According to the 2008 and 2014 censuses, it was estimated that there were 96.1 women for every 100 men in North Korea. The female-to-male ratio in North Korea is expected to decrease to about 95.6 by 2070.

North Korea KP: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Secondary School Enrollment: Gross data was reported at 1.011 Ratio in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 1.000 Ratio for 2009. North Korea KP: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Secondary School Enrollment: Gross data is updated yearly, averaging 1.005 Ratio from Dec 2009 (Median) to 2015, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.011 Ratio in 2015 and a record low of 1.000 Ratio in 2009. North Korea KP: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Secondary School Enrollment: Gross data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s North Korea – Table KP.World Bank: Education Statistics. Gender parity index for gross enrollment ratio in secondary education is the ratio of girls to boys enrolled at secondary level in public and private schools.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

In 2024, the population of South Korea was estimated to be about 51.75 million. The population of North Korea was approximately 25.87 million, which is roughly half the population of South Korea. Economic comparison between South and North Korea Following the Korean War (1950-1953), South Korea and North Korea pursued vastly different trajectories, not only politically but also economically. South Korea embraced capitalism and free market principles, which fueled its rapid economic growth and transformed it into one of the world's leading economies. In contrast, North Korea adopted a state-controlled, centrally planned economy, leading to isolation and economic stagnation. While South Korea's gross domestic product (GDP) reached around 2,401 trillion South Korean won in 2023, only about 40 trillion won was recorded for North Korea. Food crisis in North Korea North Korea has faced food insecurity for a long time, and this has been exacerbated in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was estimated that the country had a food shortage of around 860,000 metric tons in 2023. Although the North Korean government maintains a centrally planned economic system, food distribution has long been a problem, as an increasing number of North Korean defectors have reported that they have never received food from North Korean authorities.

Gross enrolment ratio, primary and lower secondary, gender parity index (GPI) in North Korea was reported at 1.0027 GPI in 2015, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. North Korea - Gross enrolment ratio, primary and lower secondary, gender parity index - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on March of 2025.

North Korea KP: Population: Total data was reported at 25,490,965.000 Person in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 25,368,620.000 Person for 2016. North Korea KP: Population: Total data is updated yearly, averaging 19,851,039.000 Person from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 25,490,965.000 Person in 2017 and a record low of 11,424,176.000 Person in 1960. North Korea KP: Population: Total data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s North Korea – Table KP.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Total population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship. The values shown are midyear estimates.; ; (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision. (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Sum; Relevance to gender indicator: disaggregating the population composition by gender will help a country in projecting its demand for social services on a gender basis.

The statistic shows the adult mortality rate in North Korea from 2012 to 2022, by gender. According to the source, the adult mortality rate is the probability of dying between the ages of 15 and 60 - that is, the probability of a 15-year-old dying before reaching age 60, if subject to age-specific mortality rates of the specified year between those ages. In 2022, the mortality rate for women was at 102.78 per 1,000 female adults, while the mortality rate for men was at 174.04 per 1,000 male adults in North Korea.

North Korea KP: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Tertiary School Enrollment: Gross data was reported at 0.551 Ratio in 2015. This records an increase from the previous number of 0.504 Ratio for 2009. North Korea KP: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Tertiary School Enrollment: Gross data is updated yearly, averaging 0.528 Ratio from Dec 2009 (Median) to 2015, with 2 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.551 Ratio in 2015 and a record low of 0.504 Ratio in 2009. North Korea KP: Gender Parity Index (GPI): Tertiary School Enrollment: Gross data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s North Korea – Table KP.World Bank: Education Statistics. Gender parity index for gross enrollment ratio in tertiary education is the ratio of women to men enrolled at tertiary level in public and private schools.; ; UNESCO Institute for Statistics; Weighted average; Each economy is classified based on the classification of World Bank Group's fiscal year 2018 (July 1, 2017-June 30, 2018).

Over the last two observations, the life expectancy has significantly increased in all gender groups As part of the positive trend, the life expectancy reaches the maximum value for the different genders at the end of the comparison period. Particularly noteworthy is the life expectancy of women at birth, which has the highest value of 76.15 years. Life expectancy at birth refers to the number of years the average newborn is expected to live, providing that mortality patterns at the time of birth do not change thereafter.Find further similar statistics for other countries or regions like Faroe Islands (the) and Cyprus.

UNICEF's country profile for Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, including under-five mortality rates, child health, education and sanitation data.

