Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in North Korea
North Korea: Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty was 9.3% in 2017. ◆ Volatile
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in North Korea, 1998–2017
Source: Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME) - UNICEF, WHO, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in % of children under 5.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in North Korea is 9.3%, measured in 2017. That is the lowest value across all 7 years on record.
The figure is down 50.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in North Korea peaked at 55.5% in 1998 and was at its lowest, 9.3%, in 2017.
North Korea ranks 53rd of 96 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in North Korea, year by year
| Year | % of children under 5 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 55.5% | — |
| 2000 | 24.7% | -55.5% |
| 2002 | 17.7% | -28.3% |
| 2004 | 20.6% | +16.4% |
| 2009 | 18.8% | -8.7% |
| 2012 | 15.2% | -19.1% |
| 2017 | 9.3% | -38.8% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 9.3% is below the median for low income countries, which is 16.9%, 55% of the median. (21 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 9.3% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 15.3%, 61% of the median. (13 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 55.5% | 55.5% | 55.5% | 1 |
| 2000s | 20.4% | 17.7% | 24.7% | 4 |
| 2010s | 12.2% | 9.3% | 15.2% | 2 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
More poverty & inequality data for North Korea
- Fertility rate vs. share living in extreme poverty 1.78 live births per woman (2023)
- Cereal yield vs. share in extreme poverty 3,610 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal yield vs extreme poverty, annual growth rate 2.01 % change on previous year (2024)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient in women 0.1119 (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient by sex 0.1119 (2023)
- Lifespan inequality: Gini coefficient in men 0.1328 (2023)
- Share of gross national income from poverty reduction grants 0.0% (2023)
- Use of interpolation and extrapolation on original Gini coefficient data 1,673 (2017)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in North Korea?
- Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty in North Korea was 9.3% in 2017, according to Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME) - UNICEF, WHO, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 55.5% in 1998.
- What is the lowest share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 9.3% in 2017.
- How does North Korea rank for share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty?
- North Korea ranks 53rd out of 96 countries with data for 2017.
- Is share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 50.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Joint child Malnutrition Estimates (JME) - UNICEF, WHO, and World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of children who are underweight vs. share in extreme poverty. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 7 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Underweight children are those less than 5 years old, whose weight for age is more than two standard deviations below the median for the international reference population. Extreme poverty is defined as living below the International Poverty Line of $3 per day.