North Korea vs Thailand
North Korea vs Thailand: National power
National power in 2022: 1.41% of world capability in North Korea and 0.79% of world capability in Thailand, by Correlates of War estimates. In 2022 the value was higher in North Korea, by 0.62 percentage points, or 1.79 times that in Thailand.
% of world capability · Correlates of War
What the numbers say
- North Korea has been higher since 1952, when it overtook Thailand.
- In 2022, North Korea ranked 12 and Thailand ranked 26 of 195 countries, counting from the highest.
Every year
% of world capability · Correlates of War
| Year | North Korea | Thailand |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1.41 | 0.79 |
| 2021 | 1.49 | 0.84 |
| 2020 | 1.48 | 0.83 |
| 2019 | 1.5 | 0.84 |
| 2018 | 1.51 | 0.87 |
| 2017 | 1.42 | 0.86 |
| 2016 | 1.35 | 0.91 |
| 2015 | 1.33 | 0.9 |
| 2014 | 1.32 | 0.9 |
| 2013 | 1.32 | 0.91 |
| 2012 | 1.32 | 0.77 |
| 2011 | 1.32 | 0.77 |
| 2010 | 1.22 | 0.77 |
| 2009 | 1.24 | 0.77 |
| 2008 | 1.26 | 0.78 |
| 2007 | 1.28 | 0.78 |
| 2006 | 1.28 | 0.76 |
| 2005 | 1.27 | 0.77 |
| 2004 | 1.25 | 0.76 |
| 2003 | 1.24 | 0.75 |
| 2002 | 1.24 | 0.73 |
| 2001 | 1.1 | 1.06 |
| 2000 | 1.03 | 0.72 |
| 1999 | 0.99 | 0.72 |
| 1998 | 0.99 | 0.7 |
| 1997 | 1.06 | 0.74 |
| 1996 | 1.12 | 0.74 |
| 1995 | 1.11 | 0.72 |
| 1994 | 1.14 | 0.69 |
| 1993 | 1.28 | 0.66 |
| 1992 | 1.33 | 0.64 |
| 1991 | 1.29 | 0.61 |
| 1990 | 1.2 | 0.57 |
| 1989 | 1.13 | 0.56 |
| 1988 | 0.99 | 0.53 |
| 1987 | 0.98 | 0.53 |
| 1986 | 0.96 | 0.53 |
| 1985 | 0.92 | 0.52 |
| 1984 | 0.93 | 0.52 |
| 1983 | 0.88 | 0.51 |
| 1982 | 0.87 | 0.51 |
| 1981 | 0.83 | 0.51 |
| 1980 | 0.8 | 0.49 |
| 1979 | 0.79 | 0.49 |
| 1978 | 0.75 | 0.48 |
| 1977 | 0.69 | 0.46 |
| 1976 | 0.67 | 0.45 |
| 1975 | 0.65 | 0.47 |
| 1974 | 0.57 | 0.43 |
| 1973 | 0.57 | 0.44 |
| 1972 | 0.57 | 0.42 |
| 1971 | 0.6 | 0.41 |
| 1970 | 0.56 | 0.39 |
| 1969 | 0.53 | 0.37 |
| 1968 | 0.54 | 0.36 |
| 1967 | 0.51 | 0.35 |
| 1966 | 0.5 | 0.35 |
| 1965 | 0.53 | 0.34 |
| 1964 | 0.49 | 0.3 |
| 1963 | 0.49 | 0.28 |
| 1962 | 0.52 | 0.3 |
| 1961 | 0.53 | 0.3 |
| 1960 | 0.52 | 0.32 |
| 1959 | 0.56 | 0.33 |
| 1958 | 0.78 | 0.33 |
| 1957 | 0.48 | 0.33 |
| 1956 | 0.44 | 0.28 |
| 1955 | 0.41 | 0.28 |
| 1954 | 0.38 | 0.29 |
| 1953 | 0.36 | 0.3 |
| 1952 | 0.31 | 0.29 |
| 1951 | 0.22 | 0.31 |
| 1950 | 0.27 | 0.32 |
| 1949 | 0.25 | 0.32 |
| 1948 | 0.36 | 0.34 |
| 1947 | – | 0.34 |
| 1946 | – | 0.39 |
| 1945 | – | 0.44 |
| 1944 | – | 0.45 |
| 1943 | – | 0.46 |
| 1942 | – | 0.44 |
| 1941 | – | 0.35 |
| 1940 | – | 0.33 |
| 1939 | – | 0.31 |
| 1938 | – | 0.35 |
| 1937 | – | 0.34 |
| 1936 | – | 0.34 |
| 1935 | – | 0.32 |
| 1934 | – | 0.34 |
| 1933 | – | 0.34 |
| 1932 | – | 0.35 |
| 1931 | – | 0.35 |
| 1930 | – | 0.34 |
| 1929 | – | 0.34 |
| 1928 | – | 0.34 |
| 1927 | – | 0.35 |
| 1926 | – | 0.34 |
| 1925 | – | 0.34 |
| 1924 | – | 0.34 |
| 1923 | – | 0.31 |
| 1922 | – | 0.3 |
| 1921 | – | 0.29 |
| 1920 | – | 0.28 |
