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Average Chauffeur Salary in North Korea for 2026

A chauffeur in North Korea earns about 902,100 KPW a year. That's 61% below the national average of 2,327,100 KPW.

Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in North Korea sit around 485,200 KPW a year, while the very top stretches to 1,357,900 KPW. Everything on this page is in North Korean won (KPW, symbol ₩), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.

The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in North Korea, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.


How much does a chauffeur make in North Korea?

Average salary
902,100 KPW
75,175 KPW per month
Lowest reported
485,200 KPW
40,433 KPW per month
Highest reported
1,357,900 KPW
113,158 KPW per month

A typical chauffeur working in North Korea brings home around 75,175 KPW a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 485,200 KPW, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 1,357,900 KPW for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.

The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior chauffeur working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around.


How chauffeur pay ranges in North Korea

A good way to think about salary in North Korea is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all chauffeurs in North Korea earn less than 829,000 KPW a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".

Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 592,600 KPW (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 1,007,400 KPW (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of chauffeurs sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 485,200 KPW. The highest stretch to 1,357,900 KPW, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.

485,200
Low
829,000
Median
1,357,900
High
592,600
25th
1,007,400
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in KPW

Chauffeur pay by experience in North Korea

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a chauffeur in North Korea, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical chauffeur salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    563,300 KPW
  • 2-5 Years
    +27% from previous
    714,300 KPW
  • 5-10 Years
    +32% from previous
    939,600 KPW
  • 10-15 Years
    +18% from previous
    1,105,600 KPW
  • 15-20 Years
    +11% from previous
    1,224,800 KPW
  • 20+ Years
    +7% from previous
    1,306,100 KPW

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 32%. That is the point at which a chauffeur typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.


Chauffeur pay by education in North Korea

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving chauffeur pay in North Korea. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.

Below is the average chauffeur salary in North Korea broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • High School
    714,300 KPW
  • Certificate or Diploma
    +37% from previous
    975,700 KPW
  • Bachelor's Degree
    +29% from previous
    1,259,300 KPW

Chauffeur gender pay gap in North Korea

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and North Korea is no exception. Male chauffeurs in North Korea earn an average of 932,800 KPW a year, while female chauffeurs earn around 854,300 KPW. That works out to a 9% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.

A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.

Chauffeur gender pay gap

8%

Men earn this much more than women on average in North Korea.

Men 932,800 KPW
Women 854,300 KPW

Pay raises for a chauffeur in North Korea

Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.

A typical worker doing this role in North Korea sees a raise of about 4% every 31 months, which works out to roughly 2% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.

Across all jobs in North Korea, the national average raise is around 4% every 29 months.

By industry

Industries with the highest pay raises in North Korea:

  • Banking
  • Energy
    1%
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
    2%
  • Travel
  • Construction
  • Education

By experience level

Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.

  • Junior Level
    3% - 5%
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior Level
  • Top Management

Chauffeur bonus rates in North Korea

Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.

7%

7% of chauffeurs in North Korea reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a chauffeur a low-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.

Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 1% to 2% of base salary. The remaining 93% of chauffeurs reported no bonus at all over the same period.

Which careers pay bonuses in North Korea

Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.

  • Finance
  • Architecture
  • Sales
  • Business Development
  • Marketing / Advertising
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Insurance
  • Customer Service
  • Human Resources
  • Construction
  • Transport
  • Hospitality

Chauffeur: public vs private sector pay

Public-sector pay in North Korea is about 8% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.

Public vs private pay gap

7%

Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in North Korea on average.

Public sector 2,401,300 KPW
Private sector 2,230,100 KPW


Chauffeur in North Korea: FAQs

  • How much does a chauffeur make per month in North Korea?

    A chauffeur in North Korea earns about 75,175 KPW a month before tax, based on an annual average of 902,100 KPW.

  • What's the salary range for a chauffeur in North Korea?

    Entry-level chauffeurs in North Korea start near 485,200 KPW. Top-end pay reaches around 1,357,900 KPW. The middle 50% of earners sit between 592,600 and 1,007,400 KPW.

  • Is the median chauffeur salary in North Korea higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 829,000 KPW, lower than the average of 902,100 KPW. Half of chauffeurs in North Korea earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for chauffeurs in North Korea?

    Men working as a chauffeur in North Korea earn around 9% more than women on average (932,800 vs 854,300 KPW a year).

  • Do chauffeurs in North Korea get bonuses?

    About 7% of chauffeurs in North Korea reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 1% to 2% of base salary.

  • Do chauffeurs earn more in the public or private sector in North Korea?

    In North Korea, the public sector pays a chauffeur about 8% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do chauffeurs in North Korea get a pay raise?

    A chauffeur in North Korea sees a raise of around 4% every 31 months, equivalent to roughly 2% a year.