North Korea: Facts and Figures - Facts and Figures

Official name

Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)

Capital

P’yŏngyang

Area

120,538 sq km

46,540 sq mi

Administrative divisions (population)

Chagang

1,156,000 (1987 estimate)

North Hamyŏng

2,003,000 (1987 estimate)

South Hamyŏng

2,547,000 (1987 estimate)

North Hwanghae

1,409,000 (1987 estimate)

South Hwanghae

1,914,000 (1987 estimate)

Kaesŏng

331,000 (1987 estimate)

Kangwŏn

1,227,000 (1987 estimate)

Namp’o

715,000 (1987 estimate)

North P'yŏngan

2,408,000 (1987 estimate)

South P'yŏngan

2,653,000 (1987 estimate)

P’yŏngyang

2,355,000 (1987 estimate)

Ryanggang

628,000 (1987 estimate)

Largest cities (population)

P’yŏngyang

3,228,000 (2003 estimate)

Namp'o

715,000 (2007 estimate)

Chongjin

754,100 (2007 estimate)

Kaesŏng

334,433 (1993)

Sinŭiju

326,011 (1993)

Anju-ŭp

205,000 (1986 estimate)

Population

23,479,089 (2008 estimate)

Population growth rate

0.73 per cent (2008 estimate)

Population density

195 persons per sq km (2008 estimate)

505 persons per sq mi (2008 estimate)

Urbanization

Per cent urban

62 per cent (2005 estimate)

Per cent rural

38 per cent (2005 estimate)

Life expectancy

Total

72.2 years (2008 estimate)

Female

75.1 years (2008 estimate)

Male

69.5 years (2008 estimate)

Infant mortality rate

22 deaths per 1,000 live births (2008 estimate)

Literacy rate

Total

99 per cent (1995)

Female

99 per cent (1995)

Male

99 per cent (1995)

Ethnic divisions

Racially homogeneous

Languages

Korean (official)

Religions

Buddhism and Confucianism, some Christianity and Ch'ondogyo ('Religion of the Heavenly Way')

NOTE: Autonomous religious activities are now almost non-existent; about two-thirds of the people are non-religious

Type of government

Communist state; one-man dictatorship

Independence

9 September 1948

NOTE: August 15, 1945, date of independence from the Japanese and celebrated in North Korea as National Liberation Day

Constitution

Adopted 1948; completely revised December 27, 1972; revised again in April 1992

Voting rights

Universal at age 17

Gross domestic product (GDP) (US$)

Not available

GDP per capita (US$)

Not available

GDP by economic sector

GDP, agriculture

Not available

GDP, industry

Not available

GDP, services

Not available

National budget (US$)

Total revenue

Not available

Total expenditure

Not available

Monetary unit

1 North Korean won (Wn), consisting of 100 chon

Exports

Minerals, metallurgical products, agricultural and fishery products, manufactured goods (including armaments)

Imports

Petroleum, grain, coking coal, machinery and equipment, consumer goods

Major trading partners for exports

Japan, China, Germany, Russia, Hong Kong SAR, India, Italy

Major trading partners for imports

China, Japan, Italy, Russia, India, Hong Kong SAR, Germany

Industries

Machine building, military products, electric power, chemicals, mining, metallurgy, textiles, food processing

Agriculture

Principal crops: rice, maize, potatoes, soya beans, pulses; livestock and livestock products: cattle, pigs, pork, eggs

Natural resources

Coal, lead, tungsten, zinc, graphite, magnesite, iron ore, copper, gold, pyrites, salt, fluorspar, hydroelectric power

Basic Facts and People sections

Area data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Population, population growth rate, and population projections are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International Data Base (IDB) (www.census.gov). Urban and rural population data are from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN), FAOSTAT database (www.fao.org). Largest cities population data and political divisions data are from the statistical bureaus of individual countries. Ethnic divisions and religion data are largely from the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook and from various country censuses and reports. Language data are largely from the Ethnologue, Languages of the World, Summer Institute of Linguistics International (www.sil.org).

Health and Education section

Life expectancy and infant mortality data are from the United States Census Bureau, International Programs Center, International database (IDB) (www.census.gov). Population per physician and population per hospital bed data are from the World Health Organization (WHO) (www.who.int). Education data are from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org).

Government section

Government, independence, legislature, constitution, highest court, and voting qualifications data are largely from various government Web sites, the latest Europa World Yearbook, and the latest Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) World Factbook. The armed forces data are from Military Balance.

Economy section

Gross domestic product (GDP), GDP per capita, GDP by economic sectors, employment, and national budget data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org). Monetary unit, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, exports, imports, and major trade partner information is from the latest Europa World Yearbook and various International Monetary Fund (IMF) publications.

Energy, Communication, and Transportation section

Electricity information is from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) database (www.eia.doe.gov). Radio, telephone, television, and newspaper information is from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) database (www.unesco.org). Internet hosts, motor vehicles, and road data are from the World Bank database (www.worldbank.org).

Note

Figures may not total 100 per cent due to rounding.