North Korea vs Russia
North Korea vs Russia: Fertility rate
Fertility rate in 2023: 1.78 births per woman in North Korea and 1.45 births per woman in Russia, by UN estimates. In 2023 the value was higher in North Korea, by 0.33 births per woman, or 1.23 times that in Russia.
births per woman · UN
What the numbers say
- North Korea has been higher since 1953, when it overtook Russia.
- In 2023, North Korea ranked 123 and Russia ranked 174 of 229 countries, counting from the highest.
- The UN projection (medium variant) puts North Korea at 1.64 births per woman and Russia at 1.59 births per woman in 2100.
- The world as a whole: 2.25 births per woman in 2023.
Every year
births per woman · UN
| Year | North Korea | Russia | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 1.78 | 1.45 | 2.25 |
| 2022 | 1.8 | 1.45 | 2.27 |
| 2021 | 1.81 | 1.51 | 2.29 |
| 2020 | 1.82 | 1.51 | 2.32 |
| 2019 | 1.83 | 1.5 | 2.4 |
| 2018 | 1.83 | 1.58 | 2.44 |
| 2017 | 1.85 | 1.63 | 2.5 |
| 2016 | 1.86 | 1.77 | 2.54 |
| 2015 | 1.86 | 1.79 | 2.54 |
| 2014 | 1.87 | 1.77 | 2.56 |
| 2013 | 1.88 | 1.73 | 2.57 |
| 2012 | 1.88 | 1.71 | 2.61 |
| 2011 | 1.88 | 1.6 | 2.59 |
| 2010 | 1.89 | 1.59 | 2.6 |
| 2009 | 1.91 | 1.56 | 2.62 |
| 2008 | 1.97 | 1.52 | 2.63 |
| 2007 | 1.94 | 1.43 | 2.62 |
| 2006 | 1.94 | 1.32 | 2.63 |
| 2005 | 1.87 | 1.3 | 2.63 |
| 2004 | 1.9 | 1.35 | 2.65 |
| 2003 | 1.91 | 1.33 | 2.66 |
| 2002 | 1.92 | 1.29 | 2.68 |
| 2001 | 1.94 | 1.22 | 2.71 |
| 2000 | 1.94 | 1.19 | 2.75 |
| 1999 | 1.97 | 1.18 | 2.75 |
| 1998 | 1.99 | 1.24 | 2.78 |
| 1997 | 2.03 | 1.24 | 2.81 |
| 1996 | 2.09 | 1.29 | 2.85 |
| 1995 | 2.15 | 1.35 | 2.89 |
| 1994 | 2.18 | 1.4 | 2.93 |
| 1993 | 2.22 | 1.39 | 2.98 |
| 1992 | 2.29 | 1.57 | 3.04 |
| 1991 | 2.35 | 1.75 | 3.13 |
| 1990 | 2.39 | 1.91 | 3.31 |
| 1989 | 2.41 | 2.03 | 3.35 |
| 1988 | 2.47 | 2.16 | 3.39 |
| 1987 | 2.53 | 2.25 | 3.48 |
| 1986 | 2.59 | 2.21 | 3.5 |
| 1985 | 2.65 | 2.09 | 3.51 |
| 1984 | 2.71 | 2.1 | 3.55 |
| 1983 | 2.78 | 2.14 | 3.58 |
| 1982 | 2.85 | 2.02 | 3.71 |
| 1981 | 2.92 | 1.94 | 3.71 |
| 1980 | 2.84 | 1.92 | 3.74 |
| 1979 | 2.85 | 1.92 | 3.77 |
| 1978 | 2.79 | 1.95 | 3.79 |
| 1977 | 2.77 | 1.98 | 3.85 |
| 1976 | 2.84 | 1.99 | 3.97 |
| 1975 | 3.05 | 2 | 4.08 |
| 1974 | 3.14 | 2.03 | 4.26 |
| 1973 | 3.35 | 2.01 | 4.42 |
| 1972 | 3.89 | 2.07 | 4.55 |
| 1971 | 3.74 | 2.05 | 4.68 |
| 1970 | 3.85 | 2.01 | 4.83 |
| 1969 | 3.86 | 1.99 | 4.87 |
| 1968 | 3.87 | 1.98 | 4.96 |
| 1967 | 4.05 | 2.02 | 4.85 |
| 1966 | 3.71 | 2.11 | 4.96 |
| 1965 | 3.56 | 2.11 | 5.07 |
| 1964 | 3.55 | 2.18 | 5.12 |
| 1963 | 3.63 | 2.29 | 5.31 |
| 1962 | 3.41 | 2.36 | 5.02 |
| 1961 | 3.26 | 2.52 | 4.57 |
| 1960 | 3.57 | 2.63 | 4.7 |
| 1959 | 3.56 | 2.66 | 4.74 |
| 1958 | 4.27 | 2.69 | 4.93 |
| 1957 | 4.28 | 2.73 | 5.07 |
| 1956 | 3.51 | 2.76 | 4.93 |
| 1955 | 3.67 | 2.81 | 5 |
| 1954 | 3.5 | 2.85 | 5 |
| 1953 | 3.08 | 2.83 | 4.92 |
| 1952 | 2.61 | 2.86 | 5 |
| 1951 | 2.6 | 2.9 | 4.82 |
