Moving to Canada from North Korea
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from North Korea to Canada — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from North Korea to Canada, and you’d need to navigate life in English and French.
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from North Korea to Canada, and how the trend has changed.
Who's moving to Canada?
Top countries of origin for Canada's foreign-born residents.
- 720,083
- 699,190
- 633,547
- 537,504
- 273,226
- 254,831
- · · ·
-
165.838
North Korea
Key Indicator Comparison
How North Korea and Canada stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
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
North Korea generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Canada leads in health coverage index.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
North Korea generally does better on environment, though Canada leads in air pollution deaths.
Will I have good infrastructure?
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
Canada performs significantly 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
North Korea generally does better on employment & economy, though Canada leads in gdp per capita.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
Canada performs significantly 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 | P'yongyang | Ottawa |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 38°/20°F (4°/-7°C) | 27°/10°F (-3°/-12°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/52°F (22°/11°C) | 64°/45°F (18°/7°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 81°/65°F (27°/18°C) | 75°/55°F (24°/13°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 50°/31°F (10°/0°C) | 41°/25°F (5°/-4°C) |
View all months
| Month | P'yongyang | Ottawa |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°/13°F (-0.8°/-10.7°C) | 21°/4°F (-6.1°/-15.3°C) |
| Feb | 36°/18°F (2.4°/-7.8°C) | 25°/8°F (-4.1°/-13.3°C) |
| Mar | 48°/29°F (8.9°/-1.8°C) | 36°/19°F (2.2°/-7.1°C) |
| Apr | 63°/41°F (17.1°/4.9°C) | 51°/33°F (10.8°/0.6°C) |
| May | 73°/52°F (22.6°/10.9°C) | 66°/46°F (19.1°/7.7°C) |
| Jun | 80°/62°F (26.7°/16.5°C) | 75°/55°F (23.8°/12.7°C) |
| Jul | 83°/69°F (28.6°/20.7°C) | 80°/60°F (26.5°/15.4°C) |
| Aug | 84°/69°F (28.9°/20.5°C) | 77°/57°F (24.9°/14.1°C) |
| Sep | 76°/58°F (24.7°/14.3°C) | 67°/48°F (19.5°/9.1°C) |
| Oct | 65°/44°F (18.2°/6.7°C) | 54°/37°F (12.5°/3.0°C) |
| Nov | 49°/31°F (9.4°/-0.3°C) | 41°/27°F (4.8°/-2.8°C) |
| Dec | 35°/19°F (1.7°/-7.2°C) | 27°/12°F (-3.0°/-11.1°C) |
Meteorological Service of CanadaVisitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between North Korea and Canada. To live, work, or study long-term in Canada, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Canada's immigration authority.
North Korea passport holder visiting Canada
Visa Required
Canada passport holder visiting North Korea
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 Canada?
Working remotely from Canada's major cities is generally feasible. The legal layer matters more — visa category, employer policy on overseas employees, and tax residency in North Korea and Canada.
How is healthcare in Canada compared to North Korea?
North Korea generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Canada leads in health coverage index. There are 25.0 doctors per 10,000 people in Canada, compared to 36.7 in North Korea. Canada scores 91 on the WHO universal health coverage index (North Korea: 68).
What's the weather like in Canada compared to North Korea?
The average high temperature in Ottawa is 52°F, compared to 60°F in P'yongyang. Ottawa receives around 37.1 in of rainfall per year, while P'yongyang gets 37.0 in.
What language do they speak in Canada?
The official languages in Canada are English and French. In North Korea, the official language is Korean.
