Wealth share of the richest 1% in North Korea
North Korea: Wealth share of the richest 1% was 24.3% in 2024. ▲ Rising
Wealth share of the richest 1% in North Korea, 1980–2024
Source: World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2024, wealth share of the richest 1% in North Korea stood at 24.3%.
The figure is up 0.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wealth share of the richest 1% in North Korea peaked at 25.2% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 23.4%, in 1980.
That places North Korea 161st out of 215 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 45 years of available data.
Wealth share of the richest 1% in North Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 23.4% | — |
| 1981 | 23.4% | +0.0% |
| 1982 | 23.4% | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 23.4% | +0.0% |
| 1984 | 23.4% | +0.0% |
| 1985 | 23.4% | -0.0% |
| 1986 | 23.4% | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 23.4% | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 23.4% | -0.0% |
| 1989 | 23.4% | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 23.4% | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 23.4% | +0.3% |
| 1992 | 23.5% | +0.5% |
| 1993 | 23.6% | +0.3% |
| 1994 | 23.6% | +0.2% |
| 1995 | 23.6% | -0.1% |
| 1996 | 23.6% | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 23.6% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 23.6% | +0.0% |
| 1999 | 23.7% | +0.3% |
| 2000 | 23.8% | +0.5% |
| 2001 | 24.0% | +0.6% |
| 2002 | 24.5% | +2.3% |
| 2003 | 24.5% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 24.5% | +0.1% |
| 2005 | 24.5% | -0.0% |
| 2006 | 24.5% | -0.2% |
| 2007 | 24.5% | +0.2% |
| 2008 | 24.6% | +0.1% |
| 2009 | 24.9% | +1.4% |
| 2010 | 25.2% | +1.4% |
| 2011 | 24.8% | -1.7% |
| 2012 | 24.3% | -1.9% |
| 2013 | 24.4% | +0.1% |
| 2014 | 24.2% | -0.7% |
| 2015 | 24.2% | +0.1% |
| 2016 | 24.3% | +0.2% |
| 2017 | 24.3% | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 24.3% | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 24.3% | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 24.3% | -0.0% |
| 2021 | 24.3% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 24.3% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 24.3% | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 24.3% | +0.0% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 24.3% is below the median for low income countries, which is 25.9%, 94% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 24.3% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 27.2%, 89% of the median. (34 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 23.4% | 23.4% | 23.4% | 10 |
| 1990s | 23.6% | 23.4% | 23.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 24.4% | 23.8% | 24.9% | 10 |
| 2010s | 24.4% | 24.2% | 25.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 24.3% | 24.3% | 24.3% | 5 |
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 wealth share of the richest 1% in North Korea?
- Wealth share of the richest 1% in North Korea was 24.3% in 2024, according to World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest wealth share of the richest 1% recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 25.2% in 2010.
- What is the lowest wealth share of the richest 1% recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 23.4% in 1980.
- How does North Korea rank for wealth share of the richest 1%?
- North Korea ranks 161st out of 215 countries with data for 2024.
- Is wealth share of the richest 1% rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 0.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from World Inequality Database (WID.world) (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Wealth share of the richest 1%. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of wealth owned by the richest 1% of the population. Wealth is defined as the total value of non-financial and financial assets (housing, land, deposits, bonds, equities, etc.) held by households, minus their debts.