Population in North Korea compared to Saudi Arabia: Trends, Charts, Rankings

North Korea and Saudi Arabia: population history and growth rate by year chart

Table

Year	Population		Growth rate
	North Korea	Saudi Arabia	North Korea	Saudi Arabia
1960	11,722,953	2,435,403	-	-
1961	11,990,713	2,526,347	2.28%	3.73%
1962	12,262,882	2,620,910	2.27%	3.74%
1963	12,567,057	2,719,341	2.48%	3.76%
1964	12,889,770	2,821,968	2.57%	3.77%
1965	13,219,369	2,928,771	2.56%	3.78%
1966	13,569,094	3,039,887	2.65%	3.79%
1967	13,958,350	3,157,242	2.87%	3.86%
1968	14,365,596	3,282,711	2.92%	3.97%
1969	14,767,615	3,417,114	2.8%	4.09%
1970	15,172,775	3,562,470	2.74%	4.25%
1971	15,572,457	3,724,031	2.63%	4.54%
1972	15,975,069	3,905,722	2.59%	4.88%
1973	16,350,367	4,106,344	2.35%	5.14%
1974	16,673,121	4,323,632	1.97%	5.29%
1975	16,971,055	4,556,287	1.79%	5.38%
1976	17,243,450	4,807,933	1.61%	5.52%
1977	17,492,798	5,083,048	1.45%	5.72%
1978	17,735,995	5,381,902	1.39%	5.88%
1979	17,983,470	5,703,698	1.4%	5.98%
1980	18,236,786	6,047,997	1.41%	6.04%
1981	18,501,295	6,420,551	1.45%	6.16%
1982	18,776,357	6,824,486	1.49%	6.29%
1983	19,054,034	7,252,941	1.48%	6.28%
1984	19,335,043	7,697,307	1.47%	6.13%
1985	19,620,388	8,151,779	1.48%	5.9%
1986	19,910,855	8,628,639	1.48%	5.85%
1987	20,205,483	9,130,194	1.48%	5.81%
1988	20,503,161	9,629,165	1.47%	5.47%
1989	20,804,367	10,128,394	1.47%	5.18%
1990	21,112,137	10,640,691	1.48%	5.06%
1991	21,428,638	11,160,744	1.5%	4.89%
1992	21,750,911	11,686,676	1.5%	4.71%
1993	22,073,352	12,215,862	1.48%	4.53%
1994	22,393,975	12,750,040	1.45%	4.37%
1995	22,669,304	13,289,245	1.23%	4.23%
1996	22,895,746	13,831,009	1%	4.08%
1997	23,110,830	14,374,943	0.94%	3.93%
1998	23,311,564	14,922,185	0.87%	3.81%
1999	23,497,599	15,472,075	0.8%	3.69%
2000	23,665,910	16,177,722	0.72%	4.56%
2001	23,815,358	17,041,397	0.63%	5.34%
2002	23,943,973	17,910,910	0.54%	5.1%
2003	24,090,380	18,786,767	0.61%	4.89%
2004	24,254,943	19,669,480	0.68%	4.7%
2005	24,396,433	20,559,890	0.58%	4.53%
2006	24,524,507	21,459,144	0.52%	4.37%
2007	24,646,383	22,368,313	0.5%	4.24%
2008	24,764,618	23,287,877	0.48%	4.11%
2009	24,878,332	24,217,654	0.46%	3.99%
2010	24,987,258	23,978,487	0.44%	-0.99%
2011	25,097,874	25,091,867	0.44%	4.64%
2012	25,211,728	26,168,861	0.45%	4.29%
2013	25,329,451	27,624,004	0.47%	5.56%
2014	25,451,262	28,309,273	0.48%	2.48%
2015	25,575,350	29,816,382	0.49%	5.32%
2016	25,698,326	30,954,198	0.48%	3.82%
2017	25,817,709	30,977,355	0.46%	0.07%
2018	25,931,147	30,196,281	0.44%	-2.52%
2019	26,037,632	30,063,799	0.41%	-0.44%
2020	26,136,312	31,552,510	0.38%	4.95%
2021	26,232,534	30,784,383	0.37%	-2.43%
2022	26,328,845	32,175,224	0.37%	4.52%
2023	26,418,204	33,702,731	0.34%	4.75%
2024	26,498,823	35,300,280	0.31%	4.74%
2025	26,571,033	35,927,625	0.27%	1.78%
2026	26,633,682	36,550,694	0.24%	1.73%
2027	26,686,492	37,167,513	0.2%	1.69%
2028	26,729,261	37,775,810	0.16%	1.64%
2029	26,762,008	38,364,377	0.12%	1.56%
2030	26,784,894	38,918,375	0.09%	1.44%
2031	26,797,946	39,450,880	0.05%	1.37%
2032	26,801,071	39,983,934	0.01%	1.35%
2033	26,795,061	40,517,599	-0.02%	1.33%
2034	26,780,481	41,052,423	-0.05%	1.32%
2035	26,757,705	41,588,429	-0.09%	1.31%
2036	26,727,309	42,125,184	-0.11%	1.29%
2037	26,689,907	42,661,908	-0.14%	1.27%
2038	26,646,323	43,198,420	-0.16%	1.26%
2039	26,596,967	43,734,316	-0.19%	1.24%
2040	26,542,417	44,269,571	-0.21%	1.22%
2041	26,483,475	44,804,338	-0.22%	1.21%
2042	26,420,812	45,338,111	-0.24%	1.19%
2043	26,354,324	45,870,896	-0.25%	1.18%
2044	26,284,000	46,403,116	-0.27%	1.16%
2045	26,210,196	46,934,822	-0.28%	1.15%
2046	26,132,922	47,465,267	-0.29%	1.13%
2047	26,052,086	47,993,976	-0.31%	1.11%
2048	25,967,581	48,521,364	-0.32%	1.1%
2049	25,879,244	49,047,461	-0.34%	1.08%
2050	25,787,120	49,572,202	-0.36%	1.07%

From 2006 to 2016, the population of North Korea increased by 1,173,819 people (a 4.79% growth), while Saudi Arabia gained 9,495,054 people (a 44.2% growth).

For the next 10 years, from 2016 to 2026, North Korea gained 935,933 (a 3.64% growth), while Saudi Arabia's population increased by 5,603,237 (a 18.1% growth).

North Korea was ranked 46th most populous country in 2006 and is 56th in 2026. Saudi Arabia was ranked 50th in 2006 and ranked 44th now.

The UN's World Population Prospects forecasts that with changing growth rate trends in 24 years (in 2050) North Korea's population will shrink by 3.18% to 25,787,120 people with a rank change from 56th to 66th. The population of Saudi Arabia will increase by 35.6% to 49,572,202 people and rank change from 44th to 43rd.