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Population in North Korea compared to Romania: Trends, Charts, Rankings

Updated on by Georank team

The latest officially reported population of North Korea was 26,498,823 in 2024 vs 19,069,340 people in Romania in 2024. In 2025, based on the adjusted UN estimation, the current North Korea's population is 26,621,357 people compared to 18,962,595 in Romania.

Population statistics:

  • North Korea's population is 1.4 times bigger than Romania's.
  • North Korea is ranked the 56th most populous country in the world, while Romania is the 69th.
  • The countries together account for 0.55% of the world: 0.32% for North Korea vs 0.23% for Romania.
  • For the last 10 years, North Korea has had an average growth rate of +0.41% per year vs -0.42% in Romania.
  • Since 2005, the population of North Korea has increased from 24.4M people to 26.6M (9.12% growth), while Romania has declined from 21.3M to 19M (11.1% decline).
  • North Korea is projected to reach its peak in 2032 at 26.8M people, while Romania's population already peaked in 1990 at 23.2M people and is projected to decrease to 10.8M people by 2100.

North Korea vs Romania: live population counter

North Korea Romania
Current population
26621357
18962595
Population rank 56/197 69/197
Percent of world population 0.32% 0.23%
One net population change
6.52 minutes
53.3 minutes
One birth every
1.54 minutes
3.45 minutes
One death every
2.05 minutes
2.17 minutes
One migration net change every
3.54 hours
18.5 minutes
Annual migration change -2,473 -28,466
Daily growth/decline +221 +27
Annual growth/decline +80,619 +9,861
Annual growth/decline rate +0.31% +0.05%
Population growth rate rank 149/197 162/197

