North Korea

Name: North Korea Births & Fertility Statistics
Creator: Measured World
Published: 2024-07-01
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo/

1950

2025

2100

North Korea

1950

2025

2100

What to know

Fertility rate is 1.77 children per woman—below the replacement level of 2.1.

Fertility has fallen by 0.05 children per woman over the past 5 years.

Projected fertility rate in 2100: 1.64 children per woman.

Key statistics for 2025

Fertility rate

1.77 children/woman

Birth rate

12.6 per 1,000 people

Total births

334.9K

Mean age at birth

28.8 years

Key terms

Total fertility rate (TFR): — Average number of children a woman would have over her lifetime at current rates.
Crude birth rate (CBR): — Births per 1,000 people per year.
Net reproduction rate (NRR): — Average number of daughters per woman surviving to reproductive age.
Replacement level: — TFR of approximately 2.1 needed to maintain a stable population without migration.

Fertility rate

How far below replacement is fertility?

Average number of children per woman over her lifetime

1.77 children per woman

Below replacement level (2.1)

At 1.77 children per woman, fertility is 0.33 below the replacement level of 2.1 needed to maintain population without migration.

Birth trends

How many babies are born each year?

Total births and teen pregnancy trends

Approximately 335K babies are born each year in North Korea.

Fertility indicators

Are generations replacing themselves?

TFR, net reproduction rate, and crude birth rate

The net reproduction rate of 0.83 means each generation of women is not fully replacing itself—fewer daughters are surviving to reproductive age than mothers.

Childbearing patterns

Mean Age at Childbearing

Average age of mothers at childbirth

Sex Ratio at Birth

Boys per 100 girls at birth

Mean age at childbearing is 28.8 years. The sex ratio at birth is 106 males per 100 females, within the natural range.

The bottom line

North Korea's fertility rate has fallen dramatically from 5.0 children per woman in 1950 to 1.77 today—now below the 2.1 replacement level.

Source: UN World Population Prospects 2024. Historical estimates (1950–2024) and medium-variant projections (2025–2100).

North Korea - Births & Fertility Statistics | Measured World

What to know

Fertility rate is 1.77 children per woman—below the replacement level of 2.1.

Fertility has fallen by 0.05 children per woman over the past 5 years.

Projected fertility rate in 2100: 1.64 children per woman.

Key statistics for 2025

Fertility rate

1.77 children/woman

Birth rate

12.6 per 1,000 people

Total births

334.9K

Mean age at birth

28.8 years

Key terms

Total fertility rate (TFR): — Average number of children a woman would have over her lifetime at current rates.
Crude birth rate (CBR): — Births per 1,000 people per year.
Net reproduction rate (NRR): — Average number of daughters per woman surviving to reproductive age.
Replacement level: — TFR of approximately 2.1 needed to maintain a stable population without migration.

Fertility rate

How far below replacement is fertility?

Average number of children per woman over her lifetime

1.77 children per woman

Below replacement level (2.1)

At 1.77 children per woman, fertility is 0.33 below the replacement level of 2.1 needed to maintain population without migration.

Birth trends

How many babies are born each year?

Total births and teen pregnancy trends

Approximately 335K babies are born each year in North Korea.

Fertility indicators

Are generations replacing themselves?

TFR, net reproduction rate, and crude birth rate

The net reproduction rate of 0.83 means each generation of women is not fully replacing itself—fewer daughters are surviving to reproductive age than mothers.

Childbearing patterns

Mean Age at Childbearing

Average age of mothers at childbirth

Sex Ratio at Birth

Boys per 100 girls at birth

Mean age at childbearing is 28.8 years. The sex ratio at birth is 106 males per 100 females, within the natural range.

The bottom line

North Korea's fertility rate has fallen dramatically from 5.0 children per woman in 1950 to 1.77 today—now below the 2.1 replacement level.

Source: UN World Population Prospects 2024. Historical estimates (1950–2024) and medium-variant projections (2025–2100).