Iceland vs North Korea: Percentage of territory effectively controlled by government
Iceland
99.8%
in 2025
North Korea
99.8%
in 2025
Iceland rank
27th
North Korea rank
27th
Percentage of territory effectively controlled by government over time
- Iceland
- North Korea
How they compare
Iceland currently reports 99.8% against 99.8% in North Korea, a difference of 0.0%.
The two have swapped places 1 time across 78 shared years of data; in 1948 it was Iceland ahead.
Iceland ranks 27th and North Korea ranks 27th of 174 countries.
Iceland has averaged higher in every one of the 9 decades both report.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Iceland | North Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 99.9% | 90.0% | 9.9% | Iceland |
| 1950s | 99.9% | 93.0% | 6.9% | Iceland |
| 1960s | 99.9% | 97.8% | 2.1% | Iceland |
| 1970s | 99.9% | 97.8% | 2.1% | Iceland |
| 1980s | 99.9% | 97.8% | 2.1% | Iceland |
| 1990s | 99.9% | 97.8% | 2.1% | Iceland |
| 2000s | 99.9% | 97.8% | 2.1% | Iceland |
| 2010s | 99.9% | 97.8% | 2.1% | Iceland |
| 2020s | 99.7% | 98.1% | 1.6% | Iceland |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher percentage of territory effectively controlled by government, Iceland or North Korea?
- Iceland, at 99.8% against 99.8% in North Korea as of 2025.
- What is the difference in percentage of territory effectively controlled by government between Iceland and North Korea?
- 0.0%, with Iceland ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Iceland and North Korea?
- 78 years are reported by both, from 1948 to 2025.
- How do Iceland and North Korea rank globally for percentage of territory effectively controlled by government?
- Iceland ranks 27th and North Korea ranks 27th of 174 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- V-Dem (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Percentage of territory effectively controlled by government. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Central estimate of the percentage of territory controlled by the government.