Country explorer: North Korea
EXPERIMENTAL
2024
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Overview
North Korea is a reclusive, low-income country in East Asia with a medium-sized population. Its economy has been volatile in recent decades, and is based on agriculture, manufacturing and mining.
North Korea operates under a totalitarian regime led by Kim Jong-un.
Economy
North Korea's economy, devoid of detailed unemployment and inflation data but reflecting modest GDP per capita growth, has demonstrated resilience and gradual adaptation amid global economic fluctuations, differentiating it from both rapidly developing neighbors like China and more stagnant economies.
Demographics
North Korea has experienced moderate population growth, consistently low net migration, gradual fertility rate reduction aligning with global trends towards smaller families, and a steady improvement in life expectancy, reflecting both its unique socio-political context and common demographic shifts observed globally.
Basic needs
North Korea has shown modest improvements in access to clean cooking fuels and electricity but remains significantly behind its peers, with a unique struggle in the global context marked by minimal access to clean fuels for cooking juxtaposed against a more substantial but plateauing access to electricity.
Human development
In the past two decades, North Korea has witnessed significant improvements in child mortality rates and boasts one of the highest literacy rates globally, showcasing substantial progress in health and education despite the lack of comprehensive human development data.
Environment & energy
North Korea has experienced a decrease in per capita CO₂ emissions and renewable internal freshwater resources, a transition towards renewable energy sources albeit at a slow scale compared to global peers, and a steady decline in forest area, underscoring the complex interplay between environmental conservation and energy needs in a relatively isolated nation.
Technology & innovation
North Korea has shown an incremental increase in technology use, as seen through modest upticks in internet usage and mobile phone subscriptions per capita, contrasted by a minimal presence in global scientific publications, highlighting a controlled and isolated technological environment compared to its more open and rapidly advancing peers.
Culture & society
North Korea has exhibited a significantly low percentage of population born in another country, coupled with a stable dependency ratio, indicating limited foreign influence and a relatively balanced age demographic in stark contrast to the dynamics observed in its regional neighbors and globally.
Governance
North Korea has remained distinctively steadfast in its minimal adherence to the rule of law, consistently perceived high levels of corruption, severely restricted political and civil liberties, and oppressively low press freedom, underscoring its unparalleled isolation and control compared to its regional peers and the world at large.