The global organization announced a report "The Cairo Consensus at Ten: Population, Reproductive Health and the Global Effort to End Poverty," which assesses the world’s population changes for last 10 years since the International Conference on Population and Development held in Cairo in 1994.

According to the report conducted on 154 countries, the world’s estimated average total fertility rate in 2000-2005 is 2.69. Total fertility rate is the number of children a woman aged between 15-49 bears during her lifetime.

The total fertility rate of South Korea stands at 1.41, the 26th lowest in the world, and that of North Korea is 2.02, the 53rd lowest. The rate shows 1.56 in more developed regions and 2.92 in less developed regions, while the number rises to 5.13 in least developed countries.

Hong Kong marks the country that has the least babies with the rate standing at 1, while Niger’s rate is 8, the world’s highest.

In terms of maternal mortality ratio, which indicates maternal deaths per 100,000 live births arising from delivery, abortion or other complications within 42 days after the end of pregnancy, Sierra Leone in Africa has the highest ratio of 2000, and Sweden has the lowest of 2.

The maternal mortality ratio of South Korea is 20, the world’s 121st highest, and that of North Korea is 67, the 92nd.

Sierra Leone also tops the infant mortality total per 1,000 live births, with 177 infants under one year old dying. South Korea has five infant mortalities per 1,000 births, the same figure as that of Denmark, Britain, Italy, France and Germany. North Korea ranks the 71st highest with 45 infant mortalities.

The average life expectancy of South Korean men is 71.8, the 35th highest in the world, while that of women is 79.3, the 27th. North Korean men are found to live an average of 60.5 years, the world’s 103rd highest, and women 66 years, the 97th.

The world population’s average life expectancy is 63.3 for men and 67.6 for women. Japan tops the rank both for men and women, with 77.9 years old and 85.1 years, respectively, while men in Lesotho in southern Africa live an average of 32.3 years and women in Zambia, 32.1 years, the shortest in the world.

(Korea Times, September 15)