Skip to content

North Korea's area vs Singapore's: size comparison by land type

Updated on by Georank team

North Korea is 167.6 times bigger by total area compared to Singapore: 46,541 sq mi vs 277.6 sq mi. Without inland water, the land area of North Korea is 46,491 sq mi vs 277.2 sq mi for Singapore — a 167.7 times difference in territory size.

  • North Korea ranks 96/197 by total surface area vs 177/197 for Singapore.
  • North Korea occupies 0.08% of the land mass of all countries, compared with 0.0005% for Singapore.
  • 21.6% of North Korea's area is agricultural land vs 0.92% in Singapore.
  • N. Korea has 0.05% of the world's agricultural land area — Singapore has 0.00001%.
  • 49.6% of N. Korea is covered by forests, compared to 20.9% in Singapore.
  • 0.15% of the world's forests are in North Korea, and 0.0004% are in Singapore.

True size map comparison: North Korea vs Singapore

See how North Korea and Singapore compare in true size on the map. Drag the outlines to different latitudes to see how the Mercator projection affects their apparent size.

Total size and land area comparison

North Korea Singapore
Total area 46,541
sq mi
277.6
sq mi
Size difference ratio 167.6 1
Total area rank 96/197 177/197
Share of all countries' surface area 0.02% 0.0001%
Land area 46,491
sq mi
277.2
sq mi
Land area difference ratio 167.7 1
Land area rank 97/197 177/197
Share of all countries' land area 0.08% 0.0005%
Population 26,498,823 6,036,860
Population density 573 ppl/mi² 22,064 ppl/mi²

Surface area by type

North Korea Singapore
Forest area 23,036
sq mi
58
sq mi
Forest area as share of land 49.6% 20.9%
Forest area rank 70/196 175/196
World's forests share 0.15% 0.0004%
Agricultural land area 10,021
sq mi
2.55
sq mi
Agricultural land share 21.6% 0.92%
Agricultural land area rank 109/194 193/194
Share of global agricultural land 0.05% 0.00001%
Arable land 8,861
sq mi
2.16
sq mi
Arable land share 19.1% 0.78%
Arable land area rank 79/191 187/191
Permanent cropland 966
sq mi
0.39
sq mi
Permanent cropland share 2.08% 0.14%
Permanent cropland area rank 77/192 191/192
Water area 50.2
sq mi
0.42
sq mi
Water as share of total area 0.11% 0.15%
Water area rank 137/197 159/197
Roads length 15,879
mi
2,175
mi
Land borders length 999
mi
0
mi
Coastline length 1,550
mi
119.9
mi
Share of marine protected waters 0% 0%

North Korea vs Singapore size on the map

Data sources: World Bank | Agriculture & Rural Development (2026, retrieved 2026-04-06).

GeoRank.org/size/north-korea/singapore | CC BY

The map above outlines the borders of North Korea and Singapore but is not accurate for size comparison because it's a 2d map with Mercator projection that distorts territories near the poles. The farther a country is from the equator, the more magnified it appears. More about country size projections.

Compare countries by 7 more topics

Help us show the world through your eyes

Share a photo of your city and help others discover what it looks like to live there. Your contribution makes our data come alive.

Data sources:

  1. World Bank | Agriculture & Rural Development (2023–2026, retrieved 2026-04-06)
  2. Wikidata (2026, retrieved 2026-02-08)
  3. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) (2025, retrieved 2026-02-20)
  4. United Nations | World Population Prospects (2026, retrieved 2026-03-10)

Total agricultural land encompasses all areas used for agriculture: territories under permanent and temporary crops and pastures. It includes land under flowering shrubs, fruit and nut trees, and vineyards, but excludes sites utilized for timber production.

Arable land encompasses fields utilized for temporary crop production, pastures, market or kitchen gardens, and temporarily fallowed land. Land abandoned due to shifting cultivation practices is not included.

Permanent cropland refers to farmland for the long-term cultivation of crops, such as coffee, cocoa, and rubber, which do not require replanting after each harvest. This category encompasses land with permanent crops like flowering shrubs, fruit and nut trees, and vines, but does not include land under trees for timber production.

Inland areas under water, such as large rivers, lakes, and some coastal waterways.

Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) — you’re free to copy, share, remix, adapt, and use even commercially as long as you give appropriate credit and clearly indicate if you made changes. Other sources may be subject to different license terms.