North Korea fast tracks orphans into state care to combat falling birth rate

North Korean authorities are accelerating the placement of orphaned and out-of-wedlock children into state-run nurseries and orphanages.

Residents told Radio Free Asia that the government is improving the supply of food, milk, clothing, and shoes to these facilities to manage the influx of children. The state is taking these actions to address a declining birth rate.

South Korea’s Ministry of Data and Statistics estimates the total fertility rate in North Korea at 1.59 children per woman, which falls below the 2.1 replacement level needed to maintain the population. The government has also enacted the Childcare Law of 2022 and the Law on Preferential Treatment for Multi-Child Families of 2025 to encourage larger families. Authorities are also cracking down on illegal abortions to ensure more women give birth.

Because the country provides no sex education, unwanted pregnancies occur frequently. However, unmarried mothers face significant social stigma and administrative hurdles, such as the inability to register a child without a father. These barriers lead some families to leave infants in public spaces to be placed in state care without official records.