KPW
…
USD
…
Land Area
United States of America
9,833,517 km²
Largest
North Korea
120,538 km²
1.2% of largest
United States of America is 81.58× larger than North Korea
Population
United States of America
LARGEST
341.78M
PEOPLE
North Korea
7.8% OF LARGEST
26.57M
PEOPLE
United States of America has 12.86× the population of North Korea
GDP
United States of America
LARGEST
$30.77T
North Korea
0.1% OF LARGEST
$44.8B
Armed Forces
Active Personnel
United States of America
LARGEST
1.35M
TROOPS
North Korea
95.0% OF LARGEST
1.28M
TROOPS
United States of America has 1.05× the active personnel of North Korea
Air Force
United States of America
LARGEST
13.3K
AIRCRAFT
North Korea
7.1% OF LARGEST
946
AIRCRAFT
United States of America has 14.06× the aircraft of North Korea
Naval Assets
North Korea
United States of America
Wealth
Gold Reserves
United States of America
LARGEST
8,133.5
Metric Tonnes
North Korea
Foreign-Exchange Reserves
United States of America
LARGEST
$228B
Reserves · excl. gold
North Korea
$0B
Reserves · excl. gold
Billionaires
United States of America
MOST
813
billionaires
North Korea
—
Oil
Proven Reserves
United States of America
LARGEST
69
Billion barrels
Production & Consumption
United States of America
NET EXPORTER
Production
20.0M b/d
Consumption
19.0M b/d
+1.0M b/d net
Trade (Import/Export)
North Korea
$0.4B
Exports
$0.4B
Imports
$2.4B
Trade Balance
$-2.0B
Trade Deficit
United States of America
$3,193.5B
Exports
$3,193.5B
Imports
$4,103.1B
Trade Balance
$-909.6B
Trade Deficit
Drinks per Person
Coffee
kg / person / yr
United States of America
consumption
North Korea
Tea
kg / person / yr
United States of America
consumption
North Korea
Beer
litres / person / yr
United States of America
consumption
North Korea
Wine
litres / person / yr
United States of America
consumption
North Korea
Alcohol
litres pure alcohol / person / yr
United States of America
consumption
North Korea
consumption
Smoking
% of adults 15+ who smoke
North Korea
United States of America
Per-capita — consumption where available, else FAOSTAT supply · alcohol = litres of pure alcohol; smoking = % of adults 15+ (WHO)
Olympic Medals
United States of America
1,233
Gold
1,013
Silver
889
Bronze
3,135
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 2,772
❄ Winter: 363
North Korea
16
Gold
19
Silver
28
Bronze
63
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 61
❄ Winter: 2
Religious Demographics
Religious Distribution
Religious Composition by Country
North Korea
United States of America
Age Demographics
Median Age
United States of America
38.8
YEARS
10
30
50
70
North Korea
34.6
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Age Distribution
Population breakdown by age bracket (percentage)
Demographic Insights
Age Gap
United States of America is 4.2 years older (median) than North Korea
Youth Population
North Korea has the highest youth population at 41.9% (under 30)
Elderly Population
United States of America has the highest elderly population at 21.6% (60+)
Global Statistics
| Metric |
North Korea
|
United States of America
|
|---|---|---|
| Travel & Mobility | ||
| Passport Power visa-free destinations | — |
186
|
| Tourist Arrivals per year | — |
66.5M
|
| Culture & Prestige | ||
| Nobel Laureates all-time |
0
|
411
|
| 3-Michelin-Star Restaurants current guide |
0
|
16
|
| UNESCO Heritage Sites inscribed sites |
3
|
26
|
Figures as of 2026. Sources: IMF, EIA/OPEC, Henley Passport Index, UNWTO, Forbes, Michelin Guide, Nobel Foundation, UNESCO World Heritage Centre.
Cost of Living
|
Metric
All indices use New York City as base (100)
Lower values indicate lower costs.
|
North Korea
|
United States of America
|
|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living Index | N/A |
|
| Rent Index | N/A |
|
| Groceries Index | N/A |
|
| Restaurant Price Index | N/A |
|
| Local Purchasing Power | N/A |
|
| Common Expenses Comparison | ||
| Meal at Inexpensive Restaurant (USD) | N/A | $20 |
| Three-Course Meal for 2 (USD) | N/A | $80 |
| Monthly Rent - City Center (USD) | N/A | $1,950 |
| Monthly Rent - Outside Center (USD) | N/A | $1,500 |
| Monthly Utilities (USD) | N/A | $175 |
| Internet (60 Mbps, USD) | N/A | $68 |
| Monthly Public Transport Pass (USD) | N/A | $85 |
Health
Healthcare spending, capacity and outcomes. Sources: World Bank / WHO — the year tag shows each figure’s vintage; “—” means the country doesn’t report that metric.
Health spending / person
USA
North Korea
Physicians per 1,000
USA
North Korea
Hospital beds per 1,000
North Korea
USA
Diabetes prevalence
USA
North Korea
Obesity prevalence
USA
North Korea
Suicide rate per 100k
USA
North Korea
Want the long view?
GDP, population, reserves & trade for North Korea vs USA — charted over the decades.
Basic Information
| Metric | North Korea | United States of America |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 26571036 | 341784857 |
| Area (sq km) | 120538 | 9833517 |
| Capital | Pyongyang | Washington, D.C. |
| Official Language | Korean | English (de facto) |
| Currency | North Korean Won (KPW) | United States Dollar (USD) |
| Government Type | Unitary one-party socialist republic | Federal presidential constitutional republic |
Military Strength
| Metric | North Korea | United States of America |
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 1,280,000 | 1,347,300 |
| Reserve Personnel | 600,000 | 799,500 |
| Total Military Personnel | 1,880,000 | 2,146,800 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $3,600,000,000 | $816,000,000,000 |
| Tanks | 5,895 | 6,612 |
| Armored Vehicles | 4,060 | 45,193 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 2,250 | 1,498 |
| Towed Artillery | 5,500 | 1,339 |
| Rocket Projectors | 5,000 | 1,366 |
Economy
| Metric | North Korea | United States of America |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $44,800,000,000 | $30,769,700,000,000 |
| GDP Per Capita (USD) | $1,686 | $90,027 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 3.5% | 4.2% |
| GINI Index (Income Inequality) | 0.0 | 41.8 |
| Currency | North Korean Won (KPW) | United States Dollar (USD) |
| Loading current exchange rates… | ||
Interesting Comparisons & Trivia
Did You Know?
United States of America is 81.6 times larger in area than North Korea.
That's a massive difference!
United States of America has 12.9 times more people than North Korea.
United States of America has the highest GDP per capita at $90,027 among the selected countries.
United States of America has the largest economy with a GDP of
$30.77 trillion.
United States of America has the largest active military personnel with 1,347,300 troops.
United States of America has the largest air force with 13,300 aircraft.
North Korea has the largest navy with 967 vessels.
USA Fact: The United States has more airports than any other country in the world, with over 13,000 airports.
North Korea vs United States of America: Key Comparisons
Economy: United States of America's GDP of $30.8T is 686.8x larger than North Korea's $45B — both among the world's largest economies.
Population: United States of America's population of 342M is 12.9x larger than North Korea's 27M.
Area: United States of America covers 9,833,517 km², making it 81.6x larger than North Korea.
Military: United States of America fields 1.3Million active troops vs North Korea's 1.3Million.
Trade: North Korea has a trade deficit of $2B while United States of America has a trade deficit of $910B.
Life Expectancy: United States of America leads with a life expectancy of 79 years vs North Korea's 74.
Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated August 2026.
Sources & methodology