North Korea vs Republic of Korea: Exposure to PM2.5 air pollution vs. GDP per capita
North Korea
21.78 micrograms per cubic meter
in 2023
Republic of Korea
21.89 micrograms per cubic meter
in 2023
North Korea rank
75th
Republic of Korea rank
73rd
Exposure to PM2.5 air pollution vs. GDP per capita over time
- North Korea
- Republic of Korea
How they compare
Republic of Korea currently reports 21.89 micrograms per cubic meter against 21.78 micrograms per cubic meter in North Korea, a difference of 0.11 micrograms per cubic meter.
The two have swapped places 7 times across 34 shared years of data; in 1990 it was North Korea ahead.
North Korea ranks 75th and Republic of Korea ranks 73rd of 200 countries.
Across the 4 decades both report, North Korea averaged higher in 3 and Republic of Korea in 1.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | North Korea | Republic of Korea | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 25.36 micrograms per cubic meter | 21.32 micrograms per cubic meter | 4.04 micrograms per cubic meter | North Korea |
| 2000s | 26.8 micrograms per cubic meter | 22.25 micrograms per cubic meter | 4.55 micrograms per cubic meter | North Korea |
| 2010s | 25.37 micrograms per cubic meter | 23.26 micrograms per cubic meter | 2.1 micrograms per cubic meter | North Korea |
| 2020s | 21.77 micrograms per cubic meter | 21.97 micrograms per cubic meter | 0.1957 micrograms per cubic meter | Republic of Korea |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher exposure to pm2.5 air pollution vs. gdp per capita, North Korea or Republic of Korea?
- Republic of Korea, at 21.89 micrograms per cubic meter against 21.78 micrograms per cubic meter in North Korea as of 2023.
- What is the difference in exposure to pm2.5 air pollution vs. gdp per capita between North Korea and Republic of Korea?
- 0.11 micrograms per cubic meter, with Republic of Korea ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for North Korea and Republic of Korea?
- 34 years are reported by both, from 1990 to 2023.
- How do North Korea and Republic of Korea rank globally for exposure to pm2.5 air pollution vs. gdp per capita?
- North Korea ranks 75th and Republic of Korea ranks 73rd of 200 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Global Burden of Disease Study 2023, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as Exposure to PM2.5 air pollution vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
GDP per capita is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs between countries.