Military personnel, gaps filled in North Korea
North Korea: Military personnel, gaps filled was 1.28 million people in 2022. ▲ Rising
Military personnel, gaps filled in North Korea, 1948–2022
Source: Statizoid (derived). Measured in people.
Analysis
The most recent figure for military personnel, gaps filled in North Korea is 1.28 million people, measured in 2022. That is the highest value across all 75 years on record.
The figure is up 7.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military personnel, gaps filled in North Korea peaked at 1.28 million people in 2018 and was at its lowest, 60,000 people, in 1949.
That places North Korea 4th out of 194 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 75 years of available data.
Military personnel, gaps filled in North Korea, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 200,000 people | — |
| 1949 | 60,000 people | -70.0% |
| 1950 | 120,000 people | +100.0% |
| 1951 | 100,000 people | -16.7% |
| 1952 | 211,000 people | +111.0% |
| 1953 | 260,000 people | +23.2% |
| 1954 | 280,000 people | +7.7% |
| 1955 | 300,000 people | +7.1% |
| 1956 | 320,000 people | +6.7% |
| 1957 | 340,000 people | +6.2% |
| 1958 | 360,000 people | +5.9% |
| 1959 | 380,000 people | +5.6% |
| 1960 | 400,000 people | +5.3% |
| 1961 | 390,000 people | -2.5% |
| 1962 | 380,000 people | -2.6% |
| 1963 | 352,000 people | -7.4% |
| 1964 | 362,000 people | +2.8% |
| 1965 | 378,000 people | +4.4% |
| 1966 | 383,000 people | +1.3% |
| 1967 | 383,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1968 | 410,000 people | +7.0% |
| 1969 | 410,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1970 | 438,000 people | +6.8% |
| 1971 | 450,000 people | +2.7% |
| 1972 | 460,000 people | +2.2% |
| 1973 | 470,000 people | +2.2% |
| 1974 | 470,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1975 | 470,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1976 | 500,000 people | +6.4% |
| 1977 | 520,000 people | +4.0% |
| 1978 | 632,000 people | +21.5% |
| 1979 | 692,000 people | +9.5% |
| 1980 | 700,000 people | +1.2% |
| 1981 | 768,000 people | +9.7% |
| 1982 | 782,000 people | +1.8% |
| 1983 | 784,000 people | +0.3% |
| 1984 | 784,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 784,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 838,000 people | +6.9% |
| 1987 | 838,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 842,000 people | +0.5% |
| 1989 | 1.04 million people | +23.5% |
| 1990 | 1.20 million people | +15.4% |
| 1991 | 1.20 million people | +0.0% |
| 1992 | 1.20 million people | +0.0% |
| 1993 | 1.10 million people | -8.3% |
| 1994 | 1.10 million people | +0.0% |
| 1995 | 1.10 million people | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 1.10 million people | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 1.10 million people | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 1.00 million people | -9.1% |
| 1999 | 1.00 million people | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 1.05 million people | +5.5% |
| 2001 | 1.08 million people | +2.6% |
| 2002 | 1.08 million people | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 1.08 million people | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 1.09 million people | +1.1% |
| 2005 | 1.11 million people | +1.1% |
| 2006 | 1.11 million people | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 1.11 million people | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 1.11 million people | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 1.11 million people | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 1.11 million people | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 1.19 million people | +7.6% |
| 2012 | 1.19 million people | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 1.19 million people | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 1.19 million people | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 1.19 million people | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 1.19 million people | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 1.19 million people | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 1.28 million people | +7.6% |
| 2019 | 1.28 million people | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 1.28 million people | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 1.28 million people | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 1.28 million people | +0.0% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 1.28 million people is above the median for low income countries, which is 33,000 people, 38.8× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 1.28 million people is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 9,500 people, 134.7× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military personnel, gaps filled in North Korea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | +111.0% | 100,000 people | 211,000 people |
| 1950 | +100.0% | 60,000 people | 120,000 people |
| 1949 | -70.0% | 200,000 people | 60,000 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 130,000 people | 60,000 people | 200,000 people | 2 |
| 1950s | 267,100 people | 100,000 people | 380,000 people | 10 |
| 1960s | 384,800 people | 352,000 people | 410,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 510,200 people | 438,000 people | 692,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 816,000 people | 700,000 people | 1.04 million people | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.11 million people | 1.00 million people | 1.20 million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.09 million people | 1.05 million people | 1.11 million people | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.20 million people | 1.11 million people | 1.28 million people | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.28 million people | 1.28 million people | 1.28 million people | 3 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
More reference data data for North Korea
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.75 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - Burning - Crop residues 3.54 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Agricultural Soils 1,939 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Direct emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.838 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Direct emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 5.57 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Direct emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.91 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Manure Management 325.47 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - Manure Management 11.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Agricultural 1,939 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Burning - Crop 24.3 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military personnel, gaps filled in North Korea?
- Military personnel, gaps filled in North Korea was 1.28 million people in 2022, according to Statizoid (derived).
- What is the highest military personnel, gaps filled recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 1.28 million people in 2018.
- What is the lowest military personnel, gaps filled recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 60,000 people in 1949.
- How does North Korea rank for military personnel, gaps filled?
- North Korea ranks 4th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
- Is military personnel, gaps filled rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 7.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Statizoid (derived), published as part of Military personnel, gaps filled. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 75 observations, free to reuse under Derived by Statizoid from the sources named on the page.
How this figure is calculated
Military personnel with 103 missing years estimated by linear interpolation between the nearest real observations. Only gaps of 4 years or fewer are filled, and never beyond the first or last actual measurement — these are filled holes, not forecasts.
Computed from
- Military personnel Correlates of War – National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Statizoid computes this series; the underlying measurements belong to the publishers named above. The arithmetic is applied to every country and year where both inputs report, and nothing is estimated unless the page says so.
About this data
Military personnel with 103 missing years estimated by linear interpolation between the nearest real observations. Only gaps of 4 years or fewer are filled, and never beyond the first or last actual measurement — these are filled holes, not forecasts.