North Korea and Romania: population history and growth rate by year chart

North Korea
Population

Growth rate
Romania
Population

Growth rate
Year Population Growth rate
North Korea Romania North Korea Romania
1960 11,722,953 18,406,905 - -
1961 11,990,713 18,555,250 2.28% 0.81%
1962 12,262,882 18,676,550 2.27% 0.65%
1963 12,567,057 18,797,850 2.48% 0.65%
1964 12,889,770 18,919,126 2.57% 0.65%
1965 13,219,369 19,031,576 2.56% 0.59%
1966 13,569,094 19,215,450 2.65% 0.97%
1967 13,958,350 19,534,242 2.87% 1.66%
1968 14,365,596 19,799,831 2.92% 1.36%
1969 14,767,615 20,009,141 2.8% 1.06%
1970 15,172,775 20,250,398 2.74% 1.21%
1971 15,572,457 20,461,567 2.63% 1.04%
1972 15,975,069 20,657,957 2.59% 0.96%
1973 16,350,367 20,835,681 2.35% 0.86%
1974 16,673,121 21,029,429 1.97% 0.93%
1975 16,971,055 21,293,583 1.79% 1.26%
1976 17,243,450 21,551,634 1.61% 1.21%
1977 17,492,798 21,756,096 1.45% 0.95%
1978 17,735,995 21,951,464 1.39% 0.9%
1979 17,983,470 22,090,488 1.4% 0.63%
1980 18,236,786 22,207,282 1.41% 0.53%
1981 18,501,295 22,353,070 1.45% 0.66%
1982 18,776,357 22,475,741 1.49% 0.55%
1983 19,054,034 22,560,478 1.48% 0.38%
1984 19,335,043 22,640,547 1.47% 0.35%
1985 19,620,388 22,732,999 1.48% 0.41%
1986 19,910,855 22,836,841 1.48% 0.46%
1987 20,205,483 22,949,430 1.48% 0.49%
1988 20,503,161 23,057,662 1.47% 0.47%
1989 20,804,367 23,161,458 1.47% 0.45%
1990 21,112,137 23,201,835 1.48% 0.17%
1991 21,428,638 23,001,155 1.5% -0.86%
1992 21,750,911 22,794,284 1.5% -0.9%
1993 22,073,352 22,763,280 1.48% -0.14%
1994 22,393,975 22,730,211 1.45% -0.15%
1995 22,669,304 22,684,270 1.23% -0.2%
1996 22,895,746 22,619,004 1% -0.29%
1997 23,110,830 22,553,978 0.94% -0.29%
1998 23,311,564 22,507,344 0.87% -0.21%
1999 23,497,599 22,472,040 0.8% -0.16%
2000 23,665,910 22,442,971 0.72% -0.13%
2001 23,815,358 22,131,970 0.63% -1.39%
2002 23,943,973 21,730,496 0.54% -1.81%
2003 24,090,380 21,574,326 0.61% -0.72%
2004 24,254,943 21,451,748 0.68% -0.57%
2005 24,396,433 21,319,685 0.58% -0.62%
2006 24,524,507 21,193,760 0.52% -0.59%
2007 24,646,383 20,882,982 0.5% -1.47%
2008 24,764,618 20,537,875 0.48% -1.65%
2009 24,878,332 20,367,487 0.46% -0.83%
2010 24,987,258 20,246,871 0.44% -0.59%
2011 25,097,874 20,147,528 0.44% -0.49%
2012 25,211,728 20,058,035 0.45% -0.44%
2013 25,329,451 19,983,693 0.47% -0.37%
2014 25,451,262 19,908,979 0.48% -0.37%
2015 25,575,350 19,815,616 0.49% -0.47%
2016 25,698,326 19,702,267 0.48% -0.57%
2017 25,817,709 19,588,715 0.46% -0.58%
2018 25,931,147 19,473,970 0.44% -0.59%
2019 26,037,632 19,371,648 0.41% -0.53%
2020 26,136,312 19,265,250 0.38% -0.55%
2021 26,232,534 19,122,059 0.37% -0.74%
2022 26,328,845 19,048,502 0.37% -0.38%
2023 26,418,204 19,059,479 0.34% 0.06%
2024 26,498,823 19,069,340 0.31% 0.05%
2025 26,571,033 18,962,595 0.27% -0.56%
2026 26,633,682 18,854,232 0.24% -0.57%
2027 26,686,492 18,744,883 0.2% -0.58%
2028 26,729,261 18,634,894 0.16% -0.59%
2029 26,762,008 18,523,736 0.12% -0.6%
2030 26,784,894 18,411,878 0.09% -0.6%
2031 26,797,946 18,299,820 0.05% -0.61%
2032 26,801,071 18,187,406 0.01% -0.61%
2033 26,795,061 18,074,282 -0.02% -0.62%
2034 26,780,481 17,960,330 -0.05% -0.63%
2035 26,757,705 17,845,182 -0.09% -0.64%
2036 26,727,309 17,728,480 -0.11% -0.65%
2037 26,689,907 17,611,384 -0.14% -0.66%
2038 26,646,323 17,493,684 -0.16% -0.67%
2039 26,596,967 17,375,991 -0.19% -0.67%
2040 26,542,417 17,258,810 -0.21% -0.67%
2041 26,483,475 17,140,535 -0.22% -0.69%
2042 26,420,812 17,022,168 -0.24% -0.69%
2043 26,354,324 16,904,427 -0.25% -0.69%
2044 26,284,000 16,786,029 -0.27% -0.7%
2045 26,210,196 16,667,734 -0.28% -0.7%
2046 26,132,922 16,550,066 -0.29% -0.71%
2047 26,052,086 16,431,566 -0.31% -0.72%
2048 25,967,581 16,312,099 -0.32% -0.73%
2049 25,879,244 16,192,424 -0.34% -0.73%
2050 25,787,120 16,072,989 -0.36% -0.74%

From 2005 to 2015, the population of North Korea increased by 1,178,917 people (a 4.83% growth), while Romania lost 1,504,069 people (a 7.05% decline).

For the next 10 years, from 2015 to 2025, North Korea gained 1,046,007 (a 4.09% growth), while Romania's population decreased by -853,021 (a 4.3% decline).

North Korea was ranked 46th most populous country in 2005 and is 56th in 2025. Romania was ranked 50th in 2005 and ranked 69th now.

The UN's World Population Prospects forecasts that with changing growth rate trends in 25 years (in 2050) North Korea's population will shrink by 3.13% to 25,787,120 people with a rank change from 56th to 66th. The population of Romania will decrease by 15.2% to 16,072,989 people and rank change from 69th to 81st.

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