North Korea vs South Korea: Rural population
North Korea
9.52 million
in 2025
South Korea
9.73 million
in 2025
North Korea rank
58th
South Korea rank
55th
Rural population over time
- North Korea
- South Korea
How they compare
South Korea currently reports 9.73 million against 9.52 million in North Korea, a difference of 214,980.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 66 shared years of data; in 1960 it was South Korea ahead.
North Korea ranks 58th and South Korea ranks 55th of 218 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, North Korea averaged higher in 2 and South Korea in 5.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | North Korea | South Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 6.92 million | 19.15 million | 12.23 million | South Korea |
| 1970s | 7.33 million | 18.26 million | 10.93 million | South Korea |
| 1980s | 8.28 million | 14.39 million | 6.11 million | South Korea |
| 1990s | 9.20 million | 10.06 million | 867,117 | South Korea |
| 2000s | 9.78 million | 9.15 million | 633,493 | North Korea |
| 2010s | 9.88 million | 9.31 million | 573,958 | North Korea |
| 2020s | 9.65 million | 9.74 million | 93,775 | South Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher rural population, North Korea or South Korea?
- South Korea, at 9.73 million against 9.52 million in North Korea as of 2025.
- What is the difference in rural population between North Korea and South Korea?
- 214,980, with South Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for North Korea and South Korea?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do North Korea and South Korea rank globally for rural population?
- North Korea ranks 58th and South Korea ranks 55th of 218 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as Rural population. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Rural population refers to people living in rural areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated as the difference between total population and urban population. Aggregation of urban and rural population may not add up to total population because of different country coverages.