A total of 61 rare and endangered species are facing extinction in North Korea due mainly to the country's extensive deforestation over the past years, a media report citing a report by the World Bank said Tuesday.

The bank's data on the North's deforestation and biological diversity showed that nine mammals, 27 birds, 17 species of fish and eight plants in North Korea are facing extinction as of last year, according to the Washington-based Voice of America.

North Korea's forests are becoming devastated at an average annual rate of 1.83 percent, the bank that provides loans to developing countries said. It added this rate is the sixth highest among the world's 214 countries checked.

North Korea's total area of forest has been reduced to some 50,000 square kilometers as of 2015 from 82,000 square kilometers in 1990.

These figures indicate that some 1,280 square kilometers of forest have been destroyed each year, which is larger than the size of Pyongyang. The capital city covers some 1,120 square kilometers of land.

According to the World Bank, the forest area of North Korea in 1990 was 82,000 square kilometers, some 34 percent larger than that of South Korea, but now the North's forest is 19 percent smaller than South Korea's 62,000 square kilometers. (Yonhap)