Average Investor Salary in North Korea for 2026
An investor in North Korea earns about 2,173,000 KPW a year. That's 7% 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 1,084,200 KPW a year, while the very top stretches to 3,359,900 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 an investor make in North Korea?
A typical investor working in North Korea brings home around 181,083 KPW a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 1,084,200 KPW, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 3,359,900 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 investor 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 investor 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 investors in North Korea earn less than 2,173,000 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 1,464,200 KPW (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 2,759,700 KPW (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of investors sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.
The very lowest reported salaries sit around 1,084,200 KPW. The highest stretch to 3,359,900 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.
Investor pay by experience in North Korea
Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for an investor 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 investor salary changes as you move through the career ladder.
- 0-2 Years1,296,900 KPW
- 2-5 Years+32% from previous1,716,600 KPW
- 5-10 Years+34% from previous2,304,300 KPW
- 10-15 Years+19% from previous2,748,900 KPW
- 15-20 Years+8% from previous2,964,800 KPW
- 20+ Years+7% from previous3,178,700 KPW
The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 34%. That is the point at which a investor 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.
Investor pay by education in North Korea
Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving investor 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 investor salary in North Korea broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.
- High School1,632,100 KPW
- Certificate or Diploma+14% from previous1,858,200 KPW
- Bachelor's Degree+36% from previous2,519,500 KPW
- Master's Degree+26% from previous3,178,700 KPW
Investor 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 investors in North Korea earn an average of 2,230,100 KPW a year, while female investors earn around 2,086,500 KPW. That works out to a 7% 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.
Investor gender pay gap
6%
Men earn this much more than women on average in North Korea.
Pay raises for an investor 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 7% every 29 months, which works out to roughly 3% 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
Investor 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.
12% of investors in North Korea reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes an investor 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 3% of base salary. The remaining 88% of investors 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
Investor: 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.
Investor in North Korea: FAQs
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How much does an investor make per month in North Korea?
An investor in North Korea earns about 181,083 KPW a month before tax, based on an annual average of 2,173,000 KPW.
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What's the salary range for an investor in North Korea?
Entry-level investors in North Korea start near 1,084,200 KPW. Top-end pay reaches around 3,359,900 KPW. The middle 50% of earners sit between 1,464,200 and 2,759,700 KPW.
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Is the median investor salary in North Korea higher or lower than the average?
The median is 2,173,000 KPW, higher than the average of 2,173,000 KPW. Half of investors in North Korea earn below the median, half earn above it.
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What's the gender pay gap for investors in North Korea?
Men working as an investor in North Korea earn around 7% more than women on average (2,230,100 vs 2,086,500 KPW a year).
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Do investors in North Korea get bonuses?
About 12% of investors in North Korea reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 3% of base salary.
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Do investors earn more in the public or private sector in North Korea?
In North Korea, the public sector pays an investor about 8% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.
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How often do investors in North Korea get a pay raise?
An investor in North Korea sees a raise of around 7% every 29 months, equivalent to roughly 3% a year.