hankyoreh

By Hwangbo Yon　
　　
An analysis of the North Korean population and census released Tuesday by Statistics Korea shows a 2008 total fertility rate of 2.0. This number, which indicates the number of children born to a woman of childbearing age, is far higher than the rate of 1.2 recorded for South Korea the same year. However, the average male life expectancy of 64.1 years was considerably lower than the 76.5 years for South Korean men, reflecting a worsening food shortage that began in the early 1990s. The 2008 average age of North Koreans marrying for the first time was 29.0 years for men and 25.5 years for women.
The total population engaged in economic activity among those 16 years and over was 12.19 million, indicating a participation rate of 70.2 percent. While this represents a 5.8 percentage point drop from the 76.0 percent recorded in 1993, just before the so-called “March of Tribulation” from 1996 to 2000, it is also far higher than the 2007 South Korean economic participation rate of 60.8 percent. In contrast, the economic participation rate for North Koreans aged 60 and over, at 7.3 percent, was lower than the 37.8 percent figure for South Korea, indicating early retirement from the labor market.
A distribution of employed individuals in North Korea by profession showed the largest group to be employed in agriculture and forestry, fishing, or skilled trades, at 4.25 million people, or 34.8 percent. This was followed by technicians, at 2.12 million people or 17.4 percent, and mechanical operation and assembly workers, at 1.74 million people or 14.3 percent. The 2008 percentage of enrolled students, at 5.39 million or 24.1 percent, was similar to the 24.7 percent recorded in South Korea for 2005, but the higher education graduation rate, at 16.3 percent, fell far short of the 34.3 percent recorded in South Korea.
In terms of form of housing, some 43.9 percent of all families were found to be living in row houses. A full 90.5 percent of all households were living in small-scale housing measuring 75 square meters (around 22.7 py) or less, and 58.3 percent possessed standalone bathrooms with flush toilets. The principal fuels for heating were found to be coal, at 47.1 percent, and wood, at 45.1 percent.
　　
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