North Korea Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Status	Independent State
Social and Moral Index	168th best
Capital	Pyongyang
Land Area	120 410km²₁
Location	Asia
Population	25.5m₂
Life Expectancy	70.52yrs (2017)₃
GNI
ISO3166-1 Codes	KP, PRK, 408₄
Internet Domain	.kp₅
Currency	Won (KPW)₆
Telephone	+850₇

1. Overview

“An independent kingdom for much of its long history, Korea was occupied by Japan beginning in 1905 following the Russo-Japanese War. Five years later, Japan formally annexed the entire peninsula. Following World War II, Korea was split with the northern half coming under Soviet-sponsored Communist control. After failing in the Korean War (1950-53) to conquer the US-backed Republic of Korea (ROK) in the southern portion by force, North Korea (DPRK), under its founder President KIM Il Sung, adopted a policy of ostensible diplomatic and economic "self-reliance" as a check against outside influence. The DPRK demonized the US as the ultimate threat to its social system through state-funded propaganda, and molded political, economic, and military policies around the core ideological objective of eventual unification of Korea under Pyongyang's control. KIM Il Sung's son, KIM Jong Il, was officially designated as his father's successor in 1980, assuming a growing political and managerial role until the elder KIM's death in 1994. KIM Jong Un was publicly unveiled as his father's successor in September 2010. Following KIM Jong Il's death in December 2011, the regime began to take actions to transfer power to KIM Jong Un and KIM has now assumed many his father's former titles and duties. After decades of economic mismanagement and resource misallocation, the DPRK since the mid-1990s has relied heavily on international aid to feed its population. The DPRK began to ease restrictions to allow semi-private markets, starting in 2002, but then sought to roll back the scale of economic reforms in 2005 and 2009. North Korea's history of regional military provocations; proliferation of military-related items; long-range missile development; WMD programs including tests of nuclear devices in 2006, 2009, and 2013; and massive conventional armed forces are of major concern to the international community.”
CIA's The World Factbook (2013)₈

“Most people form their opinions of North Korea from news reports and James Bond movies, but there´s more to the Democratic People´s Republic than military parades and stand-offs with the UN. No country in the world provokes a similar reaction to North Korea. Now on its third hereditary ruler, this nominally communist state and by-product of the Cold War has defied all expectation and survived a quarter of a century since perestroika dismantled the rest of the once-vast Soviet empire.
Most people don´t even know that it´s possible to travel here, and indeed the compromises required to do so are significant. You´ll be accompanied by two government minders at all times and only hear a one-sided account of history. Those who can´t accept this might be better off staying away - but those who can will have a fascinating trip into another, unsettling world.
With your official minders, you can roam mountain resorts and ancient capitals, though the main attractions remain the bombastic iconography of the North Korean regime and the surreal existence of ordinary people in this troubled, autocratic state.”
"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)₉

2. North Korea National and Social Development

#human_development

Social & Moral Development Index₁₀_,₁₁
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₁₀_,₁₁
1	Taiwan	30.2
2	Denmark	30.5
3	Norway	30.9
	...
165	Liberia	115.9
166	Kiribati	116.2
167	Zimbabwe	117.1
168	N. Korea	117.1
169	Niger	117.1
170	Marshall Islands	117.1
171	Syria	117.2
172	Swaziland	117.6
	World Avg	86.4
q=195.

The Social and Moral Development Index concentrates on moral issues and human rights, violence, public health, equality, tolerance, freedom and effectiveness in climate change mitigation and environmentalism, and on some technological issues. A country scores higher for achieving well in those areas, and for sustaining that achievement in the long term. Those countries towards the top of this index can truly said to be setting good examples and leading humankind onwards into a bright, humane, and free future. See: Which are the Best Countries in the World? The Social and Moral Development Index.

3. North Korea's Demographics

#birth_control #demographics #health #immigration #life_expectancy #longevity #migration #overpopulation #population

Population:

North Korea's population is predicted to rise to 26.18 million by 2030. This rise is despite a low fertility rate, meaning, that this country is helping to alleviate problems with growing population in neighbouring countries by accepting immigrants, very likely as a requirement of maintaining an active workforce. This country has a fertility rate of 2.00. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population is growing, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity, i.e., the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate, which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1.

