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Average Community Volunteer Salary in North Korea for 2026

A community volunteer in North Korea earns about 745,000 KPW a year. That's 68% 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 394,500 KPW a year, while the very top stretches to 1,134,100 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 community volunteer make in North Korea?

Average salary
745,000 KPW
62,083 KPW per month
Lowest reported
394,500 KPW
32,875 KPW per month
Highest reported
1,134,100 KPW
94,508 KPW per month

A typical community volunteer working in North Korea brings home around 62,083 KPW a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 394,500 KPW, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 1,134,100 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 community volunteer 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 community volunteer 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 community volunteers in North Korea earn less than 702,800 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 492,700 KPW (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 862,400 KPW (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of community volunteers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 394,500 KPW. The highest stretch to 1,134,100 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.

394,500
Low
702,800
Median
1,134,100
High
492,700
25th
862,400
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in KPW

Community volunteer pay by experience in North Korea

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a community volunteer 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 community volunteer salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    455,400 KPW
  • 2-5 Years
    +23% from previous
    559,000 KPW
  • 5-10 Years
    +41% from previous
    790,600 KPW
  • 10-15 Years
    +17% from previous
    923,000 KPW
  • 15-20 Years
    +10% from previous
    1,016,300 KPW
  • 20+ Years
    +6% from previous
    1,078,200 KPW

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 41%. That is the point at which a community volunteer 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.


Community volunteer pay by education in North Korea

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving community volunteer 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 community volunteer salary in North Korea broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • High School
    559,000 KPW
  • Certificate or Diploma
    +40% from previous
    780,700 KPW
  • Bachelor's Degree
    +42% from previous
    1,106,000 KPW

Community volunteer 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 community volunteers in North Korea earn an average of 783,800 KPW a year, while female community volunteers earn around 688,900 KPW. That works out to a 14% 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.

Community Volunteer gender pay gap

12%

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

Men 783,800 KPW
Women 688,900 KPW

Pay raises for a community volunteer 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 5% every 30 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

Community volunteer 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.

8%

8% of community volunteers in North Korea reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a community volunteer 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 3% of base salary. The remaining 92% of community volunteers 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

Community volunteer: 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


Community Volunteer in North Korea: FAQs

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

    A community volunteer in North Korea earns about 62,083 KPW a month before tax, based on an annual average of 745,000 KPW.

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

    Entry-level community volunteers in North Korea start near 394,500 KPW. Top-end pay reaches around 1,134,100 KPW. The middle 50% of earners sit between 492,700 and 862,400 KPW.

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

    The median is 702,800 KPW, lower than the average of 745,000 KPW. Half of community volunteers in North Korea earn below the median, half earn above it.

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

    Men working as a community volunteer in North Korea earn around 14% more than women on average (783,800 vs 688,900 KPW a year).

  • Do community volunteers in North Korea get bonuses?

    About 8% of community volunteers in North Korea reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 1% to 3% of base salary.

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

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

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

    A community volunteer in North Korea sees a raise of around 5% every 30 months, equivalent to roughly 2% a year.