Digital 2027: North Korea

The internet – at least as the rest of the world knows it – remains unavailable to everyday citizens in North Korea, so we’re only able to offer a handful of data points relating to digital adoption and use in the country for 2027.

However, we can offer a few essential headlines for mobile connectivity in North Korea this year, as well as an overview of the country’s population.

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Population of North Korea in 2027

The population of North Korea stood at 26.6 million in October 2026.

Data shows that North Korea’s population increased by 60 thousand (+0.2 percent) between late 2025 and the end of 2026.

50.5 percent of North Korea’s population is female, while 49.5 percent of the population is male.

At the end of 2026, 86.4 percent of North Korea’s population lived in towns and cities (as determined by the United Nations’ “Degree of Urbanisation” methodology), while 13.6 percent lived in rural areas.

Note: gender data are currently only available for “female” and “male”.

North Korea’s population by age

The median age of North Korea’s population is 36.8.

Here’s how North Korea’s total population breaks down by age group:

• 6.3 percent is between the ages of 0 and 4.

• 10.2 percent is between the ages of 5 and 12.

• 6.1 percent is between the ages of 13 and 17.

• 8.9 percent is between the ages of 18 and 24.

• 14.6 percent is between the ages of 25 and 34.

• 13.7 percent is between the ages of 35 and 44.

• 13.2 percent is between the ages of 45 and 54.

• 14.1 percent is between the ages of 55 and 64.

• 13.0 percent is aged 65 and above.

Note: percentages may not sum to 100 percent due to rounding.

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Internet use in North Korea in 2027

North Korea has its own “intranet”, but the internet (at least as the rest of the world knows it) remains unavailable to most people in the country.

Our analysis of the available data suggests that fewer than 100,000 people in the country are able to access international websites, and it seems likely that a sizeable proportion of this select group will be made up of foreign expatriates and the country’s political elite.

Either way, more than 99 percent of the country’s population remained technically offline at the end of 2026.

For the latest insights into internet adoption and use around the world, follow our regular Global Statshot reports.

Go global: see how North Korea’s current “state of digital” compares with connectivity in other countries by reading our flagship Digital 2027 Global Overview Report, which includes hundreds of slides of global digital data, and our in-depth analysis of what these numbers might mean for you.

Mobile connections in North Korea in 2027

Data from GSMA Intelligence shows that there were 8.08 million cellular mobile connections in North Korea at the end of 2026.

GSMA Intelligence’s numbers indicate that mobile connections in North Korea were equivalent to 30.3 percent of the total population in October 2026.

The number of mobile connections in North Korea increased by 227 thousand (+2.9 percent) between the end of 2025 and the end of 2026.

Need quick stats for other countries? Click here to read our Digital 2027 Country Headlines Report, with essential digital data for every country in the world.

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Additional resources

Here are some suggestions for further reading, which will provide additional context for our Digital 2027 numbers for North Korea:

• Read our complete Digital 2027 Global Overview Report to get a comprehensive overview of the “state of digital” around the world in 2027.




• Click here to see all of the Global Digital Reports we’ve published on North Korea over the past decade.




• Explore all of our reports on countries in Eastern Asia by clicking here.
  




• Visit our complete online reports library to find all of the (free!) reports in the Global Digital Reports series.
  




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