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 2026, 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 |
57/196 |
| GDP per capita |
$1,319
2024 |
168/197 |
| GDP per capita, PPP |
$1,700
2015 |
193/197 |
| Average annual personal income after taxes |
$1,642
2026 |
178/197 |
| Unemployment rate |
25.6%
2013 |
7/196 |
| Population |
26634259
|
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 193/197, 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 |
167/193 |
|
Net outflows of foreign direct investment
|
$0
2024 |
159/193 |
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GDP per capita map
GDP per capita
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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.
Foreign direct investment (FDI, net outflows) shows how much capital residents of a country invest abroad after accounting for any funds that flow back in the opposite direction. It represents the net value of domestic companies establishing, expanding, or financing businesses in other countries. A positive number means more capital was invested abroad than withdrawn, while a negative number means residents pulled back more than they invested.