Access to electricity in North Korea
North Korea: Access to electricity was 39.2% in 2016. ◆ Volatile
Access to electricity in North Korea, 1990–2016
Source: World Bank Global Electrification Database 2013. Measured in % of rural population.
Analysis
North Korea recorded 39.2% for access to electricity in 2016. That is the highest value across all 27 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.8% on the previous year and up 81.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, access to electricity in North Korea peaked at 39.2% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 0.0%, in 1990.
That places North Korea 165th out of 201 countries with data for 2016, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Access to electricity in North Korea, year by year
| Year | % of rural population | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 0.0% | — |
| 1991 | 0.0% | +185.5% |
| 1992 | 0.2% | +487.4% |
| 1993 | 0.6% | +282.1% |
| 1994 | 1.2% | +86.8% |
| 1995 | 3.0% | +148.9% |
| 1996 | 4.7% | +59.4% |
| 1997 | 6.5% | +36.9% |
| 1998 | 8.2% | +26.7% |
| 1999 | 10.0% | +20.8% |
| 2000 | 11.6% | +17.0% |
| 2001 | 13.3% | +14.4% |
| 2002 | 15.0% | +12.5% |
| 2003 | 16.6% | +11.0% |
| 2004 | 18.3% | +9.9% |
| 2005 | 20.0% | +9.1% |
| 2006 | 21.6% | +8.4% |
| 2007 | 23.3% | +7.8% |
| 2008 | 25.0% | +7.3% |
| 2009 | 26.0% | +3.9% |
| 2010 | 28.5% | +9.7% |
| 2011 | 30.3% | +6.2% |
| 2012 | 32.1% | +5.9% |
| 2013 | 33.9% | +5.6% |
| 2014 | 35.6% | +5.3% |
| 2015 | 37.4% | +5.0% |
| 2016 | 39.2% | +4.8% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.4% | 0.0% | 10.0% | 10 |
| 2000s | 19.1% | 11.6% | 26.0% | 10 |
| 2010s | 33.9% | 28.5% | 39.2% | 7 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
More reference data data for North Korea
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.3562 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.9593 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 0.4297 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.75 (2050)
- Temperature anomalies by month -2.22 °C (2026)
- Spring temperature anomalies 2.29 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.3103 °C (2026)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Enteric 2,573 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure Management 656.23 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure applied to Soils 316.45 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is access to electricity in North Korea?
- Access to electricity in North Korea was 39.2% in 2016, according to World Bank Global Electrification Database 2013.
- What is the highest access to electricity recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 39.2% in 2016.
- What is the lowest access to electricity recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0% in 1990.
- How does North Korea rank for access to electricity?
- North Korea ranks 165th out of 201 countries with data for 2016.
- Is access to electricity rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 81.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from World Bank Global Electrification Database 2013, published as part of Access to electricity (% of rural population). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 27 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Access to electricity is the percentage of rural population with access to electricity.