Health in North Korea

North Korea has a life expectancy of 72 years as of 2020. While North Korea is classified as a low-income country, the structure of North Korea's causes of death (2013) is unlike that of other low-income countries. Rather, causes of death are closer to the worldwide averages, with non-communicable diseases – such as cardiovascular disease – accounting for two-thirds of the total deaths.

North Korea claims to provide universal health care with a national medical service and health insurance system. It also claims that health services are offered for free. However, this claim has been contested by North Korean defectors, who assert that patients must in fact pay for health services, that the upper classes have access to a higher standard of healthcare, and that "how much money a patient has determined whether they live or die".