North Korea KP: Population: as % of Total: Female: Aged 15-64 data was reported at 68.232 % in 2017. This records an increase from the previous number of 67.835 % for 2016. North Korea KP: Population: as % of Total: Female: Aged 15-64 data is updated yearly, averaging 66.659 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 68.531 % in 1991 and a record low of 56.017 % in 1971. North Korea KP: Population: as % of Total: Female: Aged 15-64 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s North Korea – Table KP.World Bank: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Female population between the ages 15 to 64 as a percentage of the total female population. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on age/sex distributions of United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; Weighted average; Relevance to gender indicator: Knowing how many girls, adolescents and women there are in a population helps a country in determining its provision of services.

North Korea KP: Mortality Rate: Under-5: Female: per 1000 Live Births data was reported at 17.200 Ratio in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 19.000 Ratio for 2015. North Korea KP: Mortality Rate: Under-5: Female: per 1000 Live Births data is updated yearly, averaging 26.900 Ratio from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2017, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 55.800 Ratio in 2000 and a record low of 17.200 Ratio in 2017. North Korea KP: Mortality Rate: Under-5: Female: per 1000 Live Births data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s North Korea – Table KP.World Bank: Health Statistics. Under-five mortality rate, female is the probability per 1,000 that a newborn female baby will die before reaching age five, if subject to female age-specific mortality rates of the specified year.; ; Estimates Developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, UN DESA Population Division) at www.childmortality.org.; Weighted average; Given that data on the incidence and prevalence of diseases are frequently unavailable, mortality rates are often used to identify vulnerable populations. Moreover, they are among the indicators most frequently used to compare socioeconomic development across countries. Under-five mortality rates are higher for boys than for girls in countries in which parental gender preferences are insignificant. Under-five mortality captures the effect of gender discrimination better than infant mortality does, as malnutrition and medical interventions have more significant impacts to this age group. Where female under-five mortality is higher, girls are likely to have less access to resources than boys.

Demographics and preventive health characteristics of North Korean defectors in the Republic of Korea.

North Korea KP: Population: as % of Total: Female: Aged 0-14 data was reported at 19.732 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 19.976 % for 2016. North Korea KP: Population: as % of Total: Female: Aged 0-14 data is updated yearly, averaging 26.646 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 39.720 % in 1971 and a record low of 19.732 % in 2017. North Korea KP: Population: as % of Total: Female: Aged 0-14 data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s North Korea – Table KP.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Female population between the ages 0 to 14 as a percentage of the total female population. Population is based on the de facto definition of population.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on age/sex distributions of United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; Weighted average; Relevance to gender indicator: Knowing how many girls, adolescents and women there are in a population helps a country in determining its provision of services.

North Korea KP: Population: as % of Total: Female: Aged 65 and Above data was reported at 12.036 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 12.188 % for 2016. North Korea KP: Population: as % of Total: Female: Aged 65 and Above data is updated yearly, averaging 5.636 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 12.233 % in 2015 and a record low of 4.041 % in 1961. North Korea KP: Population: as % of Total: Female: Aged 65 and Above data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s North Korea – Table KP.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Female population 65 years of age or older as a percentage of the total female population. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on age/sex distributions of United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; Weighted average; Relevance to gender indicator: Knowing how many girls, adolescents and women there are in a population helps a country in determining its provision of services.

North Korea KP: Mortality Rate: Infant: Female: per 1000 Live Births data was reported at 12.500 Ratio in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 13.900 Ratio for 2015. North Korea KP: Mortality Rate: Infant: Female: per 1000 Live Births data is updated yearly, averaging 20.000 Ratio from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2017, with 5 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 39.500 Ratio in 2000 and a record low of 12.500 Ratio in 2017. North Korea KP: Mortality Rate: Infant: Female: per 1000 Live Births data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s North Korea – Table KP.World Bank.WDI: Health Statistics. Infant mortality rate, female is the number of female infants dying before reaching one year of age, per 1,000 female live births in a given year.; ; Estimates developed by the UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNICEF, WHO, World Bank, UN DESA Population Division) at www.childmortality.org.; Weighted average; Given that data on the incidence and prevalence of diseases are frequently unavailable, mortality rates are often used to identify vulnerable populations. Moreover, they are among the indicators most frequently used to compare socioeconomic development across countries. Under-five mortality rates are higher for boys than for girls in countries in which parental gender preferences are insignificant. Under-five mortality captures the effect of gender discrimination better than infant mortality does, as malnutrition and medical interventions have more significant impacts to this age group. Where female under-five mortality is higher, girls are likely to have less access to resources than boys.

North Korea KP: Age Dependency Ratio: % of Working-Age Population data was reported at 43.078 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 43.920 % for 2016. North Korea KP: Age Dependency Ratio: % of Working-Age Population data is updated yearly, averaging 47.989 % from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2017, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 83.251 % in 1971 and a record low of 43.078 % in 2017. North Korea KP: Age Dependency Ratio: % of Working-Age Population data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s North Korea – Table KP.World Bank.WDI: Population and Urbanization Statistics. Age dependency ratio is the ratio of dependents--people younger than 15 or older than 64--to the working-age population--those ages 15-64. Data are shown as the proportion of dependents per 100 working-age population.; ; World Bank staff estimates based on age distributions of United Nations Population Division's World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision.; Weighted average; Relevance to gender indicator: this indicator implies the dependency burden that the working-age population bears in relation to children and the elderly. Many times single or widowed women who are the sole caregiver of a household have a high dependency ratio.

