Number of N. Korean childbearing women likely to decline significantly: report

The number of North Korean women of childbearing age will likely decline by 400,000 as of 2035, a report showed.

According to the report by Population Reference Bureau (PRB), a Washington-based population survey agency, the number of women aged 15-49 in North Korea is expected to stand at 6.2 million in 2035, down from 6.6 million estimated last year.

The North's total fertility rate -- the average number of babies that a woman bears in her lifetime -- hit an all-time low of 1.9 last year, according to the report.

The figure is lower than the replacement level of 2.1 that would maintain the North's population.

PRB earlier projected that North Korea will likely see its population start to decline after 2030. Its total population was estimated at 25.69 million as of August this year. (Yonhap)