Armed forces personnel in North Korea
North Korea: Armed forces personnel was 1.47 million in 2020. ▲ Rising
Latest (2020)
1.47 million
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
3rd
of 173 countries
All-time high
1.47 million
in 2016
All-time low
838,000
in 1985
Years of data
33
1985–2020
Armed forces personnel in North Korea, 1985–2020
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
The most recent figure for armed forces personnel in North Korea is 1.47 million, measured in 2020. That is the highest value across all 33 years on record.
That represents a change of up 6.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in North Korea peaked at 1.47 million in 2016 and was at its lowest, 838,000, in 1985.
North Korea ranks 3rd of 173 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 33 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in North Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 838,000 | — |
| 1989 | 1.04 million | +24.1% |
| 1990 | 1.20 million | +15.4% |
| 1991 | 1.20 million | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 1.20 million | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 1.10 million | -8.3% |
| 1994 | 1.10 million | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 1.24 million | +13.0% |
| 1996 | 1.17 million | -6.0% |
| 1997 | 1.24 million | +6.4% |
| 1998 | 1.24 million | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 1.24 million | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 1.24 million | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 1.27 million | +2.2% |
| 2002 | 1.27 million | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 1.27 million | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 1.29 million | +1.9% |
| 2005 | 1.29 million | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 1.29 million | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 1.29 million | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 1.29 million | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 1.38 million | +6.5% |
| 2010 | 1.38 million | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 1.38 million | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 1.38 million | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 1.38 million | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 1.38 million | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 1.38 million | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 1.47 million | +6.5% |
| 2017 | 1.47 million | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 1.47 million | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 1.47 million | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 1.47 million | +0.0% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 1.47 million is above the median for low income countries, which is 35,000, 42.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 1.47 million is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 146,500, 10.0× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 939,000 | 838,000 | 1.04 million | 2 |
| 1990s | 1.19 million | 1.10 million | 1.24 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.29 million | 1.24 million | 1.38 million | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.42 million | 1.38 million | 1.47 million | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.47 million | 1.47 million | 1.47 million | 1 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
More reference data data for North Korea
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - Enteric Fermentation 91.9 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - IPCC Agriculture 245.47 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.25 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 8.66 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.75 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Manure Management 325.47 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.3562 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 6,873 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - Manure Management 11.62 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel in North Korea?
- Armed forces personnel in North Korea was 1.47 million in 2020, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 1.47 million in 2016.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 838,000 in 1985.
- How does North Korea rank for armed forces personnel?
- North Korea ranks 3rd out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 6.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Armed forces personnel. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 33 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).