School age population, primary education, male in North Korea
North Korea: School age population, primary education, male was 858,809 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
858,809
Change on year
up 0.9%
World rank
71st
of 222 countries
All-time high
1.01 million
in 1977
All-time low
703,017
in 1987
Years of data
56
1970–2025
School age population, primary education, male in North Korea, 1970–2025
Source: UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
Analysis
In 2025, school age population, primary education, male in North Korea stood at 858,809.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 0.9% on the previous year and down 0.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, school age population, primary education, male in North Korea peaked at 1.01 million in 1977 and was at its lowest, 703,017, in 1987.
That places North Korea 71st out of 222 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 56 years of available data.
School age population, primary education, male in North Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1970 | 749,438 | — |
| 1971 | 775,782 | +3.5% |
| 1972 | 817,131 | +5.3% |
| 1973 | 858,930 | +5.1% |
| 1974 | 908,508 | +5.8% |
| 1975 | 949,420 | +4.5% |
| 1976 | 986,154 | +3.9% |
| 1977 | 1.01 million | +2.4% |
| 1978 | 1.00 million | -0.8% |
| 1979 | 1.01 million | +0.8% |
| 1980 | 978,622 | -3.1% |
| 1981 | 930,386 | -4.9% |
| 1982 | 879,172 | -5.5% |
| 1983 | 801,870 | -8.8% |
| 1984 | 754,013 | -6.0% |
| 1985 | 722,232 | -4.2% |
| 1986 | 703,374 | -2.6% |
| 1987 | 703,017 | -0.1% |
| 1988 | 718,647 | +2.2% |
| 1989 | 735,456 | +2.3% |
| 1990 | 749,838 | +2.0% |
| 1991 | 764,515 | +2.0% |
| 1992 | 772,451 | +1.0% |
| 1993 | 782,148 | +1.3% |
| 1994 | 792,271 | +1.3% |
| 1995 | 802,129 | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 809,309 | +0.9% |
| 1997 | 818,202 | +1.1% |
| 1998 | 815,488 | -0.3% |
| 1999 | 826,441 | +1.3% |
| 2000 | 836,723 | +1.2% |
| 2001 | 843,850 | +0.9% |
| 2002 | 845,576 | +0.2% |
| 2003 | 841,773 | -0.4% |
| 2004 | 838,287 | -0.4% |
| 2005 | 832,190 | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 823,902 | -1.0% |
| 2007 | 813,460 | -1.3% |
| 2008 | 798,188 | -1.9% |
| 2009 | 783,448 | -1.8% |
| 2010 | 766,780 | -2.1% |
| 2011 | 750,229 | -2.2% |
| 2012 | 731,659 | -2.5% |
| 2013 | 708,978 | -3.1% |
| 2014 | 878,430 | +23.9% |
| 2015 | 862,022 | -1.9% |
| 2016 | 851,081 | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 841,871 | -1.1% |
| 2018 | 839,486 | -0.3% |
| 2019 | 835,313 | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 833,577 | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 831,585 | -0.2% |
| 2022 | 836,889 | +0.6% |
| 2023 | 843,772 | +0.8% |
| 2024 | 851,427 | +0.9% |
| 2025 | 858,809 | +0.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 906,656 | 749,438 | 1.01 million | 10 |
| 1980s | 792,679 | 703,017 | 978,622 | 10 |
| 1990s | 793,279 | 749,838 | 826,441 | 10 |
| 2000s | 825,740 | 783,448 | 845,576 | 10 |
| 2010s | 806,585 | 708,978 | 878,430 | 10 |
| 2020s | 842,676 | 831,585 | 858,809 | 6 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
More education data for North Korea
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), annual growth 0.0495 % change on previous year (2022)
- Start of the academic school year (tertiary education), gaps filled 2,021 tertiary education (2022)
- Theoretical duration of secondary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of upper secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of lower secondary education (years), annual 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of pre-primary education (years), annual growth 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre primary education, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Theoretical duration of primary education (years), annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Start of the academic school year (pre-primary to post-secondary non) 0.0494 % change on previous year (2025)
- Duration of pre-primary education 2 years (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is school age population, primary education, male in North Korea?
- School age population, primary education, male in North Korea was 858,809 in 2025, according to UNESCO Institute for Statistics.
- What is the highest school age population, primary education, male recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 1.01 million in 1977.
- What is the lowest school age population, primary education, male recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 703,017 in 1987.
- How does North Korea rank for school age population, primary education, male?
- North Korea ranks 71st out of 222 countries with data for 2025.
- Is school age population, primary education, male rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.4%. 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 School age population, primary education, male (number). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 56 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO (UNESCO Institute for Statistics).
About this data
February 2026 Data Release