As of February 2025, there were 5.56 billion internet users worldwide, which amounted to 67.9 percent of the global population. Of this total, 5.24 billion, or 63.9 percent of the world's population, were social media users. Global internet usage Connecting billions of people worldwide, the internet is a core pillar of the modern information society. Northern Europe ranked first among worldwide regions by the share of the population using the internet in 2024. In The Netherlands, Norway and Saudi Arabia, 99 percent of the population used the internet as of April 2024. North Korea was at the opposite end of the spectrum, with virtually no internet usage penetration among the general population, ranking last worldwide. Asia was home to the largest number of online users worldwide – over 2.93 billion at the latest count. Europe ranked second, with around 750 million internet users. China, India, and the United States rank ahead of other countries worldwide by the number of internet users. Worldwide internet user demographics As of 2023, the share of female internet users worldwide was 65 percent, five percent less than that of men. Gender disparity in internet usage was bigger in the Arab States and Africa, with around a ten percent difference. Worldwide regions, like the Commonwealth of Independent States and Europe, showed a smaller gender gap. As of 2023, global internet usage was higher among individuals between 15 and 24 years across all regions, with young people in Europe representing the most significant usage penetration, 98 percent. In comparison, the worldwide average for the age group 15–24 years was 79 percent. The income level of the countries was also an essential factor for internet access, as 93 percent of the population of the countries with high income reportedly used the internet, as opposed to only 27 percent of the low-income markets.

North Korea KP: Mortality Rate: Adult: Female: per 1000 Female Adults data was reported at 98.831 Ratio in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 100.544 Ratio for 2015. North Korea KP: Mortality Rate: Adult: Female: per 1000 Female Adults data is updated yearly, averaging 137.242 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2016, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 355.971 Ratio in 1960 and a record low of 82.745 Ratio in 1992. North Korea KP: Mortality Rate: Adult: Female: per 1000 Female Adults data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s North Korea – Table KP.World Bank: Health Statistics. Adult mortality rate, female, is the probability of dying between the ages of 15 and 60--that is, the probability of a 15-year-old female dying before reaching age 60, if subject to age-specific mortality rates of the specified year between those ages.; ; (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision. (2) University of California, Berkeley, and Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research. The Human Mortality Database.; Weighted average;

North Korea KP: Fertility Rate: Total: Births per Woman data was reported at 1.910 Ratio in 2016. This records a decrease from the previous number of 1.921 Ratio for 2015. North Korea KP: Fertility Rate: Total: Births per Woman data is updated yearly, averaging 2.369 Ratio from Dec 1960 (Median) to 2016, with 57 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 4.579 Ratio in 1960 and a record low of 1.910 Ratio in 2016. North Korea KP: Fertility Rate: Total: Births per Woman data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s North Korea – Table KP.World Bank: Health Statistics. Total fertility rate represents the number of children that would be born to a woman if she were to live to the end of her childbearing years and bear children in accordance with age-specific fertility rates of the specified year.; ; (1) United Nations Population Division. World Population Prospects: 2017 Revision. (2) Census reports and other statistical publications from national statistical offices, (3) Eurostat: Demographic Statistics, (4) United Nations Statistical Division. Population and Vital Statistics Reprot (various years), (5) U.S. Census Bureau: International Database, and (6) Secretariat of the Pacific Community: Statistics and Demography Programme.; Weighted average; Relevance to gender indicator: it can indicate the status of women within households and a woman’s decision about the number and spacing of children.

In 2022, almost 80 percent of New Zealand's female population aged between 15 and 64 years participated in the labor force. Contrastingly, around five percent of Afghanistan's women in this age group were a part of the labor force in 2022. More opportunities for women? With an increased focus on achieving gender equality, more opportunities have arisen for women throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Interestingly, many countries across the region had a higher female to male ratio in tertiary education. However, there appears to still exist bias in STEM (science, engineering, technology, and math) subjects and careers, as there is a low female representation in these areas. Women in positions of power Despite the attempts to push for gender equality, there also still appears to exist gender imbalances in many governments across the Asia-Pacific region. As such, there was a much lower female representation in ministerial level positions in Asia Pacific countries, compared to the male representation. Additionally, New Zealand was the only Asia Pacific country which stood out as having a bigger female-to-male ratio in terms of political representation.