Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
North Korea: 120,540 km² (2024) · Taiwan: no data
How much coast is there?
North Korea’s coastline is 59% longer than Taiwan’s
North Korea: 2,495 km (2026 edition) · Taiwan: 1,566 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Taiwan’s highest peak towers 1,208 m above North Korea’s
North Korea: 2,744 m (2026 edition) · Taiwan: 3,952 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
North Korea: 21.6% (2024) · Taiwan: no data
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
North Korea: 26.6 million (2025) · Taiwan: no data
How crowded is it?
North Korea: 221 per km² (2025) · Taiwan: no data
How tall are the men?
Men in North Korea are 1.2 cm taller than in Taiwan
North Korea: 174.7 cm (2019) · Taiwan: 173.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
North Korea and Taiwan are practically level
North Korea: 161.2 cm (2019) · Taiwan: 160.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Taiwan is 7.5 years older than in North Korea
North Korea: 36 years (2023) · Taiwan: 43.5 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
North Korea: 1.78 children per woman (2024) · Taiwan: no data
How many people are 65 or older?
North Korea: 12.7% (2025) · Taiwan: no data
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
North Korea: 0 (2026) · Taiwan: no data
How many official languages?
North Korea and Taiwan are practically level
North Korea: 1 (2026) · Taiwan: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How many people are looking for work?
North Korea: 3.5% (2025) · Taiwan: no data
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How long do people live?
North Korea: 73.7 years (2024) · Taiwan: no data
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
North Korea: 13.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Taiwan: no data
How many doctors are there?
North Korea: 3.6 per 1,000 (2017) · Taiwan: no data
How many hospital beds are there?
North Korea: 12.8 per 1,000 (2018) · Taiwan: no data
How common is suicide?
North Korea: 10.6 per 100k (2023) · Taiwan: no data
How common is obesity?
North Korea: 12.1% (2024) · Taiwan: no data
How many adults smoke?
North Korea: 15.6% (2024) · Taiwan: no data
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
North Korea: no data · Taiwan: 6.71 (2025)
How much do people drink?
North Korea: 2.6 litres (2023) · Taiwan: no data
How much meat is on the menu?
Taiwan has 6.6 times as much meat per person as North Korea
North Korea: 13.8 kg (2018) · Taiwan: 91.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Taiwan has 977 kcal more food per person per day than North Korea
North Korea: 1,981 kcal (2018) · Taiwan: 2,958 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
North Korea: no data · Taiwan: 2,032 hours (2023)
How many World Heritage sites?
North Korea: 3 (2026) · Taiwan: no data
How many Olympic medals has it won?
North Korea has won 63 Olympic medals, Taiwan 43
North Korea: 63 (2026 edition) · Taiwan: 43 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How fast is home internet?
North Korea: no data · Taiwan: 260 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
North Korea: 61.4% (2024) · Taiwan: no data
How many live in cities?
North Korea: 64% (2025) · Taiwan: no data
How many phones per person?
North Korea: 24 (2022) · Taiwan: no data
How much railway is there?
North Korea’s railway network is 4.6 times as long as Taiwan’s
North Korea: 7,435 km (2014) · Taiwan: 1,613 km (2018)
How much do they fly?
North Korea: 0.00014 (2023) · Taiwan: no data
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
North Korea: 64.1% (2024) · Taiwan: no data
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Taiwan emits 4.8 times as much CO₂ as someone in North Korea
North Korea: 2.4 t (2024) · Taiwan: 11.3 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
63% of North Korea’s electricity is renewable, versus 12% in Taiwan
North Korea: 63.4% (2024) · Taiwan: 12.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in North Korea carries 28% more fine dust than in Taiwan
North Korea: 21.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Taiwan: 16.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How dangerous are the roads?
North Korea: 77.3 per 100k (2023) · Taiwan: no data
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
North Korea: 7.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Taiwan: no data
How much rain falls?
North Korea: 1,172 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Taiwan: no data
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Are people taller in North Korea or Taiwan?
Men in North Korea are 1.2 cm taller than in Taiwan (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
