Country page · East Asia & Pacific
If you were born in North Korea
1 in 393 babies · 0.25% of births · about 341,650 a year
Right now, about 0.25% of the world's babies are born in North Korea — 1 in 393, or roughly 341,650 a year and 936 a day. Life expectancy there is 73.7 years.
How the 1 in 393 is calculated
This number is not based on population. It uses births: North Korea has about 341,650 births a year, and the world has about 134,147,481. Divide one by the other and you get 0.25% — 1 in 393. Using population instead would understate young countries and overstate ageing ones, so every draw is weighted by births.
Life in North Korea, in numbers
| Indicator | Value | World rank |
|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy women 75.9 · men 71.6 | 73.7 years | 88th highest of 172 countries |
| Chance of dying before 5 16.7 / 1,000 | 1.7% | 90th lowest of 170 countries |
| Chance of dying before 1 13.3 / 1,000 | 1.3% | 86th lowest of 170 countries |
| Mothers who die giving birth per 100,000 births | 67 | 99th lowest of 170 countries |
| Children per woman | 1.78 | 71st lowest of 172 countries |
| Expected years of schooling | 10.8 years | 122nd highest of 168 countries |
| Tertiary enrollment | 26.7% | 100th highest of 168 countries |
| Income per person (PPP) GDP per capita, PPP | — | — |
| Income inequality closer to 0 = more equal | — | — |
| People living in cities | 64.2% | 83rd highest of 172 countries |
| People working in farming | 54.1% | 152nd lowest of 171 countries |
| People using the internet | 0.0% | 172nd highest of 172 countries |
| Homicide per 100,000 people | — | — |
| Health costs paid out of pocket share of health spending | — | — |
| Adults living with HIV | — | — |
| People who smoke | 15.6% | — |
How to read these numbers
Income is shown in purchasing-power-parity dollars, so it compares what money buys locally rather than market exchange rates. The under-5 rate is the share of babies who die before their fifth birthday; the maternal mortality ratio is per 100,000 live births. A Gini index closer to 0 means a more equal income distribution, and a higher number means a more unequal one.
Each indicator uses the most recent year with a non-empty value, which can differ by country; the rank compares this country with the other 171 in the dataset, not with every country on Earth. Where a value is missing, the page shows a dash rather than an estimate.
North Korea compared with East Asia & Pacific
Life expectancy in North Korea is 73.7 years, against a East Asia & Pacific average of 74.8. The under-5 death rate is 1.7%, versus 1.8% across the region. Income per person is $0, against $34,115 regionally; expected schooling is 10.8 years against 13.2. 64.2% of people live in cities, against 59.6% in the region.
| Indicator | North Korea | East Asia & Pacific | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life expectancy | 73.7 yrs | 74.8 yrs | 73.3 yrs |
| Under-5 deaths | 1.7% | 1.8% | 2.6% |
| Income per person (PPP) | — | $34,115 | $30,311 |
| Expected schooling | 10.8 yrs | 13.2 yrs | 13.0 yrs |
| People in cities | 64.2% | 59.6% | 61.6% |
What a life there looks like
Put those numbers together and you get a life: about 73.7 years on average, with roughly 16.7 of every 1,000 babies dying before their fifth birthday. A child can expect 10.8 years of school, and income per person is around $0. These are averages — every life still lands somewhere on the distribution.
If you play as someone born in North Korea
The game draws North Korea in about 1 of every 393 births. From there the life runs year by year: 73.7 years of life expectancy on average, a 1.7% chance of dying before five, and an income of about $0 per person. Choices move the odds; the starting statistics do not.
Nearby and similar countries
- Chance of being born in Cambodia — 1 in 370
- Chance of being born in Australia — 1 in 454
- Chance of being born in Papua New Guinea — 1 in 513
- All 172 countries
Frequently asked questions
What are the odds of being born in North Korea?
What is life expectancy in North Korea?
How many babies are born in North Korea each year?
Is North Korea a good country to be born in, in the game?
Source: World Bank World Development Indicators, with UN World Population Prospects 2024 and UN IGME for births and mortality. Values are the most recent non-empty year for each indicator; the year is noted where it differs. Page updated 24 Oct 2026.