State Capacity Index in North Korea
North Korea: State Capacity Index was 0.1979 in 2015. ◆ Volatile
State Capacity Index in North Korea, 1960–2015
Source: Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
Analysis
North Korea recorded 0.1979 for state capacity index in 2015.
That represents a change of down 17.6% on the previous year and up 972.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, state capacity index in North Korea peaked at 0.2453 in 2013 and was at its lowest, -0.6688, in 1960.
That places North Korea 107th out of 166 countries with data for 2015, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
State Capacity Index in North Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | -0.6688 | — |
| 1961 | -0.6493 | -2.9% |
| 1962 | -0.6504 | +0.2% |
| 1963 | -0.6376 | -2.0% |
| 1964 | -0.6266 | -1.7% |
| 1965 | -0.5924 | -5.5% |
| 1966 | -0.6137 | +3.6% |
| 1967 | -0.5854 | -4.6% |
| 1968 | -0.506 | -13.6% |
| 1969 | -0.5134 | +1.5% |
| 1970 | -0.5109 | -0.5% |
| 1971 | -0.4962 | -2.9% |
| 1972 | -0.5455 | +9.9% |
| 1973 | -0.5354 | -1.9% |
| 1974 | -0.4958 | -7.4% |
| 1975 | -0.5006 | +1.0% |
| 1976 | -0.4669 | -6.7% |
| 1977 | -0.4741 | +1.5% |
| 1978 | -0.4372 | -7.8% |
| 1979 | -0.4275 | -2.2% |
| 1980 | -0.4176 | -2.3% |
| 1981 | -0.3814 | -8.7% |
| 1982 | -0.3821 | +0.2% |
| 1983 | -0.3773 | -1.3% |
| 1984 | -0.2576 | -31.7% |
| 1985 | -0.134 | -48.0% |
| 1986 | -0.1281 | -4.4% |
| 1987 | -0.2304 | +79.9% |
| 1988 | -0.2706 | +17.4% |
| 1989 | -0.2672 | -1.3% |
| 1990 | -0.2433 | -8.9% |
| 1991 | -0.255 | +4.8% |
| 1992 | -0.2843 | +11.5% |
| 1993 | -0.1578 | -44.5% |
| 1994 | -0.0906 | -42.6% |
| 1995 | 0.0411 | -145.3% |
| 1996 | 0.2329 | +467.2% |
| 1997 | 0.147 | -36.9% |
| 1998 | 0.1429 | -2.8% |
| 1999 | 0.1311 | -8.3% |
| 2000 | 0.1335 | +1.8% |
| 2001 | 0.1307 | -2.1% |
| 2002 | 0.0067 | -94.9% |
| 2003 | 0.0058 | -13.2% |
| 2004 | -0.0134 | -330.9% |
| 2005 | -0.0227 | +69.0% |
| 2006 | 0.2419 | -1166.6% |
| 2007 | 0.2348 | -2.9% |
| 2008 | 0.2354 | +0.3% |
| 2009 | 0.2316 | -1.6% |
| 2010 | 0.2156 | -6.9% |
| 2011 | 0.2069 | -4.0% |
| 2012 | 0.19 | -8.2% |
| 2013 | 0.2453 | +29.1% |
| 2014 | 0.2402 | -2.1% |
| 2015 | 0.1979 | -17.6% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 0.1979 is above the median for low income countries, which is -0.5349. (25 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 0.1979 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.6617, 30% of the median. (20 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where State Capacity Index 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | +1166.6% | -0.0227 | 0.2419 |
| 1996 | +467.2% | 0.0411 | 0.2329 |
| 2004 | -330.9% | 0.0058 | -0.0134 |
| 1995 | +145.3% | -0.0906 | 0.0411 |
| 2002 | -94.9% | 0.1307 | 0.0067 |
| 1987 | -79.9% | -0.1281 | -0.2304 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | -0.6044 | -0.6688 | -0.506 | 10 |
| 1970s | -0.489 | -0.5455 | -0.4275 | 10 |
| 1980s | -0.2846 | -0.4176 | -0.1281 | 10 |
| 1990s | -0.0336 | -0.2843 | 0.2329 | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.1184 | -0.0227 | 0.2419 | 10 |
| 2010s | 0.216 | 0.19 | 0.2453 | 6 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
- 104 Kyrgyzstan 0.2239 compare
- 105 Guyana 0.2083 compare
- 106 Malawi 0.2015 compare
- 108 Mozambique 0.1894 compare
- 109 Burkina Faso 0.1683 compare
- 110 Guatemala 0.1455 compare
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 state capacity index in North Korea?
- State capacity index in North Korea was 0.1979 in 2015, according to Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest state capacity index recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 0.2453 in 2013.
- What is the lowest state capacity index recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was -0.6688 in 1960.
- How does North Korea rank for state capacity index?
- North Korea ranks 107th out of 166 countries with data for 2015.
- Is state capacity index rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 972.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Jonathan Hanson and Rachel Sigman (2021); Population based on various sources (2023) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of State Capacity Index. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Measures state capacity by combining 21 different indicators related to three key dimensions: extractive capacity, coercive capacity, and administrative capacity. Higher values indicate greater state capacity.