What is the highest surface area recorded in North Korea?

The highest recorded value was 120,540 sq. km in 1961.

What is the lowest surface area recorded in North Korea?

The lowest recorded value was 120,540 sq. km in 1961.

How does North Korea rank for surface area?

North Korea ranks 100th out of 216 countries with data for 2024.

Is surface area rising or falling in North Korea?

Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.

Surface area (sq. km) in North Korea

Name: Surface area (sq. km) in North Korea
Creator: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
License: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)

North Korea: Surface area (sq. km) was 120,540 sq. km in 2024. ▬ Flat

Latest (2024)

120,540 sq. km

Change on year

unchanged

World rank

100th

of 216 countries

All-time high

120,540 sq. km

in 1961

All-time low

120,540 sq. km

in 1961

Years of data

1961–2024

Surface area in North Korea, 1961–2024

Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in sq. km.

Analysis

The most recent figure for surface area in North Korea is 120,540 sq. km, measured in 2024. That is the highest value across all 64 years on record.

The figure is unchanged over ten years.

Over the whole period, surface area in North Korea peaked at 120,540 sq. km in 1961 and was at its lowest, 120,540 sq. km, in 1961.

That places North Korea 100th out of 216 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.

Surface area (sq. km) in North Korea, year by year

Annual values for Surface area (sq. km) in North Korea, 1961 to 2024.
Year	sq. km	Change
1961	120,540 sq. km	—
1962	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
1963	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
1964	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
1965	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
1966	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
1967	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
1968	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
1969	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
1970	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
1971	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
1972	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
1973	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
1974	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
1975	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
1976	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
1977	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
1978	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
1979	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
1980	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
1981	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
1982	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
1983	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
1984	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
1985	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
1986	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
1987	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
1988	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
1989	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
1990	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
1991	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
1992	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
1993	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
1994	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
1995	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
1996	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
1997	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
1998	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
1999	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
2000	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
2001	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
2002	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
2003	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
2004	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
2005	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
2006	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
2007	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
2008	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
2009	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
2010	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
2011	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
2012	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
2013	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
2014	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
2015	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
2016	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
2017	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
2018	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
2019	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
2020	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
2021	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
2022	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
2023	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%
2024	120,540 sq. km	+0.0%

North Korea compared with similar countries

North Korea's 120,540 sq. km is below the median for low income countries, which is 527,968 sq. km, 23% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
North Korea's 120,540 sq. km is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 18,333 sq. km, 6.6× the median. (37 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

Decade	Average	Lowest	Highest	Years
1960s	120,540 sq. km	120,540 sq. km	120,540 sq. km	9
1970s	120,540 sq. km	120,540 sq. km	120,540 sq. km	10
1980s	120,540 sq. km	120,540 sq. km	120,540 sq. km	10
1990s	120,540 sq. km	120,540 sq. km	120,540 sq. km	10
2000s	120,540 sq. km	120,540 sq. km	120,540 sq. km	10
2010s	120,540 sq. km	120,540 sq. km	120,540 sq. km	10
2020s	120,540 sq. km	120,540 sq. km	120,540 sq. km	5

Countries ranked near North Korea

97 Greece 131,960 sq. km compare
98 Nicaragua 130,370 sq. km compare
99 Eritrea 121,630 sq. km compare
101 Malawi 118,484 sq. km compare
102 Benin 114,760 sq. km compare
103 Honduras 112,492 sq. km compare

See the full ranking of 264 places →

More agriculture & rural data for North Korea

Rural population 35.8% (2025)
Cropland extent over the long-term, per capita 0.0957 hectares per person (2025)
Agricultural area over the long-term, annual growth rate -0.0251 % change on previous year (2025)
Agricultural area over the long-term, per capita 0.0976 hectares per person (2025)
Cropland extent over the long-term, annual growth rate -0.0256 % change on previous year (2025)
Rural population 9.52 million (2025)
Rural population, per capita 0.3581 units per person (2025)
Rural population, annual growth rate -0.6454 % change on previous year (2025)
Rural population growth -0.6% (2025)
Land animals slaughtered for meat, per square kilometre 170.04 animals per square kilometre (2024)

All data for North Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is surface area in North Korea?: Surface area in North Korea was 120,540 sq. km in 2024, according to FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
What is the highest surface area recorded in North Korea?: The highest recorded value was 120,540 sq. km in 1961.
What is the lowest surface area recorded in North Korea?: The lowest recorded value was 120,540 sq. km in 1961.
How does North Korea rank for surface area?: North Korea ranks 100th out of 216 countries with data for 2024.
Is surface area rising or falling in North Korea?: Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this North Korea data come from?: The figures come from FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Surface area (sq. km). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Surface area in North Korea. Statizoid, drawing on FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Retrieved 12 November 2026, from https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/surface-area-sq-km/korea-dem-people-s-rep/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://agriculture.statizoid.com/stat/surface-area-sq-km/korea-dem-people-s-rep/">Surface area in North Korea</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator: Surface area (sq. km)
Unit: sq. km
Source: FAO electronic files and web site, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Licence: CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage: 264 places, 16,669 data points, 1961–2024
Last refreshed: 12 November 2026

Surface area is a country's total area, including areas under inland bodies of water and some coastal waterways.