Population using at least basic drinking-water services in North Korea
North Korea: Population using at least basic drinking-water services was 88.8% in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
88.8%
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
103rd
of 177 countries
All-time high
99.6%
in 2000
All-time low
88.8%
in 2019
Years of data
24
2000–2023
Population using at least basic drinking-water services in North Korea, 2000–2023
Source: World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
Analysis
In 2023, population using at least basic drinking-water services in North Korea stood at 88.8%. That is the lowest value across all 24 years on record.
That represents a change of down 4.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population using at least basic drinking-water services in North Korea peaked at 99.6% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 88.8%, in 2019.
That places North Korea 103rd out of 177 countries with data for 2023, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 24 years of available data.
Population using at least basic drinking-water services in North Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 99.6% | — |
| 2001 | 99.6% | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 99.6% | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 99.6% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 99.5% | -0.1% |
| 2005 | 98.8% | -0.7% |
| 2006 | 98.1% | -0.7% |
| 2007 | 97.3% | -0.7% |
| 2008 | 96.6% | -0.7% |
| 2009 | 95.9% | -0.7% |
| 2010 | 95.2% | -0.7% |
| 2011 | 94.5% | -0.8% |
| 2012 | 93.8% | -0.8% |
| 2013 | 93.0% | -0.8% |
| 2014 | 92.3% | -0.8% |
| 2015 | 91.6% | -0.8% |
| 2016 | 90.9% | -0.8% |
| 2017 | 90.2% | -0.8% |
| 2018 | 89.5% | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 88.8% | -0.8% |
| 2020 | 88.8% | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 88.8% | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 88.8% | +0.0% |
| 2023 | 88.8% | +0.0% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 88.8% is above the median for low income countries, which is 56.6%, 1.6× the median. (25 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 88.8% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 93.4%, 95% of the median. (24 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 98.5% | 95.9% | 99.6% | 10 |
| 2010s | 92.0% | 88.8% | 95.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 88.8% | 88.8% | 88.8% | 4 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
More environment data for North Korea
- Historical exposure to drought — Cropland soil moisture anomaly 2.89 Percentage change (2025)
- Historical exposure to drought — Land soil moisture anomaly 3.16 Percentage change (2025)
- Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e) 0.8843 % change on previous year (2024)
- Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from Industrial Processes (Mt CO2e) 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions (total) excluding LULUCF (Mt CO2e) 0 Mt CO2e per person (2024)
- Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from Power Industry (Energy) (Mt) 0.9455 % change on previous year (2024)
- Heating Degree Days 6,917 (2024)
- Cooling Degree Days 854.46 (2024)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Agriculture (Mt CO2e), annual -0.97 % change on previous year (2024)
- Nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions from Building (Energy) (Mt CO2e) 0.7752 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population using at least basic drinking-water services in North Korea?
- Population using at least basic drinking-water services in North Korea was 88.8% in 2023, according to World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory.
- What is the highest population using at least basic drinking-water services recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 99.6% in 2000.
- What is the lowest population using at least basic drinking-water services recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 88.8% in 2019.
- How does North Korea rank for population using at least basic drinking-water services?
- North Korea ranks 103rd out of 177 countries with data for 2023.
- Is population using at least basic drinking-water services rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from World Health Organization, Global Health Observatory, published as part of Population using at least basic drinking-water services (%). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 24 observations, free to reuse under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (WHO).