What is the life expectancy in North Korea? The average life expectancy for North Koreans is 73.27 years old. How though does this compare for men and women, how does it compare with the south, the US and the world in general?
Here is the YPT guide to life expectancy in North Korea.
North Korean life expectancy for men and women
Using data from 2020, the last year that there is accurate information we get a male life expectancy in North Korea of 69.3, while females in North Korea live to an average 75.7 years old. This gives us our total 73.27.
Why do women live longer in North Korea than men? Women generally live longer globally than men for a number of reasons. In North Korea men tend to do more dangerous jobs, such as serving front line in the military with women being housewives also still the norm.
How does life expectancy in North Korea compare with South Korea?
The life expectancy in South Korea is 83.43 year old, almost 10 years higher then in the north. This though was not always the case, with North Koreans living longer until the two converged around 1990.
This follows from the North Korean economic miracle to the end of the USSR and then the Arduous March, which the DPRK is to an extent still suffering from due to sanctions
South Korea is also taller than North Korea.
How does life expectancy in North Korea compare with the USA?
The United Sates has a slightly higher life expectancy at 77.28, putting it 4 years ahead of North Korea. In the early 1990’s the two had almost the same life expectancy, before severely diverging.
Ironically 2020 marks the closest at 4 years that the two have been since 1990. In general the DPRK’s has been rising, while it has largely fallen in the US.
How does life expectancy in North Korea compare globally?
The global life expectancy is 72.28, meaning that on average people in North Korea live longer than that global average.
For context this puts them behind the USA as mentioned, as well as China, which has an expectancy now of 78. 08 (higher than the USA) and Japan at 84,08, one the highest in the world.
Towards the lower end of the spectrum you have Chad at 52 years old. Therefore people overall enjoy a decent life expectancy in North Korea in spite of problems, such as sanctions that the country has faced.
You can see the country yourself on one of our North Korea tours,
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