Population of the official entrance age to primary education, male in North Korea

North Korea: Population of the official entrance age to primary education, male was 168,965 number in 2019. ▼ Falling

Latest (2019)
168,965 number
Change on year
up 0.4%
World rank
71st
of 206 countries
All-time high
262,351 number
in 1977
All-time low
156,656 number
in 1987
Years of data
50
1970–2019

Population of the official entrance age to primary education, male in North Korea, 1970–2019

0100.0k200.0k300.0k197019942019

Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Measured in number.

Analysis

North Korea recorded 168,965 number for population of the official entrance age to primary education, male in 2019.

The figure is up 0.4% on the previous year and down 14.3% over ten years.

Over the whole period, population of the official entrance age to primary education, male in North Korea peaked at 262,351 number in 1977 and was at its lowest, 156,656 number, in 1987.

That places North Korea 71st out of 206 countries with data for 2019, putting it in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 50 years of available data.

Population of the official entrance age to primary education, male in North Korea, year by year

Annual values for Population of the official entrance age to primary education, male (number) in North Korea, 1970 to 2019.
Year number Change
1970 174,518 number
1971 170,802 number -2.1%
1972 177,920 number +4.2%
1973 196,147 number +10.2%
1974 219,904 number +12.1%
1975 242,838 number +10.4%
1976 256,454 number +5.6%
1977 262,351 number +2.3%
1978 260,948 number -0.5%
1979 254,141 number -2.6%
1980 244,008 number -4.0%
1981 233,613 number -4.3%
1982 221,387 number -5.2%
1983 203,925 number -7.9%
1984 185,026 number -9.3%
1985 168,356 number -9.0%
1986 158,218 number -6.0%
1987 156,656 number -1.0%
1988 164,618 number +5.1%
1989 177,897 number +8.1%
1990 192,068 number +8.0%
1991 200,854 number +4.6%
1992 204,977 number +2.1%
1993 204,707 number -0.1%
1994 201,902 number -1.4%
1995 198,629 number -1.6%
1996 197,805 number -0.4%
1997 199,708 number +1.0%
1998 200,001 number +0.1%
1999 203,342 number +1.7%
2000 206,618 number +1.6%
2001 208,944 number +1.1%
2002 210,233 number +0.6%
2003 209,613 number -0.3%
2004 207,658 number -0.9%
2005 204,992 number -1.3%
2006 202,190 number -1.4%
2007 200,063 number -1.1%
2008 198,543 number -0.8%
2009 197,251 number -0.7%
2010 195,761 number -0.8%
2011 193,696 number -1.1%
2012 190,997 number -1.4%
2013 186,698 number -2.3%
2014 181,569 number -2.7%
2015 176,409 number -2.8%
2016 171,938 number -2.5%
2017 169,034 number -1.7%
2018 168,265 number -0.5%
2019 168,965 number +0.4%

North Korea compared with similar countries

  • North Korea's 168,965 number is below the median for low income countries, which is 255,031 number, 66% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
  • North Korea's 168,965 number is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 15,628 number, 10.8× the median. (33 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1970s 221,602 number 170,802 number 262,351 number 10
1980s 191,370 number 156,656 number 244,008 number 10
1990s 200,399 number 192,068 number 204,977 number 10
2000s 204,610 number 197,251 number 210,233 number 10
2010s 180,333 number 168,265 number 195,761 number 10

Countries ranked near North Korea

  1. 68 Benin 172,199 number compare
  2. 69 Sri Lanka 169,810 number compare
  3. 70 Australia 168,985 number compare
  4. 72 Rwanda 167,893 number compare
  5. 73 Ecuador 164,686 number compare
  6. 74 South Sudan 158,905 number compare

See the full ranking of 251 places →

More education data for North Korea

All data for North Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is population of the official entrance age to primary education, male in North Korea?
Population of the official entrance age to primary education, male in North Korea was 168,965 number in 2019, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
What is the highest population of the official entrance age to primary education, male recorded in North Korea?
The highest recorded value was 262,351 number in 1977.
What is the lowest population of the official entrance age to primary education, male recorded in North Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 156,656 number in 1987.
How does North Korea rank for population of the official entrance age to primary education, male?
North Korea ranks 71st out of 206 countries with data for 2019.
Is population of the official entrance age to primary education, male rising or falling in North Korea?
Over the last ten years it is down 14.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this North Korea data come from?
The figures come from UNESCO Institute for Statistics, published as part of Population of the official entrance age to primary education, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Population of the official entrance age to primary education, male in North Korea. Statizoid, drawing on UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved 17 September 2026, from https://education.statizoid.com/stat/population-of-the-official-entrance-age-to-primary-education-male-number/korea-dem-people-s-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Population of the official entrance age to primary education, male (number)
Unit
number
Source
UNESCO Institute for Statistics
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
251 places, 12,277 data points, 1970–2020
Last refreshed

Male population of the age-group theoretically corresponding to the official entrance age to primary education. The official entrance age is the age at which students would enter a given programme or level of education assuming they start at the official entrance age for the lowest level of education, study full-time throughout and progressed through the system without repeating or skipping a grade. The theoretical entrance age to a given programme or level is typically, but not always, the most common entrance age.