| 1950 | 4.99 | 2.93 | 4.85 |
UN projection (medium variant) · 2024–2100
| Year | North Korea | Russia | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1.781.2–2.41 | 1.461.31–1.61 | 2.25 |
| 2025 | 1.771.19–2.4 | 1.471.28–1.65 | 2.24 |
| 2026 | 1.751.15–2.41 | 1.471.26–1.68 | 2.23 |
| 2027 | 1.741.12–2.42 | 1.471.24–1.72 | 2.22 |
| 2028 | 1.731.1–2.41 | 1.481.23–1.73 | 2.21 |
| 2029 | 1.731.07–2.4 | 1.481.2–1.75 | 2.2 |
| 2030 | 1.721.03–2.42 | 1.491.21–1.78 | 2.2 |
| 2031 | 1.721.04–2.43 | 1.491.2–1.79 | 2.19 |
| 2032 | 1.711.03–2.44 | 1.491.17–1.81 | 2.18 |
| 2033 | 1.711.01–2.43 | 1.51.17–1.83 | 2.17 |
| 2034 | 1.710.99–2.46 | 1.51.15–1.85 | 2.16 |
| 2035 | 1.71–2.43 | 1.51.14–1.86 | 2.15 |
| 2036 | 1.70.99–2.42 | 1.511.14–1.87 | 2.15 |
| 2037 | 1.70.98–2.4 | 1.511.13–1.86 | 2.14 |
| 2038 | 1.690.99–2.41 | 1.511.13–1.89 | 2.13 |
| 2039 | 1.691.01–2.42 | 1.511.12–1.9 | 2.13 |
| 2040 | 1.690.98–2.42 | 1.521.11–1.9 | 2.13 |
| 2041 | 1.691.02–2.41 | 1.521.12–1.92 | 2.12 |
| 2042 | 1.691.03–2.41 | 1.521.11–1.92 | 2.12 |
| 2043 | 1.691.01–2.43 | 1.531.1–1.91 | 2.12 |
| 2044 | 1.681–2.45 | 1.531.1–1.92 | 2.12 |
| 2045 | 1.681–2.42 | 1.531.09–1.92 | 2.12 |
| 2046 | 1.681–2.39 | 1.531.09–1.94 | 2.11 |
| 2047 | 1.681.01–2.39 | 1.541.08–1.95 | 2.11 |
| 2048 | 1.670.99–2.44 | 1.541.08–1.95 | 2.11 |
| 2049 | 1.670.98–2.42 | 1.541.07–1.95 | 2.1 |
| 2050 | 1.670.97–2.44 | 1.541.07–1.97 | 2.1 |
| 2051 | 1.670.98–2.41 | 1.541.06–1.97 | 2.09 |
| 2052 | 1.670.98–2.39 | 1.541.06–1.97 | 2.09 |
| 2053 | 1.670.99–2.38 | 1.541.05–1.97 | 2.08 |
| 2054 | 1.670.99–2.39 | 1.551.05–1.96 | 2.07 |
| 2055 | 1.670.99–2.37 | 1.551.04–1.98 | 2.07 |
| 2056 | 1.670.98–2.37 | 1.551.06–1.98 | 2.06 |
| 2057 | 1.670.97–2.36 | 1.551.04–1.98 | 2.05 |
| 2058 | 1.670.99–2.37 | 1.551.04–1.99 | 2.04 |
| 2059 | 1.670.97–2.38 | 1.551.02–2 | 2.04 |
| 2060 | 1.660.96–2.37 | 1.561.04–2.02 | 2.03 |
| 2061 | 1.660.98–2.36 | 1.561.02–2.01 | 2.02 |
| 2062 | 1.660.97–2.37 | 1.561.01–2.03 | 2.02 |
| 2063 | 1.660.97–2.36 | 1.561.01–2.03 | 2.01 |
| 2064 | 1.660.98–2.37 | 1.561.01–2.04 | 2 |
| 2065 | 1.660.99–2.38 | 1.571.01–2.04 | 2 |
| 2066 | 1.660.98–2.38 | 1.561.02–2.04 | 1.99 |
| 2067 | 1.660.98–2.38 | 1.561.01–2.05 | 1.98 |
| 2068 | 1.660.97–2.36 | 1.561.01–2.05 | 1.98 |
| 2069 | 1.660.98–2.37 | 1.571–2.06 | 1.97 |
| 2070 | 1.660.97–2.37 | 1.571–2.06 | 1.97 |
| 2071 | 1.650.96–2.37 | 1.571–2.05 | 1.96 |
| 2072 | 1.660.97–2.38 | 1.571–2.06 | 1.96 |
| 2073 | 1.650.95–2.37 | 1.571–2.07 | 1.95 |
| 2074 | 1.650.96–2.37 | 1.581–2.08 | 1.95 |
| 2075 | 1.650.96–2.39 | 1.570.99–2.08 | 1.94 |
| 2076 | 1.650.95–2.39 | 1.571–2.09 | 1.94 |
| 2077 | 1.650.95–2.38 | 1.580.99–2.09 | 1.94 |
| 2078 | 1.650.95–2.4 | 1.580.99–2.09 | 1.93 |
| 2079 | 1.650.96–2.36 | 1.581–2.11 | 1.93 |
| 2080 | 1.650.95–2.37 | 1.581–2.09 | 1.92 |
| 2081 | 1.650.95–2.38 | 1.581–2.09 | 1.92 |
| 2082 | 1.650.97–2.36 | 1.581–2.1 | 1.91 |
| 2083 | 1.650.96–2.38 | 1.581–2.1 | 1.91 |
