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North Korea Population and religion percentage

North Korea, officially the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, is a country in East Asia, constituting the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. As per the UN World Population Prospects report, the population of North Korea in 2022 is 26,069,416 (26 million or 2.6 Crore)

Estimated Population of North Korea in 2023: 26 million or 2.6 Crore

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location of North Korea on Map

North Korea2022 Population
Total Population26,069,416
Global Rank56.0
Land Area 311,888 sq. km (120,421 sq. mi)
Area Rank97.0
Pop. Density124 people/sq. km
Growth rate0.35%
Fertility Rate* of  North Korea1.91
Infant mortality rate ** in North Korea11.2
Median Age35.3  Years
Life Expectancy 72.89  years
Urban Population 62.5%

Source: UN World Population Prospects 

Religion in North Korea

Officially, North Korea is an atheist state and 64.30% of the population is irreligious and doesn’t affiliate with any particular religion. Out of the religious population 16% practice Korean shamanism and 13.50% practice Chondoism. 

Chondoism (Heavenly Way) is an indigenous syncretic belief combining Korean shamanism, Buddhism, Taoism, and Catholicism elements. Among world religions 4.5% are Buddhist, and 2% are Christians. Other religions and faiths have negligible followers. 

Religion percentage in North Korea

ReligionPercentage
Non-religious 64.3%
Korean shamanism  16%
Chondoism 13.5%
Korean Buddhism 4.5%
Christianity 1.7%

Source: Census estimates

read about the Buddhist population in World

Top Cities in by Population

#CityProvisionPopulation
1PyongyangPyongyang Capital City32,55,288
2HamhungSouth Hamgyong7,68,551
3ChongjinNorth Hamgyong6,67,929
4NampoSouth Pyongan Province3,66,815
5WonsanKangwon3,63,127
6SinuijuNorth Pyongan3,59,341
7TanchonSouth Hamgyong3,45,875
8KaechonSouth Pyongan3,19,554
9KaesongNorth Hwanghae3,08,440
10SariwonNorth Hwanghae3,07,764
11SunchonSouth Pyongan2,97,317
12PyongsongSouth Pyongan2,84,386
13HaejuSouth Hwanghae2,73,300
14KanggyeChagang2,51,971
15AnjuSouth Pyongan2,40,117
16TokchonSouth Pyongan2,37,133
17KimchaekNorth Hamgyong2,07,299
18RasonRason Special Economic Zone1,96,954
19KusongNorth Pyongan1,96,515
20HyesanRyanggang1,92,680

*Fertility rate, average number of children born to women during their reproductive years.

**Infant mortality rate is the number of deaths per 1,000 live births of children under one year of age.

Population of North Korea 2024 | Religion in North Korea

Rajeev Rana

Rajeev Rana loves reading about history and demography and has been writing on these topics for five years. While not a certified expert, he has a deep understanding of demography in India. Rajeev contributes to several websites and has extensive knowledge of the Delhi NCR area.