Urban area over the long-term in North Korea
North Korea: Urban area over the long-term was 954.94 km² per grid cell in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2025)
954.94 km² per grid cell
Change on year
up 1.2%
World rank
95th
of 202 countries
All-time high
954.94 km² per grid cell
in 2025
All-time low
0.0004 km² per grid cell
in 1000
Years of data
108
1000–2025
Urban area over the long-term in North Korea, 1000–2025
Source: HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in km² per grid cell.
Analysis
North Korea recorded 954.94 km² per grid cell for urban area over the long-term in 2025. That is the highest value across all 108 years on record.
The figure is up 1.2% on the previous year and up 15.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, urban area over the long-term in North Korea peaked at 954.94 km² per grid cell in 2025 and was at its lowest, 0.0004 km² per grid cell, in 1000.
That places North Korea 95th out of 202 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1000s | 0.0004 km² per grid cell | 0.0004 km² per grid cell | 0.0004 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1100s | 0.0016 km² per grid cell | 0.0016 km² per grid cell | 0.0016 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1200s | 0.0064 km² per grid cell | 0.0064 km² per grid cell | 0.0064 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1300s | 0.0145 km² per grid cell | 0.0145 km² per grid cell | 0.0145 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1400s | 0.0508 km² per grid cell | 0.0508 km² per grid cell | 0.0508 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1500s | 0.1741 km² per grid cell | 0.1741 km² per grid cell | 0.1741 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1600s | 0.653 km² per grid cell | 0.653 km² per grid cell | 0.653 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1700s | 2.45 km² per grid cell | 2.45 km² per grid cell | 2.45 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1710s | 2.38 km² per grid cell | 2.38 km² per grid cell | 2.38 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1720s | 2.92 km² per grid cell | 2.92 km² per grid cell | 2.92 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1730s | 3.59 km² per grid cell | 3.59 km² per grid cell | 3.59 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1740s | 4.41 km² per grid cell | 4.41 km² per grid cell | 4.41 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1750s | 5.41 km² per grid cell | 5.41 km² per grid cell | 5.41 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1760s | 6.65 km² per grid cell | 6.65 km² per grid cell | 6.65 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1770s | 8.16 km² per grid cell | 8.16 km² per grid cell | 8.16 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1780s | 10.02 km² per grid cell | 10.02 km² per grid cell | 10.02 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1790s | 12.31 km² per grid cell | 12.31 km² per grid cell | 12.31 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1800s | 15.12 km² per grid cell | 15.12 km² per grid cell | 15.12 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1810s | 18.57 km² per grid cell | 18.57 km² per grid cell | 18.57 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1820s | 22.8 km² per grid cell | 22.8 km² per grid cell | 22.8 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1830s | 27.07 km² per grid cell | 27.07 km² per grid cell | 27.07 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1840s | 31.73 km² per grid cell | 31.73 km² per grid cell | 31.73 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1850s | 37.15 km² per grid cell | 37.15 km² per grid cell | 37.15 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1860s | 43.36 km² per grid cell | 43.36 km² per grid cell | 43.36 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1870s | 50.07 km² per grid cell | 50.07 km² per grid cell | 50.07 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1880s | 56.28 km² per grid cell | 56.28 km² per grid cell | 56.28 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1890s | 60.46 km² per grid cell | 60.46 km² per grid cell | 60.46 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1900s | 60.5 km² per grid cell | 60.5 km² per grid cell | 60.5 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1910s | 60.5 km² per grid cell | 60.5 km² per grid cell | 60.5 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1920s | 67.72 km² per grid cell | 67.72 km² per grid cell | 67.72 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1930s | 76.39 km² per grid cell | 76.39 km² per grid cell | 76.39 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1940s | 92.56 km² per grid cell | 92.56 km² per grid cell | 92.56 km² per grid cell | 1 |
| 1950s | 141.33 km² per grid cell | 123.19 km² per grid cell | 171.97 km² per grid cell | 10 |
| 1960s | 231.47 km² per grid cell | 181.32 km² per grid cell | 301.68 km² per grid cell | 10 |
| 1970s | 381.86 km² per grid cell | 327.1 km² per grid cell | 424.96 km² per grid cell | 10 |
| 1980s | 482.89 km² per grid cell | 433.26 km² per grid cell | 534.1 km² per grid cell | 10 |
| 1990s | 605.22 km² per grid cell | 546.35 km² per grid cell | 662.12 km² per grid cell | 10 |
| 2000s | 711.69 km² per grid cell | 673.73 km² per grid cell | 746.88 km² per grid cell | 10 |
| 2010s | 818.94 km² per grid cell | 754.22 km² per grid cell | 884.8 km² per grid cell | 10 |
| 2020s | 927.36 km² per grid cell | 899.75 km² per grid cell | 954.94 km² per grid cell | 6 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
- 92 Slovakia 1,086 km² per grid cell compare
- 93 Costa Rica 1,053 km² per grid cell compare
- 94 Bulgaria 960.21 km² per grid cell compare
- 96 Afghanistan 947.56 km² per grid cell compare
- 97 Greece 894.56 km² per grid cell compare
- 98 Dominican Republic 881.77 km² per grid cell compare
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)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban area over the long-term in North Korea?
- Urban area over the long-term in North Korea was 954.94 km² per grid cell in 2025, according to HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest urban area over the long-term recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 954.94 km² per grid cell in 2025.
- What is the lowest urban area over the long-term recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.0004 km² per grid cell in 1000.
- How does North Korea rank for urban area over the long-term?
- North Korea ranks 95th out of 202 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban area over the long-term rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 15.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from HYDE (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Urban area over the long-term. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 108 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Total built-up area of a country over time.