North Korea ranked 106/197 by economy size with a GDP of $34.9B and 168/197 by GDP per capita at $1,319.
In 2025, North Korea made up 0.03% of the world's economy, compared to 0.04% in 2009.
Economic Statistics of North Korea
North Korea
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Gross domestic product |
$34.9B
2024 |
106/197 |
| GDP growth |
8.67%
2023-2024 |
53/196 |
| GDP per capita |
$1,319
2024 |
168/197 |
| GDP per capita, PPP |
$1,700
2015 |
192/197 |
| Average annual personal income after taxes |
$1,642
2025 |
178/197 |
| Unemployment rate |
25.6%
2013 |
7/196 |
| Population |
26621357
|
56/197 |
North Korea's GDP per capita
North Korea has a GDP per capita of $1,319, ranking 168/197, a GDP per capita based on purchasing power parity (PPP) of $1,700, ranking 192/197, and a median annual after tax income of $1,642, ranking 178/197.
| Year | Current $ | |
|---|---|---|
| GDP per capita | GDP per capita, PPP | |
| 1999 | - | $1,000 |
| 2000 | - | $1,000 |
| 2001 | - | - |
| 2002 | - | $1,000 |
| 2003 | - | $1,300 |
| 2004 | - | $1,700 |
| 2005 | - | $1,700 |
| 2006 | - | $1,800 |
| 2007 | - | $1,700 |
| 2008 | - | $1,800 |
| 2009 | $939 | $1,800 |
| 2010 | $1,040 | - |
| 2011 | $1,156 | $1,800 |
| 2012 | $1,186 | - |
| 2013 | $1,208 | - |
| 2014 | $1,201 | $1,800 |
| 2015 | $1,201 | $1,700 |
| 2016 | $1,124 | - |
| 2017 | $1,127 | - |
| 2018 | $1,100 | - |
| 2019 | $1,084 | - |
| 2020 | $1,061 | - |
| 2021 | $1,231 | - |
| 2022 | $1,100 | - |
| 2023 | $1,217 | - |
| 2024 | $1,319 | - |
North Korea's top 10 trading partners
North Korea's biggest trading partner accounting for 88.3%% of all exports and imports is China, with a trade balance between the two of -$1.48B — North Korea exports $348M worth of goods and services to China and imports $1.83B.
Below is the list of the top 10 trade partners of North Korea.
| Rank | Country | Trade value | Share of total trade | Export to | Import from | Top export to | Top import from |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
China
|
$2.18B | 88.3% | $348M | $1.83B | Textiles & consumer goods | Textiles & consumer goods |
| 2 |
Trinidad
|
$94.2M | 3.81% | $1.66M | $92.6M | Metals | Chemicals & pharma |
| 3 |
Venezuela
|
$29M | 1.17% | $29M | $0 | Machinery & equipment | Animal & marine products |
| 4 |
Peru
|
$27M | 1.09% | $15K | $27M | Machinery & equipment | Raw materials & minerals |
| 5 |
Gabon
|
$19M | 0.77% | $1.28M | $17.8M | Machinery & equipment | Raw materials & minerals |
| 6 |
Togo
|
$12.8M | 0.52% | $6.65M | $6.15M | Machinery & equipment | Raw materials & minerals |
| 7 |
Poland
|
$10.1M | 0.41% | $9.7M | $361K | Machinery & equipment | Processed food, beverages & tobacco |
| 8 |
Nigeria
|
$7.57M | 0.31% | $6.33M | $1.24M | Animal & marine products | Metals |
| 9 |
Tonga
|
$6.9M | 0.28% | $6.9M | $0 | Machinery & equipment | Animal & marine products |
| 10 |
Syria
|
$5.56M | 0.22% | $165K | $5.39M | Machinery & equipment | Raw agricultural goods |
North Korea's top 10 exports
|
North Korea
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Textiles & consumer goods | $209M | 106/193 |
| Raw materials & minerals | $83.3M | 153/193 |
| Machinery & equipment | $30.7M | 150/193 |
| Metals | $27M | 140/192 |
| Chemicals & pharma | $18.9M | 137/193 |
| Precious metals & jewellery | $18.1M | 127/190 |
| Miscellaneous | $10.1M | 103/191 |
| Processed food, beverages & tobacco | $7.35M | 167/192 |
| Wood & paper products | $2.94M | 160/192 |
