North Korea has a GDP of $34.9B compared to $19.8M for the Vatican, ranking 106/197 and 197/197 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.
| Year | GDP | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
North Korea
|
Vatican
|
|||
| Current $ | Constant $ | Current $ | Constant $ | |
| 2009 | $23,356,470,000 | - | - | - |
| 2010 | $25,995,513,000 | - | - | - |
| 2011 | $29,005,020,000 | - | - | - |
| 2012 | $29,890,710,000 | - | - | - |
| 2013 | $30,588,922,000 | - | - | - |
| 2014 | $30,554,460,000 | - | - | - |
| 2015 | $30,723,030,000 | - | - | - |
| 2016 | $28,882,640,000 | - | - | - |
| 2017 | $29,105,440,000 | - | - | - |
| 2018 | $28,536,400,000 | - | - | - |
| 2019 | $28,222,880,000 | - | - | - |
| 2020 | $27,728,240,000 | - | - | - |
| 2021 | $32,301,720,000 | - | - | - |
| 2022 | $28,971,360,000 | - | - | - |
| 2023 | $32,155,360,000 | - | - | - |
| 2024 | $34,943,120,000 | - | - | - |
Economic indicators
|
North Korea
|
Vatican
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Gross domestic product |
$34.9B
2024 |
$19.8M
2025 |
| GDP rank |
106/197
2024 |
197/197
2025 |
| GDP growth |
8.67%
2023-2024 |
n/a |
| GDP per capita |
$1,319
2024 |
$19,800
2025 |
| GDP per capita rank |
168/197
2024 |
59/197
2025 |
| GDP per capita, PPP |
$1,700
2015 |
$39,191
2025 |
| Average annual personal income after taxes |
$1,642
2025 |
$17,307
2025 |
| Unemployment rate |
25.6%
2013 |
n/a |
| Population |
26621357
|
949
|
Economic freedom indices
The indices of economic freedom below are issued by the Heritage Foundation. Higher scores indicate stronger economic health.
|
North Korea
|
Vatican
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Economic freedom | 3 | 65 |
| Economic freedom ranking | 197/197 | 68/197 |
| Property rights | 15.7 | n/a |
| Government integrity | 4 | n/a |
| Judicial effectiveness | 5.9 | n/a |
| Tax burden | 0 | n/a |
| Government spending | 0 | n/a |
| Fiscal health | 0 | n/a |
| Business freedom | 5 | n/a |
| Labor freedom | 5 | n/a |
| Monetary freedom | 0 | n/a |
| Trade freedom | 0 | n/a |
| Investment freedom | 0 | n/a |
| Financial freedom | 0 | n/a |
More economic indicators
|
North Korea
|
Vatican
|
|
|---|---|---|
Net inflows of foreign direct investment
|
$203K
1989 |
n/a |
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.