Moving to North Korea from Iceland
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Iceland to North Korea — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Iceland to North Korea, and you’d need to navigate life in Korean. Expect a noticeable climate shift — P'yongyang averages 60°F vs 45°F in Reykjavik, making it significantly warmer.
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Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Iceland to North Korea.
How's the healthcare?
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Iceland generally does better on health & wellbeing, though North Korea leads in adult obesity rate.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Iceland generally does better on environment, though North Korea leads in co₂ emissions per capita.
Will I have good infrastructure?
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
Iceland performs better than North Korea across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
Iceland generally does better on employment & economy, though North Korea leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
Iceland performs better than North Korea across all family life metrics.
Data: The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Reykjavik | P'yongyang |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 37°/28°F (3°/-2°C) | 38°/20°F (4°/-7°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 48°/38°F (9°/4°C) | 72°/52°F (22°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 54°/45°F (12°/7°C) | 81°/65°F (27°/18°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 39°/31°F (4°/-1°C) | 50°/31°F (10°/0°C) |
View all months
| Month | Reykjavik | P'yongyang |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35°/27°F (1.9°/-3.0°C) | 31°/13°F (-0.8°/-10.7°C) |
| Feb | 37°/28°F (2.8°/-2.1°C) | 36°/18°F (2.4°/-7.8°C) |
| Mar | 38°/28°F (3.2°/-2.0°C) | 48°/29°F (8.9°/-1.8°C) |
| Apr | 42°/33°F (5.7°/0.4°C) | 63°/41°F (17.1°/4.9°C) |
| May | 49°/38°F (9.4°/3.6°C) | 73°/52°F (22.6°/10.9°C) |
| Jun | 53°/44°F (11.7°/6.7°C) | 80°/62°F (26.7°/16.5°C) |
| Jul | 56°/47°F (13.3°/8.3°C) | 83°/69°F (28.6°/20.7°C) |
| Aug | 55°/46°F (13.0°/7.9°C) | 84°/69°F (28.9°/20.5°C) |
| Sep | 50°/41°F (10.1°/5.0°C) | 76°/58°F (24.7°/14.3°C) |
| Oct | 44°/36°F (6.8°/2.2°C) | 65°/44°F (18.2°/6.7°C) |
| Nov | 38°/30°F (3.4°/-1.3°C) | 49°/31°F (9.4°/-0.3°C) |
| Dec | 36°/27°F (2.2°/-2.8°C) | 35°/19°F (1.7°/-7.2°C) |
Icelandic Meteorological OfficeVisitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Iceland and North Korea. To live, work, or study long-term in North Korea, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check North Korea's immigration authority.
Iceland passport holder visiting North Korea
Visa Required
North Korea passport holder visiting Iceland
Visa RequiredData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I work remotely from North Korea?
Usually fine from major cities in North Korea. The harder questions are legal — digital nomad visa eligibility, your employer's overseas-work policy, and tax residency in both countries.
How is healthcare in North Korea compared to Iceland?
Iceland generally does better on health & wellbeing, though North Korea leads in adult obesity rate. There are 36.7 doctors per 10,000 people in North Korea, compared to 45.2 in Iceland. North Korea scores 68 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Iceland: 89).
What's the weather like in North Korea compared to Iceland?
The average high temperature in P'yongyang is 60°F, compared to 45°F in Reykjavik. P'yongyang receives around 37.0 in of rainfall per year, while Reykjavik gets 31.4 in.
What language do they speak in North Korea?
The official language in North Korea is Korean. In Iceland, the official language is Icelandic.
