Demographics of North Korea

Scatter plot of the population of North Korea, from 1980 to 2013. The blue line represents the annual World Bank estimates, and the red dots represents the national census figures (1993 and 2008).
Population	24,052,231 (2008)
Density	199.54 inhabitants / sq. km. (2008)
Growth rate	0.84% (1993–2008)
Birth rate	14.51 births/1,000 population (2014 est.)
Death rate	9.18 deaths/1,000 population (2014 est.)
Life expectancy	69.81 years (2014 est.)
• male	65.96 years (2014 est.)
• female	73.86 years (2014 est.)
Fertility rate	1.98 children born/woman (2014 est.)
Infant mortality rate	24.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2014 est.)
Net migration rate	-0.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2014 est.)
0–14 years	23.19% (2008)
15–64 years	68.09% (2008)
65 and over	8.72% (2008)
Total	0.95 males/1.00 female (2008)
At birth	1.04 males/1.00 female (2008)
Under 15	1.05 males/1.00 female (2008)
65 and over	0.51 males/1.00 female (2008)
Nationality	Korean(s)
Major ethnic	Korean (99%)
Minor ethnic	Chinese, Russian, Japanese
Official	Korean (official)

The demographics of North Korea, a country in eastern Asia, are known through national censuses and international estimates. The Central Bureau of Statistics of North Korea conducted the most recent census in 2008, where the population reached 24 million inhabitants. The population density is 199.54 inhabitants per square kilometre, and the 2014 estimated life expectancy is 69.81 years. In 1980, the population rose at a near consistent, but low, rate (0.84% from the two censuses). Since 2000, North Korea's birth rate has exceeded its death rate; the natural growth is positive. In terms of age structure, the population is dominated by the 15–64-year-old segment (68.09%). The median age of the population is 32.9 years, and the gender ratio is 0.95 males to 1.00 female. Nowadays, North Korean women have on average 2 children, against 3 in the early 1980s.

According to The World Factbook, North Korea is racially homogeneous and contains a small Chinese community and a few ethnic Japanese. The 2008 census listed two nationalities: Korean (99.998%) and Other (0.002%). Korea was annexed by the Empire of Japan in 1910, in which the Korean peninsula was occupied by Japanese. In 1945, when Japan was defeated in World War II, Korea was divided into two occupied zones: North occupied by the Soviet Union and the South by the United States. Negotiations on unification failed, and in 1948 two separate countries were formed: North and South Korea.

Korean is the official language of North Korea. The World Factbook states "traditionally Buddhist and Confucianist, some Christian and syncretic Chondogyo" in regards to religion, but also states "autonomous religious activities now almost nonexistent; government-sponsored religious groups exist to provide illusion of religious freedom". As of 2008, 8.86% of the population older than 5 years old have attained academic degrees. In 2000, North Korea spent 38.2% of its expenditures on education, social insurance, and social security. Estimates show that, in 2012, gross domestic product (GDP) per capita was $1,800. The most significant sources of employment were machine building and manufacturing of metallurgical products, military products, and textiles. In 2006, the unemployment rate was between 14.7% and 36.5%. The 2008 census enumerated 5,887,471 households, averaging 3.9 persons per house. Average urbanization rate was 60.3% in 2011.