INR
…
KPW
…
Land Area
India
3,287,263 km²
Largest
North Korea
120,538 km²
3.7% of largest
India is 27.27× larger than North Korea
Population
India
LARGEST
1.46B
PEOPLE
North Korea
1.8% OF LARGEST
26.57M
PEOPLE
India has 55.09× the population of North Korea
GDP
India
LARGEST
$3.96T
North Korea
1.1% OF LARGEST
$44.8B
Armed Forces
Active Personnel
India
LARGEST
1.45M
TROOPS
North Korea
88.6% OF LARGEST
1.28M
TROOPS
India has 1.13× the active personnel of North Korea
Air Force
India
LARGEST
2.18K
AIRCRAFT
North Korea
43.4% OF LARGEST
946
AIRCRAFT
India has 2.31× the aircraft of North Korea
Naval Assets
North Korea
India
Wealth
Gold Reserves
India
LARGEST
876.2
Metric Tonnes
North Korea
Foreign-Exchange Reserves
India
LARGEST
$570B
Reserves · excl. gold
North Korea
$0B
Reserves · excl. gold
Billionaires
India
MOST
200
billionaires
North Korea
—
Oil
Proven Reserves
India
LARGEST
4.5
Billion barrels
Production & Consumption
India
NET IMPORTER
Production
0.7M b/d
Consumption
5.3M b/d
−4.6M b/d net
Trade (Import/Export)
India
$827.4B
Exports
$827.4B
Imports
$918.3B
Trade Balance
$-90.9B
Trade Deficit
North Korea
$0.4B
Exports
$0.4B
Imports
$2.4B
Trade Balance
$-2.0B
Trade Deficit
Drinks per Person
Coffee
kg / person / yr
India
consumption
North Korea
Tea
kg / person / yr
India
consumption
North Korea
Beer
litres / person / yr
India
supply
North Korea
Wine
litres / person / yr
India
consumption
North Korea
Alcohol
litres pure alcohol / person / yr
India
consumption
North Korea
consumption
Smoking
% of adults 15+ who smoke
North Korea
India
Per-capita — consumption where available, else FAOSTAT supply · alcohol = litres of pure alcohol; smoking = % of adults 15+ (WHO)
Olympic Medals
North Korea
16
Gold
19
Silver
28
Bronze
63
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 61
❄ Winter: 2
India
10
Gold
10
Silver
21
Bronze
41
Total Medals
☀ Summer: 41
❄ Winter: 0
Religious Demographics
Religious Distribution
Religious Composition by Country
India
North Korea
Age Demographics
Median Age
North Korea
34.6
YEARS
10
30
50
70
India
28.2
YEARS
10
30
50
70
Age Distribution
Population breakdown by age bracket (percentage)
Demographic Insights
Age Gap
North Korea is 6.4 years older (median) than India
Youth Population
India has the highest youth population at 52.5% (under 30)
Elderly Population
North Korea has the highest elderly population at 12.0% (60+)
Global Statistics
| Metric |
India
|
North Korea
|
|---|---|---|
| Travel & Mobility | ||
| Passport Power visa-free destinations |
62
|
— |
| Tourist Arrivals per year |
17.9M
|
— |
| Culture & Prestige | ||
| Nobel Laureates all-time |
10
|
0
|
| UNESCO Heritage Sites inscribed sites |
43
|
3
|
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.
|
India
|
North Korea
|
|---|---|---|
| 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) | $3 | N/A |
| Three-Course Meal for 2 (USD) | $15 | N/A |
| Monthly Rent - City Center (USD) | $250 | N/A |
| Monthly Rent - Outside Center (USD) | $150 | N/A |
| Monthly Utilities (USD) | $35 | N/A |
| Internet (60 Mbps, USD) | $12 | N/A |
| Monthly Public Transport Pass (USD) | $15 | N/A |
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
India
North Korea
Physicians per 1,000
North Korea
India
Hospital beds per 1,000
North Korea
India
Diabetes prevalence
India
North Korea
Obesity prevalence
North Korea
India
Suicide rate per 100k
India
North Korea
Want the long view?
GDP, population, reserves & trade for India vs North Korea — charted over the decades.
Basic Information
| Metric | India | North Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 1463865525 | 26571036 |
| Area (sq km) | 3287263 | 120538 |
| Capital | New Delhi | Pyongyang |
| Official Language | Hindi and English (official), 21 other scheduled languages | Korean |
| Currency | Indian Rupee (INR) | North Korean Won (KPW) |
| Government Type | Federal parliamentary constitutional republic | Unitary one-party socialist republic |
Military Strength
| Metric | India | North Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Active Personnel | 1,445,000 | 1,280,000 |
| Reserve Personnel | 1,155,000 | 600,000 |
| Total Military Personnel | 2,610,550 | 1,880,000 |
| Defense Budget (USD) | $81,400,000,000 | $3,600,000,000 |
| Tanks | 4,614 | 5,895 |
| Armored Vehicles | 12,000 | 4,060 |
| Self-Propelled Artillery | 100 | 2,250 |
| Towed Artillery | 4,175 | 5,500 |
| Rocket Projectors | 266 | 5,000 |
Economy
| Metric | India | North Korea |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (USD) | $3,956,067,115,772 | $44,800,000,000 |
| GDP Per Capita (USD) | $2,702 | $1,686 |
| Unemployment Rate (%) | 4.2% | 3.5% |
| GINI Index (Income Inequality) | 25.5 | 0.0 |
| Currency | Indian Rupee (INR) | North Korean Won (KPW) |
| Loading current exchange rates… | ||
Interesting Comparisons & Trivia
Did You Know?
India is 27.3 times larger in area than North Korea.
That's a massive difference!
India has 55.1 times more people than North Korea.
With over a billion people, that's more than 1/8 of humanity!
India has the highest GDP per capita at $2,702 among the selected countries.
India has the largest economy with a GDP of
$3.96 trillion.
India has the largest active military personnel with 1,445,000 troops.
India has the largest air force with 2,182 aircraft.
North Korea has the largest navy with 967 vessels.
India Fact: India has the world's largest film industry, producing over 1,800 films annually, more than twice Hollywood's output.
India vs North Korea: Key Comparisons
Economy: India's GDP of $4.0T is 88.3x larger than North Korea's $45B — both among the world's largest economies.
Population: India's population of 1.5B is 55.1x larger than North Korea's 27M.
Area: India covers 3,287,263 km², making it 27.3x larger than North Korea.
Military: India fields 1.4Million active troops vs North Korea's 1.3Million.
Trade: India has a trade deficit of $91B while North Korea has a trade deficit of $2B.
Life Expectancy: North Korea leads with a life expectancy of 74 years vs India's 72.
Data compiled from World Bank, IMF, Global Firepower, SIPRI, Numbeo, and Pew Research.
Last updated August 2026.
Sources & methodology