The timeframe covers North Korea\u2019s 50,000-home construction project<\/a> in Pyongyang. Leader Kim Jong Un announced the plan at the Eighth Party Congress in 2021, which called for 10,000 new homes a year in districts across the capital. This February, the project reached its fourth phase in Hwasong district, cementing it as one of the regime\u2019s signature initiatives.<\/p>\n New apartment complexes and high-rise buildings have gone up in a short span, transforming Pyongyang\u2019s skyline and its nighttime lighting. Some observers have raised concerns about shoddy construction given the rushed pace and inadequate infrastructure; however, the monthly satellite data show a clear expansion in nighttime lighting. Both the area and brightness of light centered on downtown Pyongyang increased. I assess this as evidence that the regime prioritized electricity <\/a>for newly built streets and the city center. The goal appears to be showcasing its achievements, and the trend offers a way to gauge Pyongyang\u2019s physical expansion and shifts in nighttime economic activity.<\/p>\n I compared monthly average nighttime light data from April 2020 and April 2026. Pyongyang\u2019s lit area grew by about 2.4 times, and overall brightness increased by about 3.4 times over the same period. Radiance values quantify the light energy captured by the satellite. Based on those values, the downtown area\u2019s lit footprint expanded from 21,315 hectares, or 11.5% of the city, to 50,995 hectares, or 27.6%. Total brightness rose from 4,320 to 14,886. Despite being the capital, Pyongyang\u2019s outskirts remain largely steeped in deep darkness, and lighting is concentrated around core downtown areas such as Jung and Moranbong districts.<\/p>\n When describing this kind of satellite data, nighttime light imagery is the more accurate term, not nighttime illuminance. Illuminance measures how much light reaches and brightens a surface, in lux. Nighttime light imagery instead captures the light sources themselves, such as streetlamps or apartment windows, as they radiate into space. That makes nighttime light data a useful tool for assessing a region\u2019s economic activity or power infrastructure. The intensity of artificial light serves as the indicator.<\/p>\n In sum, my analysis found that both the area and brightness of Pyongyang\u2019s nighttime lighting expanded over the past six years. The 50,000-home project sharply increased the size of the city\u2019s downtown over that period. This does not appear to reflect a broad improvement in the country\u2019s overall power supply; instead, it looks like a deliberate choice by the regime. Officials concentrated nighttime lighting on newly built, propaganda-friendly streets and the city center.<\/p>\n Where has Pyongyang\u2019s nighttime light changed?<\/p>\n I applied an image differencing technique to examine how Pyongyang\u2019s nighttime lighting shifted between April 2020 and April 2026. The method compares brightness values at the same location across two time points to identify change. The analysis found that nighttime light increased noticeably across 26.5% of the city\u2019s total area. That increase was concentrated mainly in downtown areas, including Jung district, which indicates that electricity allocation and urban expansion were focused on the city center.<\/p>\n Most of Pyongyang\u2019s outskirts showed little to no change in nighttime lighting over the six years. These areas, which account for 73.2% of the city\u2019s total area, remain steeped in deep darkness. I attribute this largely to the fact that many outlying areas had little or no nighttime lighting to begin with, which left them dark in both periods. Downtown Pyongyang grew brighter, but the outskirts have kept the same low levels of lighting. This points to a stark divide in power supply even within the capital.<\/p>\n In a small share of areas, about 0.3% of Pyongyang\u2019s total area, I found an intriguing decrease in nighttime light. The areas that dimmed include support facilities at Sunan International Airport, a quarry in Ryongsong district and a chicken farm in Sadong district. Parts of the downtown streetscape also dimmed. This decline may reflect changes in how those facilities operate their lighting, or reductions in their power use. Nighttime satellite imagery alone cannot pinpoint the exact cause.<\/p>\n North Korea\u2019s power grid still runs on hydropower and coal<\/p>\n![\"Nighttime](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pyongyang-nighttime-lights-2020-2026-comparison.jpg\")
<\/a>A comparison of monthly average nighttime light satellite imagery shows that Pyongyang\u2019s lit area expanded about 2.4 times between April 2020 and April 2026, with downtown brightness increasing markedly over the six-year period. \/ Images: Nighttime light imagery (VIIRS)<\/p>\n![\"Map](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/korea\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pyongyang-nighttime-lights-increase-map.jpg\")
<\/a>Applying a satellite data analysis technique to examine changes in lighting, 26.5% of Pyongyang\u2019s total area saw an increase in nighttime lighting, while most outlying areas remain steeped in deep darkness. \/ Images: Nighttime light imagery (VIIRS)<\/p>\n