In 1900, the region of present-day North Korea had a fertility rate of approximately 6.1 children per woman, meaning a woman born in North Korea in the given year could expect to have just over six children throughout the course of her reproductive years. This rate would remain largely consistent until the 1940s, however, the middle of the century would see dramatic rises and falls in fertility, as Japan's annexation of the Korean peninsula in the Second World War, and the subsequent Korean War in the early-1950s saw large scale socioeconomic turmoil in the peninsula. Because of this, fertility halved to 3.1 between 1940 and 1950, before spiking to 5.1 by the 1960s.
North Korea's fertility rate fluctuated in the decades following these wars, as the country recovered and came to grips with its new structure; while the total fertility rate began upon a more consistent trajectory of decline from the 1980s onwards. In 2020, it is estimated that the average woman born in North Korea can expect to have approximately 1.9 children over the course of their reproductive years.
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United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), & Gapminder. (August 31, 2019). Total fertility rate in Democratic People's Republic of Korea from 1900 to 2020* [Graph]. In ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ. Retrieved July 29, 2026, from /statistics/1069665/total-fertility-rate-north-korea-historical/
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), und Gapminder. "Total fertility rate in Democratic People's Republic of Korea from 1900 to 2020*." Chart. August 31, 2019. ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ. Accessed July 29, 2026. /statistics/1069665/total-fertility-rate-north-korea-historical/
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), Gapminder. (2019). Total fertility rate in Democratic People's Republic of Korea from 1900 to 2020*. ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ. ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ Inc.. Accessed: July 29, 2026. /statistics/1069665/total-fertility-rate-north-korea-historical/
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), and Gapminder. "Total Fertility Rate in Democratic People's Republic of Korea from 1900 to 2020*." ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ, ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ Inc., 31 Aug 2019, /statistics/1069665/total-fertility-rate-north-korea-historical/
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) & Gapminder, Total fertility rate in Democratic People's Republic of Korea from 1900 to 2020* ÌÇÐÄÆÆ½â°æ, /statistics/1069665/total-fertility-rate-north-korea-historical/ (last visited July 29, 2026)
Total fertility rate in Democratic People's Republic of Korea from 1900 to 2020* [Graph], United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), & Gapminder, August 31, 2019. [Online]. Available: /statistics/1069665/total-fertility-rate-north-korea-historical/