Moving to Romania from North Korea

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What to Expect

Everything you need to know before relocating from North Korea to Romania — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.

If you moved from North Korea to Romania, and you’d need to navigate life in Romanian.

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Who Else Is Making This Move?

How many people actually move from North Korea to Romania, based on official data.

Living there in 2020
20 ↑ 186% vs 2015

people born in North Korea live in Romania · UN DESA

Who's moving to Romania?

Top countries of origin for Romania's foreign-born residents.

Foreign-born population · UN DESA (2020)

Key Indicator Comparison

Key indicators for anyone considering a move from North Korea to Romania.

How's the healthcare?

Doctors per 10,000 people United Nations SDG Indicators, 2021

affects wait times and access to care

KP
36.7
RO
34.7
Health coverage index United Nations SDG Indicators, 2021

WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access

KP
68
RO
78

North Korea generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Romania leads in health coverage index.

What about the environment?

Air pollution deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2019

deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people

KP
86.0
RO
46.0
CO₂ emissions per capita World Bank, 2024

tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year

KP
2.5t
RO
3.7t

North Korea generally does better on environment, though Romania leads in air pollution deaths.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Water stress level United Nations SDG Indicators, 2021

higher means greater strain on freshwater supply

KP
27.7%
RO
7.4%
Electricity per capita World Bank, 2023

annual consumption — reflects grid capacity

KP
830 kWh
RO
2,585 kWh

Romania performs significantly better than North Korea across all infrastructure metrics.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate The World Factbook, 2023

percentage of the labour force without work

KP
3.0%
RO
5.6%
GDP per capita The World Factbook, 2023

a broad measure of economic output per person

KP
$1,700
RO
$40,500

North Korea generally does better on employment & economy, though Romania leads in gdp per capita.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy The World Factbook, 2022

average years of life at birth

KP
71.8 yrs
RO
75.8 yrs
Infant mortality The World Factbook, 2022

deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better

KP
22.2
RO
5.8

Romania generally does better on family life, though North Korea leads in literacy rate.

Data: The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank

What's the Climate Like?

Monthly averages — select a city to compare.

P'yongyang Rain: 37.0 in/yr (940 mm)
60° / 42°F

Avg. annual high / low

Bucharest Rain: 23.4 in/yr (594 mm)
63° / 41°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months P'yongyang Bucharest
Jan–Mar 38°/20°F (4°/-7°C) 44°/27°F (7°/-3°C)
Apr–Jun 72°/52°F (22°/11°C) 74°/49°F (23°/9°C)
Jul–Sep 81°/65°F (27°/18°C) 83°/57°F (28°/14°C)
Oct–Dec 50°/31°F (10°/0°C) 51°/34°F (10°/1°C)
View all months
Month P'yongyang Bucharest
Jan 31°/13°F (-0.8°/-10.7°C) 37°/23°F (2.8°/-4.8°C)
Feb 36°/18°F (2.4°/-7.8°C) 42°/25°F (5.5°/-4.0°C)
Mar 48°/29°F (8.9°/-1.8°C) 53°/32°F (11.4°/0.1°C)
Apr 63°/41°F (17.1°/4.9°C) 64°/41°F (18.0°/4.9°C)
May 73°/52°F (22.6°/10.9°C) 75°/49°F (24.0°/9.6°C)
Jun 80°/62°F (26.7°/16.5°C) 82°/56°F (27.7°/13.6°C)
Jul 83°/69°F (28.6°/20.7°C) 86°/60°F (29.8°/15.4°C)
Aug 84°/69°F (28.9°/20.5°C) 86°/59°F (29.8°/14.9°C)
Sep 76°/58°F (24.7°/14.3°C) 76°/51°F (24.6°/10.5°C)
Oct 65°/44°F (18.2°/6.7°C) 64°/42°F (17.9°/5.4°C)
Nov 49°/31°F (9.4°/-0.3°C) 50°/33°F (9.8°/0.6°C)
Dec 35°/19°F (1.7°/-7.2°C) 39°/26°F (3.8°/-3.4°C)

Data: National Meteorological Administration National Meteorological Administration

Visitor Visa Requirements

Short-stay tourist visa rules between North Korea and Romania. To live, work, or study long-term in Romania, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Romania's immigration authority.

North Korea passport

North Korea passport holder visiting Romania

Visa Required
North Korea passport holders need a visa to enter Romania.
Romania passport

Romania passport holder visiting North Korea

Visa Required
Romania passport holders need a visa to enter North Korea.

Data: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I work remotely from Romania?

Usually fine from major cities in Romania. 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 Romania compared to North Korea?

North Korea generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Romania leads in health coverage index. There are 34.7 doctors per 10,000 people in Romania, compared to 36.7 in North Korea. Romania scores 78 on the WHO universal health coverage index (North Korea: 68).

What's the weather like in Romania compared to North Korea?

The average high temperature in Bucharest is 63°F, compared to 60°F in P'yongyang. Bucharest receives around 23.4 in of rainfall per year, while P'yongyang gets 37.0 in.

What language do they speak in Romania?

The official language in Romania is Romanian. In North Korea, the official language is Korean.

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At a Glance

KP RO
Population 25,955,138 18,519,899
Currency North Korean Won (KPW) Romanian Leu (RON)
Languages Korean Romanian
Driving side Right Right
Calling code +850 +40
Time zones 1 1
Emergency number 112