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Economy of North Korea vs Tunisia compared: GDP & Debt

Updated on by Georank team

North Korea has a GDP of $34.9B compared to $53.4B for Tunisia, ranking 106/197 and 90/197 by economy size, respectively.

The chart below compares the two countries' GDP growth in both current (nominal) and constant dollars, accounting for inflation over time.

North Korea
GDP, current $

GDP, constant 2015 $
Tunisia
GDP, current $

GDP, constant 2015 $
Year GDP
North Korea Tunisia
Current $ Constant $ Current $ Constant $
1961 - - $866,155,429 $6,137,829,834
1962 - - $880,027,733 $5,856,098,258
1963 - - $1,026,737,600 $5,227,504,981
1964 - - $1,025,866,792 $4,983,069,469
1965 - - $991,047,619 $4,856,664,333
1966 - - $1,040,952,381 $5,024,455,670
1967 - - $1,085,714,286 $5,032,592,900
1968 - - $1,214,666,667 $5,556,472,162
1969 - - $1,289,904,762 $5,820,283,203
1970 - - $1,439,238,095 $6,092,068,996
1971 - - $1,685,162,272 $6,735,403,513
1972 - - $2,237,556,149 $7,930,447,182
1973 - - $2,730,813,385 $7,878,531,025
1974 - - $3,545,868,575 $8,514,705,256
1975 - - $4,328,965,588 $9,124,026,071
1976 - - $4,508,191,942 $9,842,712,161
1977 - - $5,109,324,009 $10,178,456,507
1978 - - $5,968,460,080 $10,833,997,305
1979 - - $7,188,863,904 $11,545,522,372
1980 - - $8,744,134,354 $12,402,054,611
1981 - - $8,428,445,294 $13,085,912,935
1982 - - $8,133,580,052 $13,021,302,862
1983 - - $8,350,582,748 $13,630,949,504
1984 - - $8,254,541,195 $14,414,571,427
1985 - - $8,410,226,053 $15,228,789,050
1986 - - $9,017,806,654 $15,008,430,237
1987 - - $9,696,715,911 $16,014,200,843
1988 - - $10,096,245,762 $16,025,756,543
1989 - - $10,101,851,745 $16,305,678,293
1990 - - $12,290,568,182 $17,601,950,275
1991 - - $13,074,782,609 $18,289,226,397
1992 - - $15,496,708,060 $19,716,833,824
1993 - - $14,608,335,608 $20,148,598,741
1994 - - $15,633,174,304 $20,789,004,085
1995 - - $18,030,876,599 $21,277,892,826
1996 - - $19,587,161,807 $22,798,428,276
1997 - - $20,746,210,354 $24,038,877,878
1998 - - $21,802,893,587 $25,188,840,698
1999 - - $22,943,202,175 $26,713,932,931
2000 - - $21,473,528,161 $27,972,151,937
2001 - - $22,065,832,449 $29,034,050,814
2002 - - $23,141,616,605 $29,418,042,728
2003 - - $27,453,902,261 $30,801,396,632
2004 - - $31,183,885,241 $32,722,107,266
2005 - - $32,272,186,695 $33,862,978,438
2006 - - $34,376,664,601 $35,638,786,834
2007 - - $38,915,353,867 $38,029,978,712
2008 - - $44,859,439,902 $39,641,606,104
2009 $23,356,470,000 - $43,455,740,497 $40,848,078,614
2010 $25,995,513,000 - $46,206,091,938 $42,061,729,256
2011 $29,005,020,000 - $48,123,325,825 $41,200,879,648
2012 $29,890,710,000 - $47,311,401,813 $42,938,187,712
2013 $30,588,922,000 - $48,685,446,414 $43,981,556,030
2014 $30,554,460,000 - $50,271,812,921 $45,340,730,385
2015 $30,723,030,000 - $45,779,494,042 $45,779,494,042
2016 $28,882,640,000 - $44,360,072,680 $46,291,045,988
2017 $29,105,440,000 - $42,163,530,591 $47,326,964,920
2018 $28,536,400,000 - $42,686,504,460 $48,569,264,672
2019 $28,222,880,000 - $41,905,642,419 $49,340,470,116
2020 $27,728,240,000 - $42,491,780,918 $44,893,939,453
2021 $32,301,720,000 - $47,073,234,359 $47,020,260,422
2022 $28,971,360,000 - $44,948,769,171 $48,277,261,610
2023 $32,155,360,000 - $48,196,281,784 $48,296,165,329
2024 $34,943,120,000 - $53,409,988,745 $48,948,478,710

