy at Birth. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under IMF Terms and Conditions (attribution required).
About this data
Gender-disaggregated data on health outcomes.