Population (2018)₂
Pos.		Population₂
1	China	1.4b
2	India	1.4b
3	USA	327.1m
	...
49	Yemen	28.5m
50	Nepal	28.1m
51	Madagascar	26.3m
52	N. Korea	25.5m
53	Cameroon	25.2m
54	Ivory Coast	25.1m
55	Australia	24.9m
56	Niger	22.4m
	World Avg	39.0m
q=195.

Life Expectancy (2015)₁₂
Pos.		Higher is better Years₁₂
1	Hong Kong	84.16
2	Japan	83.68
3	Italy	83.34
	...
111	Ukraine	71.13
112	Azerbaijan	70.90
113	Kyrgyzstan	70.79
114	N. Korea	70.52
115	Trinidad & Tobago	70.52
116	Russia	70.26
117	Fiji	70.15
118	Belize	70.08
	World Avg	71.27
q=190.

Fertility Rate (2013)₁₃
Pos.		2.0 is best₁₃
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
4	France	1.99
5	Turkey	2.04
6	Australia	1.96
7	Uruguay	2.05
8	Norway	1.95
9	Myanmar (Burma)	1.95
10	Indonesia	2.07
11	Sweden	1.93
12	Tunisia	1.93
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Old-Age Dependency Ratio (2016)₁₄
Pos.		Lower is better Per 100₁₄
1	Uganda	04.3
2	Mali	04.5
3	Chad	04.7
	...
107	Brunei	16.2
108	El Salvador	17.3
109	Panama	17.7
110	N. Korea	17.8
111	Turkey	18.0
112	Vietnam	18.3
113	Tunisia	18.6
114	Azerbaijan	18.7
	World Avg	18.3
q=185.

Migration:

Immigrants (2017)₁₅
Pos.		%₁₅
1	UAE	88.4%
2	Kuwait	75.5%
3	Qatar	65.2%
	...
185	Colombia	0.3%
186	Morocco	0.3%
187	Philippines	0.2%
188	N. Korea	0.2%
189	Sri Lanka	0.2%
190	Myanmar (Burma)	0.1%
191	Madagascar	0.1%
192	Indonesia	0.1%
	World Avg	9.4%
q=195.

Emigrants (2010)₁₆
Pos.		%₁₆
1	Dominica	104.8%
2	Palestine	68.4%
3	Samoa	67.3%
	...
166	Cameroon	1.4%
167	Malawi	1.4%
168	Congo, DR	1.3%
169	N. Korea	1.3%
170	Thailand	1.2%
171	UAE	1.2%
172	Mongolia	1.2%
173	Kenya	1.1%
	World Avg	11.5%
q=192.

4. Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#equality #freedom #human_rights #north_korea #politics #tolerance

This is a fully totalitarian dictatorship with no pretence to embrace any modern concept of human rights nor personal freedom₁₇_,₁₈. N. Korea does worse than average in terms of LGBT equality₁₉ and in speed of uptake of HR treaties₂₀. It falls into the worst 20 when it comes to commentary in Human Rights Watch reports₂₁ (one of the worst in Asia) and in its nominal commitment to Human Rights₂₂. And finally, it is second-from-the-bottom in terms of supporting press freedom₂₃. Of the millions of North Koreans subject to slavery, the "clear majority" are being held in forced labour by the state itself₂₄. The Lonely Planet guide for traveller says that visiting North Korea is "a fascinating trip into another, unsettling world... with your official minders, you can roam mountain resorts and ancient capitals, though the main attractions remain the bombastic iconography of the North Korean regime and the surreal existence of ordinary people in this troubled, autocratic state"₉.

For tables, charts and commentary, see:

Human Rights and Freedom in Korea, North

5. North Korea's Health

#alcohol #birth_control #demographics #health #life_expectancy #longevity #North_Korea #obesity #overpopulation #parenting #population #smoking #vaccines

Health (2020)₂₅_,₂₆
Pos.		Lower is better Avg Rank₂₅_,₂₆
1	Hong Kong	18.0
2	Singapore	41.5
3	Maldives	43.3
	...
16	Italy	66.4
17	Bangladesh	68.5
18	Spain	69.1
19	N. Korea	69.6
20	Thailand	70.4
21	Qatar	71.1
22	Uzbekistan	71.1
23	Portugal	71.5
24	Kuwait	72.3
	World Avg	92.3
q=187.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Hong Kong, Singapore and The Maldives₂₅. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are S. Sudan, Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea₂₅.

