Old-age dependency ratio in North Korea
North Korea: Old-age dependency ratio was 17.4% in 2023. ▲ Rising
Old-age dependency ratio in North Korea, 1950–2023
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2023, old-age dependency ratio in North Korea stood at 17.4%. That is the highest value across all 74 years on record.
That represents a change of up 4.3% on the previous year and up 13.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, old-age dependency ratio in North Korea peaked at 17.4% in 2023 and was at its lowest, 4.8%, in 1952.
North Korea ranks 92nd of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 74 years of available data.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 5.1% | 4.8% | 5.5% | 10 |
| 1960s | 5.8% | 5.5% | 6.1% | 10 |
| 1970s | 6.0% | 5.9% | 6.1% | 10 |
| 1980s | 6.1% | 5.9% | 6.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 7.6% | 6.5% | 8.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 11.8% | 9.4% | 13.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 15.3% | 14.3% | 15.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 16.6% | 15.9% | 17.4% | 4 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
More reference data data for North Korea
- Temperature anomalies by month -2.22 °C (2026)
- Spring temperature anomalies 2.29 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.3103 °C (2026)
- Chief executive of the government is elected 0 (2025)
- Winter temperature anomalies 0.9637 °C (2025)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 2 °C (2025)
- Universal right to vote 2 (2025)
- Democracy 1 (2025)
- Precipitation anomalies 127.56 millimeters (2025)
- Free country 0 (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is old-age dependency ratio in North Korea?
- Old-age dependency ratio in North Korea was 17.4% in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest old-age dependency ratio recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 17.4% in 2023.
- What is the lowest old-age dependency ratio recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 4.8% in 1952.
- How does North Korea rank for old-age dependency ratio?
- North Korea ranks 92nd out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is old-age dependency ratio rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 13.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Old-age dependency ratio. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
The number of people aged 65 and over per 100 working-age people (aged 15 to 64).