East Asia & Pacific · KP
Generation Alpha & Beta
in North Korea
How many of each cohort North Korea has, how fast the next one is arriving, and what the fertility rate, median age and school system mean for both.
North Korea has approximately 5 million Generation Alpha people (born 2010–2024), about 18.8% of its population, and roughly 584,813 Generation Beta children born since 2025. Its fertility rate is 1.8 and its child population is shrinking, projected -15% by 2040.
Births since 1 January 2025 at North Korea's own rate, less infant mortality. At 900 births a day it climbs steadily rather than visibly.
Born 2010–2024 — 18.8% of the population, aged 2–16 this year.
About 900 births a day, all of them Generation Beta.
Smaller than the Alpha cohort of 5 million.
Size of the Generation Alpha cohort
Share of the population under 15
Total fertility rate
Child population to 2040 (−15%)
North Korea against the world average
Key dates for North Korea
12 compulsory years from age 7.
Born on 1 January 2025, they reach North Korea's starting age of 7.
Under-15s change by −15% against today.
Eighteen years after the cohort opened.
The cohort closes on 31 December 2039; its youngest members enter school here.
School dates follow North Korea's own starting age of 7 and 12 compulsory years, so they differ from the global figures on our Generation Beta page.
Every figure on this page
North Korea in 20 numbers
| Indicator | North Korea | World average | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 26.6 million | — | #55 of 194 |
| Generation Alpha (born 2010–2024) | 5 million | — | #68 of 194 |
| Gen Alpha share of population | 18.8% | — | #116 of 194 |
| Projected Gen Beta births 2025–39 | 4.4 million | — | #66 of 194 |
| Births per year | 328,497 | — | #65 of 194 |
| Births per day | 900 | — | #65 of 194 |
| Under-15 share of population | 19% | 25% | #113 of 194 |
| Total fertility rate | 1.8 | 2.2 | #100 of 194 |
| Median age | 37 years | 31 years | #67 of 194 |
| Life expectancy at birth | 74 years | 73 years | #103 of 194 |
| Urban population | 64% | 58% | #99 of 194 |
| Internet use | 0% | 68% | #192 of 192 |
| Secondary school completion | Not reported | 60% | |
| School starting age | age 7 | — | #1 of 194 |
| Compulsory years of schooling | 12 years | — | #30 of 194 |
| Daily screen time, ages 8–12 | Not reported | — | |
| Cost of raising a child to 18 | Not reported | — | |
| Under-15 population change to 2040 | −15% | — | #137 of 194 |
| Youth dependency ratio | 28 per 100 adults | — | #114 of 194 |
| Mobile connections per 100 people | 24 | — | #193 of 194 |
Rank is out of the 194 countries profiled here and always runs highest first — so #1 on median age is the oldest country, not the youngest. World averages are population-weighted global figures and are shown only where a comparable one exists. Sources: UN World Population Prospects, World Bank Open Data, UNESCO and ITU, via our sources page.
1950 to 2023, with the UN projection to 2030
North Korea birth rate and fertility rate by year
About 342,000 babies were born in North Korea in 2023, and women had 1.78 children on average. Since 1950, births peaked in 1967 at about 548,700. Fertility first fell below the replacement level of 2.1 in 1996. Annual births are 18% lower than in 2000.
Fertility rate (children per woman)
Births per year
Thousands of births. Dashed: UN medium-variant projection.
| Year | Births | Fertility rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1950 | 451,500 | 4.99 |
| 1960 | 408,500 | 3.57 |
| 1970 | 535,300 | 3.85 |
| 1980 | 366,500 | 2.84 |
| 1990 | 431,700 | 2.39 |
| 2000 | 414,700 | 1.94 |
| 2010 | 332,200 | 1.89 |
| 2015 | 343,300 | 1.86 |
| 2020 | 350,000 | 1.82 |
| 2021 | 348,000 | 1.81 |
| 2022 | 346,200 | 1.80 |
| 2023 | 342,000 | 1.78 |
| 2025 projected | 334,900 | 1.77 |
| 2030 projected | 300,700 | 1.72 |
UN World Population Prospects 2024, republished by Our World in Data. Years to 2023 are UN estimates, which can differ from a country's own registered counts; later years are the UN medium-variant projection. Every country is ranked on fertility rate by country.
Regional peers
Elsewhere in East Asia & Pacific
China
230 million Generation Alpha
Indonesia
68 million Generation Alpha
Japan
14 million Generation Alpha
Philippines
32 million Generation Alpha
Vietnam
23 million Generation Alpha
Thailand
11 million Generation Alpha
Myanmar
13 million Generation Alpha
South Korea
6 million Generation Alpha
Run the numbers yourself
Tools that use this data
Gen Beta by Country Forecast
Where the 2.1 billion Betas will be born, and which countries shrink instead.
Under-15 Share by Country
The countries where Alpha and Beta make up the largest share of the population.
Global Child Population Table
Where the world's children are, ranked by region, with the direction each one is…
Median Age Calculator
What a country's median age implies about its Alpha and Beta share, its dependency…
School-Age Population Forecast
How many children will be of school age in any year, globally or nationally.
Where a tool takes a number it opens prefilled with North Korea's own figure rather than the world one, and every input stays editable. The rest are the same ranked tables for every country.
Frequently asked about North Korea
How many Gen Alpha are there in North Korea?
Approximately 5 million people born between 2010 and 2024 live in North Korea, about 18.8% of the population.
How many Gen Beta children are there in North Korea?
Roughly 584,813 children have been born in North Korea since 1 January 2025, growing by about 37 every hour.
What is the fertility rate in North Korea?
North Korea has a total fertility rate of 1.8 children per woman, against a replacement level of 2.1 and a world average of about 2.2.
At what age do children start school in North Korea?
Compulsory schooling begins at age 7 in North Korea, and runs for 12 years.
Is the child population in North Korea growing or shrinking?
It is shrinking. The under-15 population is projected to change by -15% between now and 2040.
How many babies are born in North Korea each year?
About 342,000 in 2023, according to UN estimates, down from a peak of about 548,700 in 1967 (the highest since 1950). The UN projects about 300,700 in 2030.
How has the fertility rate in North Korea changed over time?
It was 4.99 children per woman in 1950 and 1.78 in 2023. It first fell below the replacement level of 2.1 in 1996.
AlphaBetaMinds (2026). Generation Alpha and Generation Beta in North Korea. Retrieved from https://alphabetaminds.com/countries/north-korea
The printed sheet keeps the headline numbers, the world comparison, the key dates, the full indicator table and this citation, and drops the navigation, the tools and the FAQ. It fits a page or two and needs no login.
Free to reproduce, commercially or not, with a credit and a link. Figures are estimates for 2025–2026 and are updated when the underlying sources are.