| 1919 | – | 0.27 |
| 1918 | – | 0.24 |
| 1917 | – | 0.24 |
| 1916 | – | 0.24 |
| 1915 | – | 0.23 |
| 1914 | – | 0.3 |
| 1913 | – | 0.31 |
| 1912 | – | 0.31 |
| 1911 | – | 0.31 |
| 1910 | – | 0.32 |
| 1909 | – | 0.32 |
| 1908 | – | 0.32 |
| 1907 | – | 0.31 |
| 1906 | – | 0.27 |
| 1905 | – | 0.26 |
| 1904 | – | 0.27 |
| 1903 | – | 0.26 |
| 1902 | – | 0.23 |
| 1901 | – | 0.21 |
| 1900 | – | 0.26 |
| 1899 | – | 0.22 |
| 1898 | – | 0.24 |
| 1897 | – | 0.25 |
| 1896 | – | 0.25 |
| 1895 | – | 0.25 |
| 1894 | – | 0.25 |
| 1893 | – | 0.24 |
| 1892 | – | 0.28 |
| 1891 | – | 0.28 |
| 1890 | – | 0.28 |
| 1889 | – | 0.28 |
| 1888 | – | 0.28 |
| 1887 | – | 0.28 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- The Correlates of War’s Composite Index of National Capability: the country’s share of the world’s military spending, soldiers, iron and steel, energy use, people and city dwellers, averaged.
- Source: Correlates of War Project, National Material Capabilities v7.0; Singer, Bremer and Stuckey (1972), “Capability Distribution, Uncertainty, and Major Power War, 1820–1965”, in Bruce Russett (ed.), Peace, War, and Numbers, Sage, 19–48.
- Ranks count the 195 countries with a value in 2022, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
North Korea vs Thailand
Health
- Life expectancyNorth Korea: 73.6 years in 2023Thailand: 76.4 years in 2023
- Child mortalityNorth Korea: 1.7 per 100 live births in 2024Thailand: 0.9 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityNorth Korea: 14.5 per 1,000 live births in 2023Thailand: 6.2 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionNorth Korea: 3.09% in 2017Thailand: 3.09% in 2017
- Suicide rateNorth Korea: 11.1 per 100,000 people in 2017Thailand: 10.4 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationNorth Korea: 26.4 million people in 2023Thailand: 71.7 million people in 2023
- Population growthNorth Korea: 0.32% a year in 2023Thailand: -0.04% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateNorth Korea: 1.78 births per woman in 2023Thailand: 1.21 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationNorth Korea: 64.2% in 2025Thailand: 62.8% in 2025
- Median ageNorth Korea: 36.1 years in 2023Thailand: 39.7 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overNorth Korea: 12% in 2023Thailand: 14.7% in 2023
- Net migration rateNorth Korea: -0.1 per 1,000 people in 2023Thailand: 0.3 per 1,000 people in 2023
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spending per personNorth Korea: $62 in 2018Thailand: $84 in 2025
- Armed forces personnelNorth Korea: 1.47 million people in 2020Thailand: 455,000 people in 2020
- Armed forces, share of workersNorth Korea: 8.62% of the labour force in 2020Thailand: 1.13% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsNorth Korea: 1 million TIV in 2010Thailand: 33 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsNorth Korea: 44 million TIV in 2025Thailand: 15 million TIV in 2024