Place comparison

North Korea compared with Taiwan: area, population and density

North Korea has roughly three times Taiwan’s land area and a population of a similar order, producing a much lower national density.

Place A Grouped by country or region Place B Grouped by country or region

Equal-area outline comparison

Outlines are centered and scaled by official land area; position does not show geographic location.

Area

Population

Population density

Area data date

Population data date

The detailed guide below compares North Korea with Taiwan. Use the selector above to explore any other pair.

Direct answer

How different are North Korea and Taiwan?

North Korea covers 120,538 km²; North Korea's area is 3.33 times Taiwan's. Its reported population is 26,571,000; North Korea's population is 1.14 times Taiwan's. By average density, North Korea's population density is about 34.1% of Taiwan's.

Area difference

North Korea's area is 3.33 times Taiwan's 120,538 km² · 36,197.3 km²

Population difference

North Korea's population is 1.14 times Taiwan's 26,571,000 · 23,400,220

Density difference

North Korea's population density is about 34.1% of Taiwan's 220.4 /km² · 646.5 /km²

On a familiar scale

North Korea ≈ 40.8 × Kaohsiung City 4,536 m² of land per resident
Taiwan ≈ 12.3 × Kaohsiung City 1,547 m² of land per resident

Reference scales come from Department of Household Registration, Ministry of the Interior: Land area, households and population density by township and district (year-end 2025) , as of 2025-12-31.

How to read it

The land difference is much larger than the population difference. This page uses a neutral United Nations country profile for both North Korean figures.

Geography and shape

North Korea occupies the northern part of the Korean Peninsula, with extensive mountain terrain and a land border with China and Russia. Taiwan is centred on a mountainous island, so both outlines include large areas that are not dense urban settlement.

Population context

The two reported populations are much closer than their land areas. Dividing each total by its full territory therefore makes Taiwan’s average density several times higher. This is a national average rather than a measure of any capital city.

Boundaries and definitions

North Korea uses the United Nations surface-area figure and 2025 population estimate. Taiwan uses official administrative land area and registered population at year-end 2024. The dates and population systems differ, so ratios are best used as scale indicators.

North Korea: United Nations surface area and 2025 medium-variant population estimate for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Taiwan: Registered population and official administrative land area.

In-depth guide

How should North Korea and Taiwan be understood in context?

North Korea and Taiwan have populations in the same broad range, yet North Korea occupies far more land. That split makes the pair useful for understanding why total population alone says little about national settlement density.

A peninsula and an island on one scale

North Korea fills the northern Korean Peninsula and reaches inland borders, while Taiwan is defined by an island-centred administrative area. Ordinary maps fit each to its own frame and can hide the threefold area gap.

Both territories include substantial mountain land. The outline and total area therefore describe national geography rather than available urban or agricultural land.

Population is closer than land

The UN estimate for North Korea exceeds Taiwan’s registered population only modestly compared with the area ratio. Taiwan consequently carries far more people per square kilometre at the national level.

This result should not be read as a street-level comparison. Capital regions, plains and transport corridors concentrate residents inside both countries.

Why the source note matters

North Korea’s current figure is a United Nations estimate rather than a directly comparable household register. Taiwan’s number is an administrative registration total.

Atlas keeps that mismatch visible and limits the conclusion to broad scale. The page does not infer economic conditions, travel access or daily life from population density.

Questions people ask

About this geographic comparison

How many times larger is North Korea than Taiwan?

The current area result above divides 120,538 km² by Taiwan’s official administrative land area, which is a little over three times.

Does North Korea have more people than Taiwan?

The UN 2025 estimate is higher than Taiwan’s 2024 registered population, but the difference is far smaller than the land-area gap.

Are the population figures directly identical measures?

No. North Korea is a UN estimate and Taiwan is registered population. The page displays both dates and definitions.

Sources

Outline data:

Natural Earth · Public domain