What is number of children under 5 in North Korea?

Number of children under 5 in North Korea was 1.71 million people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.

What is the highest number of children under 5 recorded in North Korea?

The highest recorded value was 2.51 million people in 1972.

What is the lowest number of children under 5 recorded in North Korea?

The lowest recorded value was 1.22 million people in 1954.

How does North Korea rank for number of children under 5?

North Korea ranks 69th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.

Is number of children under 5 rising or falling in North Korea?

Over the last ten years it is up 4.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.

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 Number of children under 5. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Number of children under 5 in North Korea

Name: Number of children under 5 in North Korea
Creator: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
License: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)

North Korea: Number of children under 5 was 1.71 million people in 2023. ▬ Flat

Latest (2023)

1.71 million people

Change on year

down 0.2%

World rank

69th

of 236 countries

All-time high

2.51 million people

in 1972

All-time low

1.22 million people

in 1954

Years of data

1950–2023

Number of children under 5 in North Korea, 1950–2023

Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in people.

Analysis

North Korea recorded 1.71 million people for number of children under 5 in 2023.

That represents a change of down 0.2% on the previous year and up 4.6% over ten years.

Over the whole period, number of children under 5 in North Korea peaked at 2.51 million people in 1972 and was at its lowest, 1.22 million people, in 1954.

That places North Korea 69th out of 236 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1950s	1.45 million people	1.22 million people	1.75 million people	10
1960s	2.02 million people	1.81 million people	2.37 million people	10
1970s	2.25 million people	1.81 million people	2.51 million people	10
1980s	1.86 million people	1.75 million people	1.97 million people	10
1990s	2.09 million people	2.00 million people	2.14 million people	10
2000s	1.83 million people	1.66 million people	2.03 million people	10
2010s	1.66 million people	1.64 million people	1.70 million people	10
2020s	1.71 million people	1.71 million people	1.71 million people	4

Countries ranked near North Korea

66 Cambodia 1.82 million people compare
67 Poland 1.77 million people compare
68 Spain 1.76 million people compare
70 Sri Lanka 1.64 million people compare
71 Australia 1.53 million people compare
72 South Sudan 1.48 million people compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

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)

All data for North Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is number of children under 5 in North Korea?: Number of children under 5 in North Korea was 1.71 million people in 2023, according to UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest number of children under 5 recorded in North Korea?: The highest recorded value was 2.51 million people in 1972.
What is the lowest number of children under 5 recorded in North Korea?: The lowest recorded value was 1.22 million people in 1954.
How does North Korea rank for number of children under 5?: North Korea ranks 69th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
Is number of children under 5 rising or falling in North Korea?: Over the last ten years it is up 4.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
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 Number of children under 5. 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

Indicator: Number of children under 5
Unit: people
Source: UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage: 236 places, 17,464 data points, 1950–2023
Last refreshed: 07 August 2026

The total population, measured on 1 July of the year shown. This only includes people aged 0-4.