Demographics of North Korea

Demographics of North Korea
North Korea population pyramid in 2020
Population	25.97 million (2021)
Density	199.54 inhabitants / sq. km. (2008)
Growth rate	0.84% (1993–2008)
Birth rate	14.35 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Death rate	9.39 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Life expectancy	71.65 years (2021 est.)
• male	67.79 years (2021 est.)
• female	75.74 years (2021 est.)
Fertility rate	1.91 children born/woman (2021 est.)
Infant mortality rate	22.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)
Net migration rate	−0.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)
Age structure
0–14 years	23.19% (2008)
15–64 years	68.09% (2008)
65 and over	8.72% (2008)
Sex ratio
Total	0.95 males/1.00 female (2008)
At birth	1.04 males/1.00 female (2008)
Under 15	1.05 males/1.00 female (2008)
65 and over	0.51 males/1.00 female (2008)
Nationality
Nationality	Korean(s)
Major ethnic	Korean (99.998%)
Minor ethnic	Chinese, Japanese
Language
Official	Korean (official)

The demographics of North Korea are determined through national censuses and international estimates. The Central Bureau of Statistics of North Korea conducted the most recent census in 2008, where the population reached 24 million inhabitants.^[1] The population density is 199.54 inhabitants per square kilometre, and the 2014 estimated life expectancy is 69.81 years. In 1980, the population rose at a near consistent, but low, rate (0.84% from the two censuses). Since 2000, North Korea's birth rate has exceeded its death rate; the natural growth is positive. In terms of age structure, the population is dominated by the 15–64-year-old segment (68.09%). The median age of the population is 32.9 years, and the gender ratio is 0.95 males to 1.00 female. Since the early 1990s, the birth rate has been fairly stable, with an average of 2 children per woman, down from an average of 3 in the early 1980s.^[2]

According to The World Factbook, North Korea is racially homogeneous and contains a small Chinese community and a few ethnic Japanese.^[3] The 2008 census listed two ethnicities: Korean (99.998%) and Other (0.002%). Korea was annexed by the Empire of Japan in 1910, in which the Korean Peninsula was occupied by Japanese. In 1945, when Japan was defeated in World War II, Korea was divided into two occupied zones: north occupied by the Soviet Union and the south by the United States. Negotiations on unification failed, and in 1948 two separate countries were formed: North and South Korea.

Korean is the official language of North Korea. The World Factbook states "traditionally Buddhist and Confucianist, some Christian and syncretic Chondogyo" in regards to religion, but also states "autonomous religious activities now almost nonexistent; government-sponsored religious groups exist to provide illusion of religious freedom".^[3] As of 2008^[update], 8.86% of the population older than 5 years old have attained academic degrees.^{[clarification needed]} In 2000, North Korea spent 38.2% of its expenditures on education, social insurance, and social security. Estimates show that, in 2012, gross domestic product (GDP) per capita was $1,800. The most significant sources of employment were machine building and manufacturing of metallurgical products, military products, and textiles. In 2006, the unemployment rate was between 14.7% and 36.5%. The 2008 census enumerated 5,887,471 households, averaging 3.9 persons per house. Average urbanization rate was 60.3% in 2011.

During the North Korean famine of 1994–1998 somewhere between 240,000 and 3,500,000 North Koreans died from starvation or hunger-related illnesses, with the deaths peaking in 1997.^[4][5] A 2011 U.S. Census Bureau report put the likely number of excess deaths during 1993 to 2000 at from 500,000 to 600,000.^[6]