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Fertility & birth rates in North Korea and Taiwan

Updated on by Georank team

North Korea has an annual birth rate of 12.9 births per 1,000 people, compared to 5.76 for Taiwan. The average number of children a woman is expected to have during her lifetime — the fertility rate, is 1.78 in North Korea and 0.89 in Taiwan — 50.3% difference.

1981 vs 2023, the fertility rate has decreased by 39.1% in North Korea and by 64.8% in Taiwan — in 1981, it was 2.92 and 2.46, respectively.

  • North Korea is ranked 109/196 by birth rate compared to 193/196 for Taiwan.
  • The mean age at childbearing (for all the births, not just the first) is 28.8 in North Korea — it's 32.3 in Taiwan.
  • Annual births per 1,000 women ages 15-19 (adolescent birth rate or teenage mother rate) is 0.51 in North Korea vs 3 in Taiwan.
  • In North Korea, 23.3% of the population is composed of women of reproductive age (15-49), compared to 22.9% in Taiwan.

Fertility rate in North Korea vs Taiwan by year

North Korea
Taiwan
1x

Data sources: World Bank | Health (1960–2023, retrieved 2026-04-06); National Statistics, Taiwan (1951–2024, retrieved 2026-02-09).

GeoRank.org/birth-rate/north-korea/taiwan | CC BY

According to the latest available data on birth rates, the fertility rate in North Korea was 1.78 children per woman in 2023, compared to 0.89 in Taiwan in 2024. The replacement level is considered to be 2.1 children per woman.

Check North Korea vs Taiwan population clock for a dynamic visualization of the changing population.

Natural population change by year

North Korea
Taiwan
1x

Data sources: World Bank | Health (1960–2023, retrieved 2026-04-06); National Statistics, Taiwan (1966–2024, retrieved 2026-02-09).

GeoRank.org/birth-rate/north-korea/taiwan | CC BY

The chart above illustrates the comparison of the absolute yearly changes in population resulting from births and deaths.

Excluding migration, the natural population change due to births and deaths from 2022 to 2023 was +0.33% in North Korea and -0.29% in Taiwan.

For the past 10 years, the annual natural population change has been +0.42% in North Korea and -0.05% in Taiwan.

Birth rate in North Korea vs Taiwan by year

North Korea
Taiwan

Annual births per 1,000 people

1x

Data sources: World Bank | Health (1960–2023, retrieved 2026-04-06); National Statistics, Taiwan (1966–2024, retrieved 2026-02-09).

GeoRank.org/birth-rate/north-korea/taiwan | CC BY

The latest reported birth rate per 1,000 people in 2023 was 12.9 in North Korea and 5.81 in Taiwan, compared with 36.6 and 32.4, respectively, in 1966.

Birth rate data compared

North Korea Taiwan
Fertility rate 1.78 0.89
Fertility rate rank 112/196 195/196
Birth rate 12.9 5.76
Birth rate rank 109/196 193/196
Population change due to births and deaths +86,203 -67,188
Natural population change rank 83/196 186/196
Natural population change rate +0.33% -0.29%
Population growth +0.31% -0.34%
Population growth rank 150/197 180/197
Average age at childbearing 28.8 years 32.3 years
Annual births per 1,000 women ages 15-19 0.49 2.85
Annual births per 1,000 women ages 20-29 120.2 26.3
Annual births per 1,000 women ages 30+ 13.5 10.2
Female of reproductive age (15-49), share of population 23.3% 22.9%
Any modern method of contraceptive prevalence among married women ages 15-49 68.8% n/a
Share of births attended by skilled health staff 99.5% n/a
Maternal mortality per live birth 0.07% 0.01%
Neonatal mortality rate (before reaching 28 days of age) 0.96% 0.28%
Infant mortality rate (before reaching 1 year of age) 1.45% 0.45%
Mortality rate before reaching 5 years of age 1.8% n/a
Life expectancy 74 years 81.1 years

Children 0-14 years as share of population

North Korea
Factual

UN forecast
Taiwan
Factual

UN forecast
1x

Data sources: World Bank | Health (1960–2024, retrieved 2026-04-06); National Statistics, Taiwan (1974–2024, retrieved 2026-02-09); United Nations | World Population Prospects (2025–2100, retrieved 2026-03-10).

GeoRank.org/birth-rate/north-korea/taiwan | CC BY

Children aged 0-14 make up 18.9% of the population in North Korea and 11.7% in Taiwan in 2024, compared to 26.5% and 27.1% respectively in 1990.

Demographics of North Korea and Taiwan compared.

Fertility rates around the globe

1x

Data sources: World Bank | Health (1960–2023, retrieved 2026-04-06); National Statistics, Taiwan (1981–2023, retrieved 2026-02-09).

GeoRank.org/birth-rate/north-korea/taiwan | CC BY

Maternal mortality chart: North Korea vs Taiwan

North Korea
Taiwan
1x

Data sources: World Bank | Gender (1985–2023, retrieved 2026-04-06); National Statistics, Taiwan (1986–2024, retrieved 2026-02-09).

GeoRank.org/birth-rate/north-korea/taiwan | CC BY

The maternal mortality rate, which is the probability of dying during childbirth or within 42 days of pregnancy termination, is 67 deaths per 100,000 live births in North Korea, compared to 14 deaths in Taiwan.

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Data sources:

  1. World Bank | Health (1960–2024, retrieved 2026-04-06)
  2. National Statistics, Taiwan (1951–2025, retrieved 2026-02-09)
  3. United Nations | World Population Prospects (2025–2100, retrieved 2026-03-10)

Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) — you’re free to copy, share, remix, adapt, and use even commercially as long as you give appropriate credit and clearly indicate if you made changes. Other sources may be subject to different license terms.