Fertility rate, total (births per woman) (Fertility World Population) in North Korea

North Korea: Fertility rate, total (births per woman) (Fertility World Population) was 1.78 births per woman in 2024. ▼ Falling

Latest (2024)
1.78 births per woman
Change on year
up 0.2%
World rank
120th
of 218 countries
All-time high
4.05 births per woman
in 1967
All-time low
1.78 births per woman
in 2023
Years of data
65
1960–2024

Fertility rate, total in North Korea, 1960–2024

01234196019922024

Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in births per woman.

Analysis

In 2024, fertility rate, total in North Korea stood at 1.78 births per woman.

The figure is up 0.2% on the previous year and down 4.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, fertility rate, total in North Korea peaked at 4.05 births per woman in 1967 and was at its lowest, 1.78 births per woman, in 2023.

North Korea ranks 120th of 218 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 65 years of available data.

Fertility rate, total (births per woman) (Fertility World Population) in North Korea, year by year

Annual values for Fertility rate, total (births per woman) in North Korea, 1960 to 2024.
Year births per woman Change
1960 3.57 births per woman —
1961 3.26 births per woman -8.6%
1962 3.41 births per woman +4.6%
1963 3.63 births per woman +6.3%
1964 3.55 births per woman -2.2%
1965 3.56 births per woman +0.3%
1966 3.71 births per woman +4.3%
1967 4.05 births per woman +9.2%
1968 3.87 births per woman -4.4%
1969 3.86 births per woman -0.3%
1970 3.85 births per woman -0.3%
1971 3.74 births per woman -2.8%
1972 3.89 births per woman +4.0%
1973 3.35 births per woman -13.8%
1974 3.14 births per woman -6.3%
1975 3.05 births per woman -3.0%
1976 2.84 births per woman -6.9%
1977 2.77 births per woman -2.3%
1978 2.79 births per woman +0.8%
1979 2.85 births per woman +2.0%
1980 2.84 births per woman -0.3%
1981 2.92 births per woman +2.8%
1982 2.85 births per woman -2.3%
1983 2.78 births per woman -2.7%
1984 2.71 births per woman -2.5%
1985 2.65 births per woman -2.3%
1986 2.59 births per woman -2.0%
1987 2.53 births per woman -2.5%
1988 2.47 births per woman -2.4%
1989 2.41 births per woman -2.3%
1990 2.39 births per woman -1.0%
1991 2.35 births per woman -1.5%
1992 2.29 births per woman -2.7%
1993 2.22 births per woman -3.0%
1994 2.18 births per woman -1.6%
1995 2.15 births per woman -1.7%
1996 2.09 births per woman -2.5%
1997 2.03 births per woman -3.2%
1998 1.99 births per woman -1.8%
1999 1.97 births per woman -1.3%
2000 1.94 births per woman -1.3%
2001 1.94 births per woman -0.1%
2002 1.92 births per woman -1.1%
2003 1.91 births per woman -0.5%
2004 1.9 births per woman -0.5%
2005 1.87 births per woman -1.4%
2006 1.94 births per woman +3.4%
2007 1.94 births per woman +0.4%
2008 1.97 births per woman +1.4%
2009 1.91 births per woman -3.3%
2010 1.89 births per woman -0.8%
2011 1.88 births per woman -0.4%
2012 1.88 births per woman -0.1%
2013 1.88 births per woman -0.3%
2014 1.87 births per woman -0.2%
2015 1.86 births per woman -0.6%
2016 1.86 births per woman -0.4%
2017 1.85 births per woman -0.4%
2018 1.83 births per woman -0.8%
2019 1.82 births per woman -0.5%
2020 1.82 births per woman -0.2%
2021 1.81 births per woman -0.8%
2022 1.8 births per woman -0.5%
2023 1.78 births per woman -0.9%
2024 1.78 births per woman +0.2%

North Korea compared with similar countries

  • North Korea's 1.78 births per woman is below the median for low income countries, which is 4.11 births per woman, 43% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
  • North Korea's 1.78 births per woman is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2.12 births per woman, 84% of the median. (37 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1960s 3.65 births per woman 3.26 births per woman 4.05 births per woman 10
1970s 3.23 births per woman 2.77 births per woman 3.89 births per woman 10
1980s 2.67 births per woman 2.41 births per woman 2.92 births per woman 10
1990s 2.17 births per woman 1.97 births per woman 2.39 births per woman 10
2000s 1.92 births per woman 1.87 births per woman 1.97 births per woman 10
2010s 1.86 births per woman 1.82 births per woman 1.89 births per woman 10
2020s 1.8 births per woman 1.78 births per woman 1.82 births per woman 5

Countries ranked near North Korea

  1. 117 Bahrain 1.8 births per woman compare
  2. 118 Georgia 1.8 births per woman compare
  3. 119 Montenegro 1.8 births per woman compare
  4. 121 El Salvador 1.77 births per woman compare
  5. 122 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1.76 births per woman compare
  6. 123 Brunei 1.73 births per woman compare

See the full ranking of 266 places →

More health data for North Korea

All data for North Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is fertility rate, total in North Korea?
Fertility rate, total in North Korea was 1.78 births per woman in 2024, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division.
What is the highest fertility rate, total recorded in North Korea?
The highest recorded value was 4.05 births per woman in 1967.
What is the lowest fertility rate, total recorded in North Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 1.78 births per woman in 2023.
How does North Korea rank for fertility rate, total?
North Korea ranks 120th out of 218 countries with data for 2024.
Is fertility rate, total rising or falling in North Korea?
Over the last ten years it is down 4.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this North Korea data come from?
The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Fertility rate, total (births per woman). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Fertility rate, total in North Korea. Statizoid, drawing on World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division. Retrieved 10 November 2026, from https://health.statizoid.com/stat/fertility-rate-total-births-per-woman/korea-dem-people-s-rep/

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About this data

Indicator
Fertility rate, total (births per woman)
Unit
births per woman
Source
World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Population Division
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data)
Coverage
266 places, 17,258 data points, 1960–2024
Last refreshed

Total fertility rate represents the number of children that would be born to a woman if she were to live to the end of her childbearing years and bear children in accordance with age-specific fertility rates of the specified year.