| Raw agricultural goods | $994K | 179/193 |
North Korea's top 10 imports
|
North Korea
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Textiles & consumer goods | $840M | 105/193 |
| Chemicals & pharma | $457M | 136/193 |
| Processed food, beverages & tobacco | $177M | 159/193 |
| Raw materials & minerals | $175M | 168/193 |
| Wood & paper products | $90.3M | 140/193 |
| Raw agricultural goods | $78.5M | 166/193 |
| Animal & marine products | $68.2M | 150/193 |
| Precious metals & jewellery | $46M | 99/193 |
| Miscellaneous | $18.6M | 137/193 |
| Machinery & equipment | $16.4M | 191/193 |
Economic freedom indices
|
North Korea
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
| Economic freedom | 3 | 197/197 |
| Property rights | 15.7 | 170/182 |
| Government integrity | 4 | 170/182 |
| Judicial effectiveness | 5.9 | 170/182 |
| Tax burden | 0 | 181/181 |
| Government spending | 0 | 180/180 |
| Fiscal health | 0 | 177/181 |
| Business freedom | 5 | 182/182 |
| Labor freedom | 5 | 182/182 |
| Monetary freedom | 0 | 178/180 |
| Trade freedom | 0 | 181/181 |
| Investment freedom | 0 | 179/181 |
| Financial freedom | 0 | 181/181 |
North Korea's economic freedom by year
North Korea is ranked 180/180 for economic freedom with a score of 3, compared to 163/163 and a score of 8 in 2005.
| Year | Index | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Economic freedom | Judicial effectiveness | Tax burden | Government spending | Fiscal health | |
| 1995 | 8.9 | - | 0 | 0 | - |
| 1996 | 8.9 | - | 0 | 0 | - |
| 1997 | 8.9 | - | 0 | 0 | - |
| 1998 | 8.9 | - | 0 | 0 | - |
| 1999 | 8.9 | - | 0 | 0 | - |
| 2000 | 8.9 | - | 0 | 0 | - |
| 2001 | 8.9 | - | 0 | 0 | - |
| 2002 | 8.9 | - | 0 | 0 | - |
| 2003 | 8.9 | - | 0 | 0 | - |
| 2004 | 8.9 | - | 0 | 0 | - |
| 2005 | 8 | - | 0 | 0 | - |
| 2006 | 4 | - | 0 | 0 | - |
| 2007 | 3 | - | 0 | 0 | - |
| 2008 | 3 | - | 0 | 0 | - |
| 2009 | 2 | - | 0 | 0 | - |
| 2010 | 1 | - | 0 | 0 | - |
| 2011 | 1 | - | 0 | 0 | - |
| 2012 | 1 | - | 0 | 0 | - |
| 2013 | 1.5 | - | 0 | 0 | - |
| 2014 | 1 | - | 0 | 0 | - |
| 2015 | 1.3 | - | 0 | 0 | - |
| 2016 | 2.3 | - | 0 | 0 | - |
| 2017 | 4.9 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | 5.8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 5.9 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 4.2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 5.2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 3 | 6.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 2.9 | 1.6 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 2.9 | 5.4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 3 | 5.9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
More economic indicators
|
North Korea
|
Rank | |
|---|---|---|
Net inflows of foreign direct investment
|
$203K
1989 |
172/193 |
Compare countries by 7 more topics
GDP per capita map
GDP per capita
Relevant pages:
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Economy comparisons
Foreign direct investment (FDI, net inflows) shows how much capital foreign investors bring into a country after accounting for any funds that flow back in the opposite direction. It represents the net value of overseas companies establishing, expanding, or financing businesses in the reporting country. A positive number means more capital entered the country than was withdrawn, while a negative number means foreign investors pulled out more than they invested.