Population of compulsory school age, male in North Korea

North Korea: Population of compulsory school age, male was 2.16 million number in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
2.16 million number
Change on year
down 1.3%
World rank
51st
of 186 countries
All-time high
2.61 million number
in 1982
All-time low
2.03 million number
in 1991
Years of data
45
1975–2019

Population of compulsory school age, male in North Korea, 1975–2019

01.0M2.0M3.0M1975199720191975: 2.2M number1976: 2.3M number1977: 2.3M number1978: 2.4M number1979: 2.5M number1980: 2.6M number1981: 2.6M number1982: 2.6M number1983: 2.6M number1984: 2.5M number1985: 2.4M number1986: 2.3M number1987: 2.2M number1988: 2.1M number1989: 2.1M number1990: 2.0M number1991: 2.0M number1992: 2.0M number1993: 2.0M number1994: 2.1M number1995: 2.1M number1996: 2.1M number1997: 2.1M number1998: 2.1M number1999: 2.2M number2000: 2.2M number2001: 2.2M number2002: 2.2M number2003: 2.2M number2004: 2.2M number2005: 2.2M number2006: 2.2M number2007: 2.2M number2008: 2.2M number2009: 2.2M number2010: 2.2M number2011: 2.2M number2012: 2.2M number2013: 2.2M number2014: 2.3M number2015: 2.3M number2016: 2.3M number2017: 2.2M number2018: 2.2M number2019: 2.2M number

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

North Korea recorded 2.16 million number for population of compulsory school age, male in 2019.

That represents a change of down 1.3% on the previous year and down 3.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population of compulsory school age, male in North Korea peaked at 2.61 million number in 1982 and was at its lowest, 2.03 million number, in 1991.

North Korea ranks 51st of 186 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 45 years of available data.

Population of compulsory school age, male in North Korea, year by year

Annual values for Population of compulsory school age, male (number) in North Korea, 1975 to 2019.
Year number Change
1975 2.19 million number
1976 2.26 million number +3.2%
1977 2.34 million number +3.6%
1978 2.42 million number +3.3%
1979 2.49 million number +3.1%
1980 2.55 million number +2.5%
1981 2.59 million number +1.5%
1982 2.61 million number +0.8%
1983 2.58 million number -1.3%
1984 2.50 million number -3.1%
1985 2.40 million number -4.1%
1986 2.29 million number -4.3%
1987 2.19 million number -4.5%
1988 2.12 million number -3.3%
1989 2.07 million number -2.2%
1990 2.04 million number -1.3%
1991 2.03 million number -0.8%
1992 2.03 million number +0.1%
1993 2.04 million number +0.5%
1994 2.06 million number +1.1%
1995 2.09 million number +1.4%
1996 2.12 million number +1.5%
1997 2.15 million number +1.4%
1998 2.15 million number -0.1%
1999 2.17 million number +1.2%
2000 2.19 million number +0.8%
2001 2.20 million number +0.5%
2002 2.21 million number +0.5%
2003 2.23 million number +0.5%
2004 2.23 million number +0.4%
2005 2.24 million number +0.3%
2006 2.24 million number +0.1%
2007 2.24 million number -0.0%
2008 2.24 million number -0.2%
2009 2.23 million number -0.4%
2010 2.22 million number -0.6%
2011 2.20 million number -0.8%
2012 2.18 million number -0.9%
2013 2.15 million number -1.2%
2014 2.33 million number +8.1%
2015 2.29 million number -1.5%
2016 2.25 million number -1.6%
2017 2.22 million number -1.5%
2018 2.19 million number -1.4%
2019 2.16 million number -1.3%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 2.34 million number 2.19 million number 2.49 million number 5
1980s 2.39 million number 2.07 million number 2.61 million number 10
1990s 2.09 million number 2.03 million number 2.17 million number 10
2000s 2.23 million number 2.19 million number 2.24 million number 10
2010s 2.22 million number 2.15 million number 2.33 million number 10

Countries ranked near North Korea

  1. 48 Ukraine 2.33 million number compare
  2. 49 Senegal 2.26 million number compare
  3. 50 Chad 2.18 million number compare
  4. 52 South Korea 2.13 million number compare
  5. 53 Cameroon 2.10 million number compare
  6. 54 Malawi 2.07 million number compare

See the full ranking of 231 places →

More reference data data for North Korea

All data for North Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is population of compulsory school age, male in North Korea?
Population of compulsory school age, male in North Korea was 2.16 million number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest population of compulsory school age, male recorded in North Korea?
The highest recorded value was 2.61 million number in 1982.
What is the lowest population of compulsory school age, male recorded in North Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 2.03 million number in 1991.
How does North Korea rank for population of compulsory school age, male?
North Korea ranks 51st out of 186 countries with data for 2019.
Is population of compulsory school age, male rising or falling in North Korea?
Over the last ten years it is down 3.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this North Korea data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Population of compulsory school age, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Population of compulsory school age, male in North Korea. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 28 August 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/population-of-compulsory-school-age-male-number/korea-dem-people-s-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Population of compulsory school age, male (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
231 places, 4,849 data points, 1975–2020
Last refreshed

Population of male children within the age span that children are legally obliged to attend school.