A report on world population has demonstrated the wide social and economic gaps between South and North Korea.

According to the report released by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Planned Population Federation of Korea on Wednesday, the two Koreas showed the biggest discrepancy in the area of welfare.

In terms of infant mortality rate, South Korea had only four out of every one-thousand newborns die before the age of one, the lowest level in the world. The North, meanwhile, ranked 99th in the world with 48 out of every one-thousand newborns dying.

The report also found that the average life expectancy for South Korean men stood at 75-point-one years and women 82-point-three; in North Korea, 65-point-one years for men and 69-point-three for women.

However, North Korea outperformed South Korea in the provision of safe drinking water. North Korea scored a perfect 100 in the category, while South Korea ranked 54th with a score of 92.