Average Drywall Installer Salary in North Korea for 2026
A drywall installer in North Korea earns about 840,800 KPW a year. That's 64% 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 385,300 KPW a year, while the very top stretches to 1,333,900 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 drywall installer make in North Korea?
A typical drywall installer working in North Korea brings home around 70,066 KPW a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 385,300 KPW, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 1,333,900 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 drywall installer 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 drywall installer 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 drywall installers in North Korea earn less than 906,000 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 581,000 KPW (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 1,212,800 KPW (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of drywall installers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.
The very lowest reported salaries sit around 385,300 KPW. The highest stretch to 1,333,900 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.
Drywall installer pay by experience in North Korea
Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a drywall installer 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 drywall installer salary changes as you move through the career ladder.
- 0-2 Years436,200 KPW
- 2-5 Years+34% from previous585,900 KPW
- 5-10 Years+48% from previous864,900 KPW
- 10-15 Years+22% from previous1,054,900 KPW
- 15-20 Years+9% from previous1,148,200 KPW
- 20+ Years+9% from previous1,249,900 KPW
The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 48%. That is the point at which a drywall installer 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.
Drywall installer pay by education in North Korea
Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving drywall installer 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 drywall installer salary in North Korea broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.
- High School500,100 KPW
- Certificate or Diploma+57% from previous783,800 KPW
- Bachelor's Degree+68% from previous1,320,500 KPW
Drywall installer 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 drywall installers in North Korea earn an average of 915,100 KPW a year, while female drywall installers earn around 767,000 KPW. That works out to a 19% 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.
Drywall Installer gender pay gap
16%
Men earn this much more than women on average in North Korea.
Pay raises for a drywall installer 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 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
- Energy1%
- Information Technology
- Healthcare2%
- 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 Level3% - 5%
- Mid-Career
- Senior Level
- Top Management
Drywall installer 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.
15% of drywall installers in North Korea reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a drywall installer 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 0% to 4% of base salary. The remaining 85% of drywall installers 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
Drywall installer: 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.
Drywall Installer in North Korea: FAQs
-
How much does a drywall installer make per month in North Korea?
A drywall installer in North Korea earns about 70,066 KPW a month before tax, based on an annual average of 840,800 KPW.
-
What's the salary range for a drywall installer in North Korea?
Entry-level drywall installers in North Korea start near 385,300 KPW. Top-end pay reaches around 1,333,900 KPW. The middle 50% of earners sit between 581,000 and 1,212,800 KPW.
-
Is the median drywall installer salary in North Korea higher or lower than the average?
The median is 906,000 KPW, higher than the average of 840,800 KPW. Half of drywall installers in North Korea earn below the median, half earn above it.
-
What's the gender pay gap for drywall installers in North Korea?
Men working as a drywall installer in North Korea earn around 19% more than women on average (915,100 vs 767,000 KPW a year).
-
Do drywall installers in North Korea get bonuses?
About 15% of drywall installers in North Korea reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4% of base salary.
-
Do drywall installers earn more in the public or private sector in North Korea?
In North Korea, the public sector pays a drywall installer about 8% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.
-
How often do drywall installers in North Korea get a pay raise?
A drywall installer in North Korea sees a raise of around 4% every 30 months, equivalent to roughly 2% a year.