Korea, North 
Facts
Population:
21,968,228 (July 2001 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years:
25.52% (male 2,873,390; female 2,733,163)
15-64 years:
67.63% (male 7,301,531; female 7,556,554)
65 years and over:
6.85% (male 486,805; female 1,016,785) (2001 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.22% (2001 est.)
Birth rate:
19.1 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Death rate:
6.92 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.48 male(s)/female
total population:
0.94 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
23.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
71.02 years
male:
68.04 years
female:
74.15 years (2001 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.26 children born/woman (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun:
Korean(s)
adjective:
Korean
Ethnic groups:
racially homogeneous; there is a small Chinese community and a few ethnic Japanese
Religions:
traditionally Buddhist and Confucianist, some Christian and syncretic Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way)
note:
autonomous religious activities now almost nonexistent; government-sponsored religious groups exist to provide illusion of religious freedom
Languages:
Korean
Literacy:
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write Korean
total population:
99%
male:
99%
female:
99% (1990 est.)
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $22 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
-3% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $1,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture:
30%
industry:
42%
services:
28% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%:
NA%
highest 10%:
NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
NA%
Labor force:
9.6 million
Labor force - by occupation:
agricultural 36%, nonagricultural 64%
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Budget:
revenues:
$NA
expenditures:
$NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Industries:
military products; machine building, electric power, chemicals; mining (coal, iron ore, magnesite, graphite, copper, zinc, lead, and precious metals), metallurgy; textiles, food processing; tourism
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production:
28.6 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel:
34.62%
hydro:
65.38%
nuclear:
0%
other:
0% (1999)
Electricity - consumption:
26.598 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products:
rice, corn, potatoes, soybeans, pulses; cattle, pigs, pork, eggs
Exports:
$520 million (f.o.b., 1999 est.)
Exports - commodities:
minerals, metallurgical products, manufactures (including armaments); agricultural and fishery products
Exports - partners:
Japan 28%, South Korea 21%, China 5%, Germany 4%, Russia 1% (1995)
Imports:
$960 million (c.i.f., 1999 est.)
Imports - commodities:
petroleum, coking coal, machinery and equipment; consumer goods, grain
Imports - partners:
China 33%, Japan 17%, Russia 5%, South Korea 4%, Germany 3% (1995)
Debt - external:
$12 billion (1996 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
$NA; note - an estimated $200 million to $300 million in humanitarian aid from US, South Korea, Japan, and EU in 1997 plus much additional aid from the UN and non-governmental organizations; substantial continuing humanitarian aid, 1998-2000
Currency:
North Korean won (KPW)
Currency code:
KPW
Exchange rates:
official: North Korean won per US dollar - 2.15 (May 1994), 2.13 (May 1992), 2.14 (September 1991), 2.1 (January 1990), 2.3 (December 1989); market: North Korean won per US dollar - 200
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Statistics: CIA World Factbook.
Press
Nodong Sinmun
(Party organ), Pyongyang
(Tokyo-based semimonthly organ of DPRK),
http://www.korea-np.co.jp/pk/
(Government-owned), Pyongyang
http://www.times.dprkorea.com/
North Korea in the News
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Displaying 1 to 4 of 23 items.
Senior North Korean negotiators have expressed Pyongyang's willingness to reach an agreement in return for economic and financial concessions.
In an internvew, a top Chinese government think tank scholar outlines Seoul's options.
While U.S. leaders worry about the security implications of the Kim Jong Il regime's illicit activities, South Koreans have been bracing themselves for a transition that many ardently desire.
“As North Korea further increased its isolation from the world community last week by announcing its withdrawal from six-party disarmament talks, the focus has now fallen on China to press Pyongyang to return to the negotiating table.” Rich Bowden reports.
Americas 
