Fertility vs child mortality in North Korea
North Korea: Fertility vs child mortality was 1.78 in 2023. ▼ Falling
Fertility vs child mortality in North Korea, 1950–2023
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
North Korea recorded 1.78 for fertility vs child mortality in 2023. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.9% on the previous year and down 5.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility vs child mortality in North Korea peaked at 4.99 in 1950 and was at its lowest, 1.78, in 2023.
North Korea ranks 130th of 236 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 74 years of available data.
Fertility vs child mortality in North Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 4.99 | — |
| 1951 | 2.6 | -48.0% |
| 1952 | 2.61 | +0.5% |
| 1953 | 3.08 | +18.0% |
| 1954 | 3.5 | +13.4% |
| 1955 | 3.67 | +5.1% |
| 1956 | 3.51 | -4.5% |
| 1957 | 4.28 | +22.0% |
| 1958 | 4.27 | -0.2% |
| 1959 | 3.56 | -16.7% |
| 1960 | 3.57 | +0.3% |
| 1961 | 3.26 | -8.6% |
| 1962 | 3.41 | +4.6% |
| 1963 | 3.63 | +6.3% |
| 1964 | 3.55 | -2.2% |
| 1965 | 3.56 | +0.3% |
| 1966 | 3.71 | +4.3% |
| 1967 | 4.05 | +9.2% |
| 1968 | 3.87 | -4.4% |
| 1969 | 3.86 | -0.3% |
| 1970 | 3.85 | -0.3% |
| 1971 | 3.74 | -2.8% |
| 1972 | 3.89 | +4.0% |
| 1973 | 3.35 | -13.8% |
| 1974 | 3.14 | -6.3% |
| 1975 | 3.05 | -3.0% |
| 1976 | 2.84 | -6.9% |
| 1977 | 2.77 | -2.3% |
| 1978 | 2.79 | +0.8% |
| 1979 | 2.85 | +2.0% |
| 1980 | 2.84 | -0.3% |
| 1981 | 2.92 | +2.8% |
| 1982 | 2.85 | -2.3% |
| 1983 | 2.78 | -2.7% |
| 1984 | 2.71 | -2.5% |
| 1985 | 2.65 | -2.3% |
| 1986 | 2.59 | -2.0% |
| 1987 | 2.53 | -2.5% |
| 1988 | 2.47 | -2.4% |
| 1989 | 2.41 | -2.3% |
| 1990 | 2.39 | -1.0% |
| 1991 | 2.35 | -1.5% |
| 1992 | 2.29 | -2.7% |
| 1993 | 2.22 | -3.0% |
| 1994 | 2.18 | -1.6% |
| 1995 | 2.15 | -1.7% |
| 1996 | 2.09 | -2.5% |
| 1997 | 2.03 | -3.2% |
| 1998 | 1.99 | -1.8% |
| 1999 | 1.97 | -1.3% |
| 2000 | 1.94 | -1.3% |
| 2001 | 1.94 | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 1.92 | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 1.91 | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 1.9 | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 1.87 | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 1.94 | +3.4% |
| 2007 | 1.94 | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 1.97 | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 1.91 | -3.3% |
| 2010 | 1.89 | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 1.88 | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 1.88 | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 1.88 | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 1.87 | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 1.86 | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 1.86 | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 1.85 | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 1.83 | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 1.82 | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 1.82 | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 1.81 | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 1.8 | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 1.78 | -0.9% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 1.78 is below the median for low income countries, which is 4.19, 43% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 1.78 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2.13, 84% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Fertility vs child mortality in North Korea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | -48.0% | 4.99 | 2.6 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 3.61 | 2.6 | 4.99 | 10 |
| 1960s | 3.65 | 3.26 | 4.05 | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.23 | 2.77 | 3.89 | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.67 | 2.41 | 2.92 | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.17 | 1.97 | 2.39 | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.92 | 1.87 | 1.97 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.86 | 1.82 | 1.89 | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.8 | 1.78 | 1.82 | 4 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
- 127 Ecuador 1.82 compare
- 128 Georgia 1.81 compare
- 129 Montenegro 1.8 compare
- 131 El Salvador 1.77 compare
- 131 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1.77 compare
- 133 Bulgaria 1.75 compare
More health data for North Korea
- Un projection of annual infant deaths 767 (2100)
- Un projection of annual infant deaths, annual growth rate -1.16 % change on previous year (2100)
- Heat deaths vs projected death rates, annual growth rate -0.2456 % change on previous year (2090)
- Diphtheria - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2022)
- Measles - number of reported cases, gaps filled 0 (2025)
- Diphtheria - number of reported cases, per capita 0 units per person (2022)
- Population ages 15-64, total, annual growth rate -0.1528 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population ages 15-64, total, per capita 0.6836 units per person (2025)
- Population ages 65 and above, female, per capita 0.073 units per person (2025)
- Pertussis - number of reported cases, per capita 0 units per person (2022)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility vs child mortality in North Korea?
- Fertility vs child mortality in North Korea was 1.78 in 2023, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fertility vs child mortality recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 4.99 in 1950.
- What is the lowest fertility vs child mortality recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.78 in 2023.
- How does North Korea rank for fertility vs child mortality?
- North Korea ranks 130th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertility vs child mortality rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Fertility vs child mortality. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 74 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).