| 2084 | 1.650.96–2.38 | 1.581.01–2.1 | 1.91 |
| 2085 | 1.650.97–2.41 | 1.581–2.11 | 1.9 |
| 2086 | 1.650.95–2.41 | 1.581.01–2.11 | 1.9 |
| 2087 | 1.650.95–2.44 | 1.581–2.11 | 1.89 |
| 2088 | 1.650.94–2.41 | 1.581–2.11 | 1.89 |
| 2089 | 1.650.93–2.44 | 1.581–2.11 | 1.88 |
| 2090 | 1.650.94–2.41 | 1.591.01–2.1 | 1.88 |
| 2091 | 1.650.95–2.4 | 1.590.99–2.1 | 1.88 |
| 2092 | 1.650.93–2.39 | 1.591.01–2.11 | 1.87 |
| 2093 | 1.650.92–2.39 | 1.581–2.11 | 1.87 |
| 2094 | 1.650.92–2.4 | 1.591–2.1 | 1.86 |
| 2095 | 1.650.93–2.38 | 1.590.99–2.11 | 1.86 |
| 2096 | 1.650.92–2.39 | 1.590.99–2.13 | 1.85 |
| 2097 | 1.650.93–2.42 | 1.590.99–2.14 | 1.85 |
| 2098 | 1.650.92–2.41 | 1.591–2.14 | 1.85 |
| 2099 | 1.640.9–2.4 | 1.590.99–2.16 | 1.84 |
| 2100 | 1.640.89–2.4 | 1.591–2.16 | 1.84 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- The children a woman would have over her life at the year’s birth rates for each age.
- Source: UN DESA, World Population Prospects 2024.
- The dashed line is the UN projection (medium variant), a scenario rather than a forecast; the band is its 95% prediction interval.
- Ranks count the 229 countries with a value in 2023, highest first.
- The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
North Korea vs Russia
Health
- Life expectancyNorth Korea: 73.6 years in 2023Russia: 73.2 years in 2023
- Child mortalityNorth Korea: 1.7 per 100 live births in 2024Russia: 0.5 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityNorth Korea: 14.5 per 1,000 live births in 2023Russia: 3.5 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterNorth Korea: 66.5% in 2022Russia: 76.2% in 2022
- DepressionNorth Korea: 3.09% in 2017Russia: 3.71% in 2017
- Suicide rateNorth Korea: 11.1 per 100,000 people in 2017Russia: 25.1 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationNorth Korea: 26.4 million people in 2023Russia: 145 million people in 2023
- Population growthNorth Korea: 0.32% a year in 2023Russia: -0.32% a year in 2023
- Urban populationNorth Korea: 64.2% in 2025Russia: 75.3% in 2025
- Median ageNorth Korea: 36.1 years in 2023Russia: 39.5 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overNorth Korea: 12% in 2023Russia: 16.6% in 2023
- Net migration rateNorth Korea: -0.1 per 1,000 people in 2023Russia: 0.2 per 1,000 people in 2023
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spending per personNorth Korea: $62 in 2018Russia: $1,318 in 2025
- Armed forces personnelNorth Korea: 1.47 million people in 2020Russia: 1.45 million people in 2020
- National powerNorth Korea: 1.41% of world capability in 2022Russia: 3.82% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersNorth Korea: 8.62% of the labour force in 2020Russia: 1.98% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsNorth Korea: 1 million TIV in 2010Russia: 129 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsNorth Korea: 44 million TIV in 2025Russia: 1.94 billion TIV in 2025