Economic indicators

North Korea Tunisia
Gross domestic product
$34.9B
2024
$53.4B
2024
GDP rank
106/197
2024
90/197
2024
GDP growth
8.67%
2023-2024
10.8%
2023-2024
GDP per capita
$1,319
2024
$4,350
2024
GDP per capita rank
168/197
2024
127/197
2024
GDP per capita, PPP
$1,700
2015
$14,451
2024
Government debt n/a
$44.4B
2024
Debt-to-GDP ratio n/a
82.9%
2025
Government debt per person n/a
$3,617
2024
Government debt per person rank n/a
95/185
2024
Average annual personal income after taxes
$1,642
2025
$4,061
2025
Market capitalization of domestic companies n/a
$8.3B
2024
Income share by richest 10% n/a
27%
2021
Income share by poorest 10% n/a
3.1%
2021
Government expenditure, % of GDP n/a
32.4%
2025
Consumer prices inflation n/a
5.9%
2024-2025
Central bank interest rate n/a
7.5%
2025
Unemployment rate
25.6%
2013
15.1%
2023
Population
26621357
12402051

GDP per capita in North Korea vs Tunisia

North Korea's GDP per capita is $1,319, ranking 168/197, compared to $4,350 in Tunisia, ranking 127/197. Adjusted for purchasing power (GDP per capita PPP), North Korea ranks 192nd at $1,700, while Tunisia ranks 116th at $14,451.

North Korea
GDP per capita

GDP per capita, PPP
Tunisia
GDP per capita

GDP per capita, PPP
Year Current $
North Korea Tunisia
GDP per capita GDP per capita, PPP GDP per capita GDP per capita, PPP
1961 - - $200.7 -
1962 - - $201.4 -
1963 - - $231.9 -
1964 - - $228.5 -
1965 - - $217.3 -
1966 - - $223.8 -
1967 - - $228 -
1968 - - $248.9 -
1969 - - $257.7 -
1970 - - $280.5 -
1971 - - $320 -
1972 - - $415 -
1973 - - $493 -
1974 - - $624 -
1975 - - $741 -
1976 - - $752 -
1977 - - $830 -
1978 - - $946 -
1979 - - $1,113 -
1980 - - $1,324 -
1981 - - $1,247 -
1982 - - $1,177 -
1983 - - $1,184 -
1984 - - $1,143 -
1985 - - $1,135 -
1986 - - $1,187 -
1987 - - $1,245 -
1988 - - $1,266 -
1989 - - $1,239 -
1990 - - $1,476 $3,780
1991 - - $1,538 $3,975
1992 - - $1,785 $4,292
1993 - - $1,649 $4,401
1994 - - $1,733 $4,555
1995 - - $1,968 $4,686
1996 - - $2,107 $5,040
1997 - - $2,202 $5,333
1998 - - $2,285 $5,579
1999 - $1,000 $2,376 $5,930
2000 - $1,000 $2,199 $6,279
2001 - - $2,236 $6,593
2002 - $1,000 $2,321 $6,715
2003 - $1,300 $2,726 $7,098
2004 - $1,700 $3,067 $7,672
2005 - $1,700 $3,147 $8,117
2006 - $1,800 $3,323 $8,729
2007 - $1,700 $3,727 $9,479
2008 - $1,800 $4,255 $9,975
2009 $939 $1,800 $4,080 $10,237
2010 $1,040 - $4,292 $10,555
2011 $1,156 $1,800 $4,421 $10,436
2012 $1,186 - $4,297 $10,615
2013 $1,208 - $4,370 $10,672
2014 $1,201 $1,800 $4,459 $10,947
2015 $1,201 $1,700 $4,015 $10,783
2016 $1,124 - $3,848 $10,994
2017 $1,127 - $3,619 $11,289
2018 $1,100 - $3,628 $11,841
2019 $1,084 - $3,529 $12,495
2020 $1,061 - $3,549 $11,918
2021 $1,231 - $3,907 $12,444
2022 $1,100 - $3,709 $13,608
2023 $1,217 - $3,950 $14,010
2024 $1,319 - $4,350 $14,451

