North Korea

Map of North Korea

Flag of North Korea

Facts

Population: 23,301,725 (July 2007 est.).

Age structure: 0-14 years: 23.3% (male 2,758,826/female 2,679,093) 15-64 years: 68.1% (male 7,852,282/female 8,024,429) 65 years and over: 8.5% (male 709,599/female 1,277,496) (2007 est.).

Population growth rate: 0.785% (2007 est.).

Birth rate: 15.06 births/1,000 population (2007 est.).

Death rate: 7.21 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.).

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.).

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.979 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.555 male(s)/female total population: 0.945 male(s)/female (2007 est.).

Infant mortality rate: total: 22.56 deaths/1,000 live births male: 24.2 deaths/1,000 live births female: 20.84 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.).

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.92 years male: 69.18 years female: 74.8 years (2007 est.).

Total fertility rate: 2.05 children born/woman (2007 est.).

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA.

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA.

HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA.

Nationality: noun: Korean(s) adjective: Korean.

Ethnic groups: racially homogeneous; there is a small Chinese community and a few ethnic Japanese.

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.

Languages: Korean.

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99%.

GDP (purchasing power parity): $40 billion note: North Korea does not publish any reliable National Income Accounts data; the datum shown here is derived from purchasing power parity (PPP) GDP estimates for North Korea that were made by Angus MADDISON in a study conducted for the OECD; his figure for 1999 was extrapolated to 2006 using estimated real growth rates for North Korea's GDP and an inflation factor based on the US GDP deflator; the result was rounded to the nearest $10 billion (2006 est.).

GDP - real growth rate: 1.8% (2006 est.).

GDP - per capita (PPP): $1,800 (2006 est.).

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 30% industry: 34% services: 36% (2002 est.).

Labor force: 9.6 million.

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 36% industry and services: 64%.

Population below poverty line: NA%.

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%.

Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%.

Unemployment rate: NA%.

Budget: revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA.

Agriculture - products: rice, corn, potatoes, soybeans, pulses; cattle, pigs, pork, eggs.

Industries: military products; machine building, electric power, chemicals; mining (coal, iron ore, limestone, magnesite, graphite, copper, zinc, lead, and precious metals), metallurgy; textiles, food processing; tourism.

Industrial production growth rate: NA%.

Electricity - production: 21.71 billion kWh (2004).

Electricity - consumption: 20.19 billion kWh (2004).

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2004).

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2004).

Exports: $1.34 billion f.o.b. (2005).

Exports - commodities: minerals, metallurgical products, manufactures (including armaments), textiles, agricultural and fishery products.

Exports - partners: China 35%, South Korea 24%, Thailand 9%, Japan 9% (2005).

Imports: $2.72 billion c.i.f. (2005).

Imports - commodities: petroleum, coking coal, machinery and equipment, textiles, grain.

Imports - partners: China 42%, South Korea 28%, Russia 9%, Thailand 8% (2005).

Debt - external: $12 billion (1996 est.).

Economic aid - recipient: $NA; note - approximately 350,000 metric tons in food aid, worth approximately $118 million, through the World Food Program appeal in 2004, plus additional aid from bilateral donors and non-governmental organizations.

Currency (code): North Korean won (KPW).

Exchange rates: official: North Korean won per US dollar - 141 (2006), 170 (December 2004), 150 (December 2002), market: North Korean won per US dollar - 2,500-3,000 (December 2006).

Fiscal year: calendar year.