GeoRealityMatch
Urban cityscape with modern high-rise buildings and lush greenery at dusk.Lush green village landscape with railway curve amidst fields, showcasing rural architecture.

North Korea

Asia · Eastern Asia

The UK Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to the whole country. It is less peaceful than most countries.

Source: FCDO travel advice, read 29 October 2026.

Safety

146th most peaceful of 161

Global Peace Index
2.845lower is more peacefulLow safety
#146 of 161
IEP GPI · 2026
Safety index
61.6Numbeo's safety index, higher is saferHighNumbeo · 2026
Health

Around the middle for life expectancy

Life expectancy
73.7years, at birthModerate
#101 of 195
World Bank · 2024
Health coverage
77WHO universal health coverage index, 0 to 100HighWHO · 2023
Air pollution
24.7PM2.5, micrograms per cubic metre, national averageHighWHO · 2023
Work and internet
Unemployment rate
3.5%share of the labour force without a jobWorld Bank · 2025
Lush green village landscape with railway curve amidst fields, showcasing rural architecture.
How it changed

Twenty years here

Year by yearThe world report
Life expectancy at birth
73.7 years2024at birthUp 4.6 years from 69.2 years in 2005
Urban population
64%2025of people in towns and citiesUp 4 points from 60% in 2006
Births per woman
1.782024births per womanDown 0.09 from 1.87 in 2005
Renewable share of energy
15%2021of energy usedUp 5 points from 9% in 2004
Access to electricity
61%2024of people with electricityUp 35 points from 26% in 2009
Infant mortality
132024deaths before age one, per 1,000 birthsDown 13 from 26 in 2005
CO2 emissions per person
2.5 t2024of CO2 per person a yearDown 0.8 t from 3.3 t in 2005
Forest area
50%2023of land under forestDown 3 points from 53% in 2004

World Bank, from the first to the last observed year of each indicator; each has its own window.

Our take

World's most isolated country; a totalitarian regime, with no independent tourism allowed. The case against is the UK's advice against travel, a low peace ranking and polluted air.

About North Korea

North Korea is the world's most closed country, a state where nearly all aspects of public and private life are shaped by a single political system, and where access for foreign visitors is tightly controlled and conducted through guided group tours. The landscapes are genuinely beautiful in places, and the culture has traces of an ancient Korean heritage that predates the division of the peninsula. For those who visit, it is an experience that raises profound questions with very few easy answers.

Practical facts

  • CapitalPyongyang
  • LanguagesKorean
  • CurrencyNorth Korean won (KPW)
  • Area120,410 km²
  • Plug typeType C/F
  • Drives on theright
Every figure

Everything we hold on North Korea

Compare North Korea

Borders

ChinaSouth KoreaRussia

Side by side

Compare any two countries

Quick answers

Is North Korea safe?

North Korea scores 2.85 on the Global Peace Index (lower is more peaceful), ranked #146 of 161 countries by the Institute for Economics & Peace. That measures national-level peace, not street crime; both are covered below.

What is life expectancy in North Korea?

Life expectancy at birth in North Korea is 73.7 yrs (World Bank), ranked #101 of 195 countries.