Fertility rate: births per woman (Human Fertility) in North Korea
North Korea: Fertility rate: births per woman (Human Fertility) was 1.78 live births per woman in 2023. ▼ Falling
Latest (2023)
1.78 live births per woman
Change on year
down 0.9%
World rank
130th
of 236 countries
All-time high
4.99 live births per woman
in 1950
All-time low
1.78 live births per woman
in 2023
Years of data
74
1950–2023
Fertility rate: births per woman in North Korea, 1950–2023
Source: Human Fertility Database (2026); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in live births per woman.
Analysis
In 2023, fertility rate: births per woman in North Korea stood at 1.78 live births per woman. That is the lowest value across all 74 years on record.
The figure is down 0.9% on the previous year and down 5.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, fertility rate: births per woman in North Korea peaked at 4.99 live births per woman in 1950 and was at its lowest, 1.78 live births per woman, 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 rate: births per woman (Human Fertility) in North Korea, year by year
| Year | live births per woman | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 4.99 live births per woman | — |
| 1951 | 2.6 live births per woman | -48.0% |
| 1952 | 2.61 live births per woman | +0.5% |
| 1953 | 3.08 live births per woman | +18.0% |
| 1954 | 3.5 live births per woman | +13.4% |
| 1955 | 3.67 live births per woman | +5.1% |
| 1956 | 3.51 live births per woman | -4.5% |
| 1957 | 4.28 live births per woman | +22.0% |
| 1958 | 4.27 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 1959 | 3.56 live births per woman | -16.7% |
| 1960 | 3.57 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 1961 | 3.26 live births per woman | -8.6% |
| 1962 | 3.41 live births per woman | +4.6% |
| 1963 | 3.63 live births per woman | +6.3% |
| 1964 | 3.55 live births per woman | -2.2% |
| 1965 | 3.56 live births per woman | +0.3% |
| 1966 | 3.71 live births per woman | +4.3% |
| 1967 | 4.05 live births per woman | +9.2% |
| 1968 | 3.87 live births per woman | -4.4% |
| 1969 | 3.86 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1970 | 3.85 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1971 | 3.74 live births per woman | -2.8% |
| 1972 | 3.89 live births per woman | +4.0% |
| 1973 | 3.35 live births per woman | -13.8% |
| 1974 | 3.14 live births per woman | -6.3% |
| 1975 | 3.05 live births per woman | -3.0% |
| 1976 | 2.84 live births per woman | -6.9% |
| 1977 | 2.77 live births per woman | -2.3% |
| 1978 | 2.79 live births per woman | +0.8% |
| 1979 | 2.85 live births per woman | +2.0% |
| 1980 | 2.84 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 1981 | 2.92 live births per woman | +2.8% |
| 1982 | 2.85 live births per woman | -2.3% |
| 1983 | 2.78 live births per woman | -2.7% |
| 1984 | 2.71 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 1985 | 2.65 live births per woman | -2.3% |
| 1986 | 2.59 live births per woman | -2.0% |
| 1987 | 2.53 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 1988 | 2.47 live births per woman | -2.4% |
| 1989 | 2.41 live births per woman | -2.3% |
| 1990 | 2.39 live births per woman | -1.0% |
| 1991 | 2.35 live births per woman | -1.5% |
| 1992 | 2.29 live births per woman | -2.7% |
| 1993 | 2.22 live births per woman | -3.0% |
| 1994 | 2.18 live births per woman | -1.6% |
| 1995 | 2.15 live births per woman | -1.7% |
| 1996 | 2.09 live births per woman | -2.5% |
| 1997 | 2.03 live births per woman | -3.2% |
| 1998 | 1.99 live births per woman | -1.8% |
| 1999 | 1.97 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 2000 | 1.94 live births per woman | -1.3% |
| 2001 | 1.94 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 2002 | 1.92 live births per woman | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 1.91 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 1.9 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 2005 | 1.87 live births per woman | -1.4% |
| 2006 | 1.94 live births per woman | +3.4% |
| 2007 | 1.94 live births per woman | +0.4% |
| 2008 | 1.97 live births per woman | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 1.91 live births per woman | -3.3% |
| 2010 | 1.89 live births per woman | -0.8% |
| 2011 | 1.88 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 2012 | 1.88 live births per woman | -0.1% |
| 2013 | 1.88 live births per woman | -0.3% |
| 2014 | 1.87 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 2015 | 1.86 live births per woman | -0.6% |
| 2016 | 1.86 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 1.85 live births per woman | -0.4% |
| 2018 | 1.83 live births per woman | -0.8% |
| 2019 | 1.82 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 2020 | 1.82 live births per woman | -0.2% |
| 2021 | 1.81 live births per woman | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 1.8 live births per woman | -0.5% |
| 2023 | 1.78 live births per woman | -0.9% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 1.78 live births per woman is below the median for low income countries, which is 4.19 live births per woman, 43% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 1.78 live births per woman is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 2.13 live births per woman, 84% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Fertility rate: births per woman (Human Fertility) 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 live births per woman | 2.6 live births per woman |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 3.61 live births per woman | 2.6 live births per woman | 4.99 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1960s | 3.65 live births per woman | 3.26 live births per woman | 4.05 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1970s | 3.23 live births per woman | 2.77 live births per woman | 3.89 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.67 live births per woman | 2.41 live births per woman | 2.92 live births per woman | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.17 live births per woman | 1.97 live births per woman | 2.39 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2000s | 1.92 live births per woman | 1.87 live births per woman | 1.97 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.86 live births per woman | 1.82 live births per woman | 1.89 live births per woman | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.8 live births per woman | 1.78 live births per woman | 1.82 live births per woman | 4 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
- 127 Ecuador 1.82 live births per woman compare
- 128 Georgia 1.81 live births per woman compare
- 129 Montenegro 1.8 live births per woman compare
- 131 El Salvador 1.77 live births per woman compare
- 131 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1.77 live births per woman compare
- 133 Bulgaria 1.75 live births per woman compare
More reference data data for North Korea
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 0.9593 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.75 (2050)
- Summer temperature anomalies 0.3103 °C (2026)
- Autumn temperature anomalies 0.7425 °C (2026)
- Spring temperature anomalies 2.29 °C (2026)
- Temperature anomalies by month -2.22 °C (2026)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Burning - Crop 99.02 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 9,167 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure Management 656.23 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Manure applied to Soils 316.45 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is fertility rate: births per woman in North Korea?
- Fertility rate: births per woman in North Korea was 1.78 live births per woman in 2023, according to Human Fertility Database (2026); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 4.99 live births per woman in 1950.
- What is the lowest fertility rate: births per woman recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.78 live births per woman in 2023.
- How does North Korea rank for fertility rate: births per woman?
- North Korea ranks 130th out of 236 countries with data for 2023.
- Is fertility rate: births per woman 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 Human Fertility Database (2026); UN, World Population Prospects (2024) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Fertility rate: births per woman. 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).
About this data
Average number of live births a hypothetical cohort of women would have at the end of their reproductive period if they were subject during their whole lives to the fertility rates of a given period and if they were not subject to mortality.