The data sets used to calculate points for each country are its average life expectancy, its alcohol consumption rate, its fertility rate, its smoking rate, its suicide rate, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance, the prevalence of overweight adults, its adolescent birth rate and its immunizations take-up. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Asia and Europe₂₅, whereas the worst are Africa, Micronesia and Polynesia₂₅.

Health:

North Korea does relatively well in encouraging good health, compared to many other countries. N. Korea does the best for its adolescent birth rate₂₇. It does better than average in terms of its fertility rate₁₃, its alcohol consumption rate₂₈ (but high for Asia) and in its immunizations take-up₂₉ (but low for Asia). N. Korea does not succeed in everything, however. It does worse than average in its smoking rate₃₀ (still low for Asia) and in its average life expectancy₁₂. The number of overweight adults has increased by 14% over the past 40 years.

Life Expectancy (2015)₁₂
Pos.		Higher is better Years₁₂
1	Hong Kong	84.16
2	Japan	83.68
3	Italy	83.34
	...
111	Ukraine	71.13
112	Azerbaijan	70.90
113	Kyrgyzstan	70.79
114	N. Korea	70.52
115	Trinidad & Tobago	70.52
116	Russia	70.26
117	Fiji	70.15
118	Belize	70.08
	World Avg	71.27
q=190.

Alcohol Consumption (2016)₂₈
Pos.		Lower is better Per Capita₂₈
1	Bangladesh	0.0
2	Kuwait	0.0
3	Libya	0.0
	...
65	Gambia	3.8
66	Israel	3.8
67	UAE	3.8
68	N. Korea	3.9
69	Honduras	4.0
70	Jamaica	4.2
71	Sri Lanka	4.3
72	Bahamas	4.4
	World Avg	6.2
q=189.

Fertility Rate (2013)₁₃
Pos.		2.0 is best₁₃
1	N. Korea	2.00
2	Brunei	1.99
3	St Vincent & Grenadines	2.01
4	France	1.99
5	Turkey	2.04
6	Australia	1.96
7	Uruguay	2.05
8	Norway	1.95
9	Myanmar (Burma)	1.95
10	Indonesia	2.07
11	Sweden	1.93
12	Tunisia	1.93
	World Avg	2.81
q=180.

Smoking Rates (2014)₃₀
Pos.		Higher is worse₃₀
182	Montenegro	4 125
181	Belarus	3 831
180	Lebanon	3 023
	...
100	Equatorial Guinea	649
99	Cambodia	645
98	Fiji	618
97	N. Korea	610
96	Jamaica	593
95	Seychelles	590
94	Malaysia	584
93	Oman	577
	World Avg	819
q=182.

Overweight Adults (2016)₃₁
Pos.		Lower is better %₃₁
1	Vietnam	18.3
2	India	19.7
3	Bangladesh	20.0
	...
52	Ghana	32.0
53	China	32.3
54	Mauritius	32.3
55	N. Korea	32.4
56	Thailand	32.6
57	Cameroon	33.6
58	Mauritania	34.4
59	Cape Verde	34.8
	World Avg	49.0
q=191.

Children's Health:

Adolescent Birth Rate (2015)₂₇
Pos.		Lower is better Per 1000₂₇
1	N. Korea	0.5
2	S. Korea	1.6
3	Switzerland	2.9
4	Hong Kong	3.2
5	Slovenia	3.8
6	Singapore	3.8
7	Netherlands	4.0
8	Denmark	4.0
9	Japan	4.1
10	Cyprus	5.0
11	Sweden	5.7
12	Norway	5.9
	World Avg	47.9
q=185.

Infant Immunizations 2011-2015 (2015)₂₉
Pos.		Higher is better Avg %₂₉
1	Hungary	99.0
2	China	99.0
3	Uzbekistan	98.9
	...
82	Germany	94.0
83	Lithuania	93.9
84	Estonia	93.9
85	N. Korea	93.8
86	Italy	93.8
87	Austria	93.8
88	Argentina	93.7
89	Bulgaria	93.7
	World Avg	88.3
q=194.

