Korea North People - 2021

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Population

25,831,360 (July 2021 est.)

Nationality

noun: Korean(s)

adjective: Korean

Ethnic groups

racially homogeneous; there is a small Chinese community and a few ethnic Japanese

Languages

Korean

printed major-language sample:
월드 팩트북, 필수적인 기본 정보 제공처 (Korean)

The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions

traditionally Buddhist and Confucianist, some Christian and syncretic Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way)

note: autonomous religious activities now almost nonexistent; government-sponsored religious groups exist to provide illusion of religious freedom

Age structure

0-14 years: 20.33% (male 2,680,145/female 2,571,334)

15-24 years: 14.39% (male 1,873,814/female 1,842,269)

25-54 years: 43.77% (male 5,671,900/female 5,633,861)

55-64 years: 11.77% (male 1,454,000/female 1,585,830)

65 years and over: 9.75% (male 878,176/female 1,640,031) (2021 est.)

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 41.2

youth dependency ratio: 28

elderly dependency ratio: 13.2

potential support ratio: 7.6 (2020 est.)

Median age

total: 34.6 years

male: 33.2 years

female: 36.2 years (2020 est.)

Population growth rate

0.49% (2021 est.)

Birth rate

14.35 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Death rate

9.39 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Net migration rate

-0.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Population distribution

population concentrated in the plains and lowlands; least populated regions are the mountainous provinces adjacent to the Chinese border; largest concentrations are in the western provinces, particularly the municipal district of Pyongyang, and around Hungnam and Wonsan in the east

Urbanization

urban population: 62.6% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization: 0.85% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030

Major urban areas - population

3.108 million PYONGYANG (capital) (2021)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-24 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

25-54 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

55-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.53 male(s)/female

total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Maternal mortality rate

89 deaths/100,000 live births (2017 est.)

Infant mortality rate

total: 22.42 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 25.2 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 19.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 71.65 years

male: 67.79 years

female: 75.74 years (2021 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.91 children born/woman (2021 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

70.2% (2017)

Drinking water source

improved: urban: 97.2% of population

rural: 90.2% of population

total: 94.5% of population

unimproved: urban: 2.8% of population

rural: 9.8% of population

total: 5.5% of population (2017 est.)

Physicians density

3.68 physicians/1,000 population (2017)

Hospital bed density

13.2 beds/1,000 population (2012)

Sanitation facility access

improved: urban: 91.9% of population

rural: 72.3% of population

total: 84.5% of population

unimproved: urban: 8.1% of population

rural: 27.7% of population

total: 15.5% of population (2017 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

N/A

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

N/A

HIV/AIDS - deaths

N/A

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

6.8% (2016)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

9.3% (2017)

Education expenditures

N/A

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 100%

male: 100%

female: 100% (2015)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 11 years

male: 11 years

female: 11 years (2015)

NOTE: The information regarding Korea North on this page is re-published from the 2021 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Korea North 2021 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Korea North 2021 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.