Share of adults who drank alcohol in last year in North Korea
North Korea: Share of adults who drank alcohol in last year was 59.1% in 2020. ▲ Rising
Share of adults who drank alcohol in last year in North Korea, 2000–2020
Source: World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2020, share of adults who drank alcohol in last year in North Korea stood at 59.1%.
The figure is down 1.5% on the previous year and up 1.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of adults who drank alcohol in last year in North Korea peaked at 59.9% in 2019 and was at its lowest, 54.3%, in 2001.
That places North Korea 52nd out of 187 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 21 years of available data.
Share of adults who drank alcohol in last year in North Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 56.8% | — |
| 2001 | 54.3% | -4.3% |
| 2002 | 55.9% | +3.0% |
| 2003 | 56.1% | +0.3% |
| 2004 | 56.1% | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 56.4% | +0.5% |
| 2006 | 56.9% | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 56.6% | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 56.8% | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 57.4% | +1.1% |
| 2010 | 58.2% | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 58.5% | +0.4% |
| 2012 | 58.7% | +0.5% |
| 2013 | 59.0% | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 59.0% | +0.1% |
| 2015 | 58.9% | -0.1% |
| 2016 | 59.5% | +0.9% |
| 2017 | 59.3% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 59.5% | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 59.9% | +0.8% |
| 2020 | 59.1% | -1.5% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 56.3% | 54.3% | 57.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 59.0% | 58.2% | 59.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 59.1% | 59.1% | 59.1% | 1 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
More reference data data for North Korea
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.3562 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.9593 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.75 (2050)
- Temperature anomalies by month -2.22 °C (2026)
- Spring temperature anomalies 2.29 °C (2026)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.3103 °C (2026)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Burning - Crop 99.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 9,167 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure Management 656.23 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure applied to Soils 316.45 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of adults who drank alcohol in last year in North Korea?
- Share of adults who drank alcohol in last year in North Korea was 59.1% in 2020, according to World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of adults who drank alcohol in last year recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 59.9% in 2019.
- What is the lowest share of adults who drank alcohol in last year recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 54.3% in 2001.
- How does North Korea rank for share of adults who drank alcohol in last year?
- North Korea ranks 52nd out of 187 countries with data for 2020.
- Is share of adults who drank alcohol in last year rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 1.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization - Global Health Observatory (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of adults who drank alcohol in last year. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 21 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Adults are defined as those aged 15 years and older. Shown is the share of adults who have drunk any alcohol in the preceding 12 months.