6. North Korea's Modernity and Learning

#education

Modernity and Education:

Length of Schooling (2018)₃₂
Pos.		Higher is better Years₃₂
1	Australia	22.1
2	Belgium	19.7
3	Finland	19.3
	...
154	Laos	11.1
155	Malawi	11.0
156	Turkmenistan	10.9
157	N. Korea	10.8
158	Lesotho	10.7
159	Guatemala	10.6
160	Guinea-Bissau	10.5
161	Zimbabwe	10.5
	World Avg	13.2
q=193.

7. National Culture

#corruption #politics

Corruption (2012-2016)₃₃
Pos.		Higher is better Avg Score₃₃
1	Denmark	90.8
2	New Zealand	90.6
3	Finland	89.4
	...
169	Turkmenistan	18.2
170	Libya	16.8
171	Iraq	16.6
172	S. Sudan	13.8
173	Sudan	12.2
174	Afghanistan	10.8
175	N. Korea	08.8
176	Somalia	08.4
	World Avg	43.05
q=176.

8. Peace Versus Instability

#human_development #peace #politics

Global Peace Index (2012)₃₄
Pos.		Lower is better₃₄
1	Iceland	1.11
2	New Zealand	1.24
3	Denmark	1.24
	...
148	Pakistan	2.83
149	Israel	2.84
150	Central African Rep.	2.87
151	N. Korea	2.93
152	Russia	2.94
153	Congo, DR	3.07
154	Iraq	3.19
155	Sudan	3.19
	World Avg	2.02
q=157.

9. The Natural Environment

#biodiversity #climate_change #over-exploitation #the_environment

Forest Area Change 1990-2015 (2015)₃₅
Pos.		Higher is better %₃₅
1	Iceland	205.6
2	Bahrain	144.4
3	Uruguay	131.3
	...
174	Nicaragua	-31.0
175	Zimbabwe	-36.6
176	Sudan	-37.5
177	N. Korea	-38.7
178	Niger	-41.3
179	Pakistan	-41.7
180	Honduras	-43.6
181	Mauritania	-45.9
	World Avg	02.8
q=184.

Environmental Performance (2018)₃₆
Pos.		Higher is better₃₆
1	Switzerland	87.4
2	France	84.0
3	Denmark	81.6
4	Malta	80.9
5	Sweden	80.5
6	UK	79.9
7	Luxembourg	79.1
8	Austria	79.0
9	Ireland	78.8
10	Finland	78.6
11	Iceland	78.6
12	Spain	78.4
	World Avg	56.4
q=180.

Convention on Biological Diversity
Pos.		Earlier is better Signed
1	China	1993 Dec 29
2	Guinea	1993 Dec 29
3	Cook Islands	1993 Dec 29
	...
92	Bolivia	1995 Jan 01
93	Senegal	1995 Jan 15
94	Cameroon	1995 Jan 17
95	N. Korea	1995 Jan 24
96	San Marino	1995 Jan 26
97	Swaziland	1995 Feb 07
98	Zimbabwe	1995 Feb 09
99	Vietnam	1995 Feb 14
	World Avg	1899 Dec 30
q=197.

10. Economic Inequality and Poverty

#health #inequality #life_expectancy

Inequality in Life Expectancy (2019)₃₇
Pos.		Higher is worse₃₇
184	Chad	40.90
183	Central African Rep.	40.10
182	Sierra Leone	39.00
	...
95	Panama	12.00
94	Egypt	11.60
93	Ecuador	11.50
92	N. Korea	11.50
91	Kyrgyzstan	11.30
90	St Vincent & Grenadines	11.30
89	Grenada	11.20
88	Belize	11.10
	World Avg	14.59
q=184.

11. Religion and Beliefs

#buddhism #christianity #hinduism #islam #judaism

Data from the Pew Forum, a professional polling outfit, states that in 2010 the religious makeup of this country was as follows in the table below₃₈:

Christian	2%
Muslim	0.1%
Hindu	0.1%
Buddhist	1.5%
Folk Religion	12.3%
Jew	0.1%
Unaffiliated	71.3%

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: 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 freedom₃₉.

Links:

A List of All Religions and Belief Systems