Balance of trade

North Korea Tunisia
Current account balance
n/a
-$775M
2024
Current account balance ranking n/a
115/189
2024
Current account balance, % of GDP n/a
-1.45%
2024
Goods imports n/a
$18.7B
2024
Goods exports n/a
$8.95B
2024
Service imports n/a
$3.92B
2024
Service exports n/a
$11.2B
2024
Imports of goods and services, % of GDP n/a
56.6%
2024
Exports of goods and services, % of GDP n/a
48.4%
2024

Economic freedom indices

The indices of economic freedom below are issued by the Heritage Foundation. Higher scores indicate stronger economic health.

North Korea Tunisia
Economic freedom 3 49.1
Economic freedom ranking 197/197 166/197
Property rights 15.7 59.3
Government integrity 4 41.3
Judicial effectiveness 5.9 39.7
Tax burden 0 79.4
Government spending 0 63.1
Fiscal health 0 6.4
Business freedom 5 56.8
Labor freedom 5 56
Monetary freedom 0 71.3
Trade freedom 0 56.2
Investment freedom 0 30
Financial freedom 0 30

Economic freedom by year comparison

The Economic Freedom Index for North Korea is 3, ranking 197/197, compared to 49.1 for Tunisia, ranking 166/197. The chart below displays a comparison of annual changes in economic freedom indexes.

North Korea
Tunisia
Year Economic freedom index
North Korea Tunisia
1995 8.9 63.4
1996 8.9 63.9
1997 8.9 63.8
1998 8.9 63.9
1999 8.9 61.1
2000 8.9 61.3
2001 8.9 60.8
2002 8.9 60.2
2003 8.9 58.1
2004 8.9 58.4
2005 8 55.4
2006 4 57.5
2007 3 60.3
2008 3 60.1
2009 2 58
2010 1 58.9
2011 1 58.5
2012 1 58.6
2013 1.5 57
2014 1 57.3
2015 1.3 57.7
2016 2.3 57.6
2017 4.9 55.7
2018 5.8 58.9
2019 5.9 55.4
2020 4.2 55.8
2021 5.2 56.6
2022 3 54.2
2023 2.9 52.9
2024 2.9 48.8
2025 3 49.1

More economic indicators

North Korea Tunisia
Services, % of GDP n/a
62.1%
2023
Industry, % of GDP n/a
23.6%
2023
Agriculture, forestry, and fishing, % of GDP n/a
9.33%
2023
GNI, Atlas method
n/a
$47.9B
2024
GNI per capita, PPP n/a
$14,090
2024
Total reserves including gold n/a
$9.34B
2024
Total reserves ranking n/a
80/177
2024
Net foreign direct investment
n/a
-$725M
2024
Net inflows of foreign direct investment
$203K
1989
$760M
2024
Net outflows of foreign direct investment
n/a
$34.6M
2024
Servicing debt to the IMF, % of GNI
n/a
10.5%
2023
Poverty at national poverty lines n/a
16.6%
2021
Gross capital formation, % of GDP
n/a
13.4%
2024

GDP per capita map

GDP per capita

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The current account balance is the sum of net trade in goods and services, net earnings from cross-border investments, and net transfer payments. It reflects a country's economic transactions with the rest of the world and is a fundamental component of the balance of payments. A surplus indicates that a country exports more than it imports, while a deficit shows the opposite.

Gross National Income (GNI) measures a country's total income. It encompasses income earned by residents, businesses, and foreign sources, defined as employee compensation and investment profits. GNI adds product taxes not included elsewhere and subtracts subsidies. It accounts for income from residents working abroad but excludes earnings from foreigners within the country.

A negative value for Net Foreign Direct Investment indicates a country is a net receiver of investments, as foreign inflows exceed outflows after Balance of Payments adjustments. A positive value indicates a net provider, with outflows exceeding inflows. Inflows are credits (increasing foreign claims on domestic assets), while outflows are debits (increasing domestic assets abroad).

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.

Principal and interest payments to the IMF in currency, goods, or services on long-term debt expressed as a share of GNI.

Formerly gross domestic investment, gross capital formation measures the share of a country’s economic output invested in fixed assets, including buildings, machinery, and infrastructure. It indicates how much of the economy is devoted to building productive capacity.