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North Korea GDP and Economic Data

Includes North Korea real Gross Domestic Product growth rate, with latest forecasts and historical data, GDP per capita, GDP composition and breakdown by sector.

Browse additional economic indicators and data sets, selected by Global Finance editors, to learn more about North Korea economic outlook, debt to GDP ratio, international trade performance and population trends. Rankings of North Korea best banks and safest banks are also available.

South Korea Engages With North Korea

South Korea’s new overtures to Kim Jong II are part of a broader regional diplomatic initiative. Moon visited China, a North Korean ally and key trading partner, in December 2017, and called for better South Korea-China relations.

 
 
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Central bank

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International Reserves

N/A

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Gross Domestic Product - GDP

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GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)

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Real GDP growth
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017    
N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A    

*Estimate

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GDP per capita - current prices

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GDP per capita - PPP

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GDP (PPP) - share of world total
1980 1990 2000 2010 2017
N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

 

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GDP - composition by sector
  • agriculture: 22.5% 
  • industry: 47.6% 
  • services: 29.9%

(2017 estimate)

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Gross domestic expenditure on R&D; (% of GDP)

N/A

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Inflation
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

*Estimate

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Unemployment rate
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

*Estimate

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Household saving rates

N/A

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Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP)
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

*Estimate

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Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP)
2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

*Estimate

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Government bond ratings

Standard & Poor's: N/A

Moody's: N/A

Standard & Poor's / Moody's 

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Market value of publicly traded shares
2016 2017 2018
N/A N/A N/A
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Largest companies

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Current account balance

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Current account balance by percentage of GDP

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Exports as percent of GDP (Exports of goods and services)

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Shares in world total merchandising export

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Shares in world total commercial services export

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Total exports

USD 4.2 billion (2015 estimate)

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Export commodities

Minerals, metallurgical products, manufactures (including armaments), textiles, agricultural and fishery products

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Total imports

N/A

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Import commodities

Petroleum, coking coal, machinery and equipment, textiles, grain

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Exports - major partners

China 86.3% (2017)

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Imports - major partners

China 91.9% (2017)

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FDI inflows
2016 2017 2018
USD 89 million USD -13 million USD 52 million
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FDI outflows
2016 2017 2018
N/A N/A N/A
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Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser
2015 2016 2017 2018
N/A N/A N/A N/A
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Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2014

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Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2015

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Best countries for doing business

Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business. A high ease of doing business ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm.

Overall ranking: N/A

Subcategories:

Starting a business: N/A

Enforcing Contracts: N/A

Registering Property: N/A

Getting credit: N/A

Protecting investors: N/A

Trading across border: N/A

Paying Taxes: N/A

Dealing with Construction Permits: N/A

Getting Electricity: N/A

Resolving Insolvency: N/A

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Global competitiveness ranking

N/A

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Index of Economic Freedom

Ranking: 180 / Score: 5.9 (Repressed)

(100=totally free 0=totally repressed)

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Time zone

UTC+9

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Total area

120,538 sq km

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Capital

Pyongyang

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Currency

North Korean won (KPW) per US dollar (average)

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Government type

Dictatorship, single-party state; official state ideology of "Juche" or "national self-reliance"

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Languages

Korean

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Religions

Traditionally Buddhist and Confucianist, some Christian and syncretic Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way)

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Total population
1980 1990 2000 2015 2020
N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A

*Estimate

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Urban population as % of total population
1960 1980 2000 2018
40.2% 56.9% 59.4% 61.9%
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Population median age

34.2 years 

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Population growth rate

0.52% (2018 estimate)

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Life expectancy

71 years (2018 estimate)

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Literacy

Total population: 100% 
Male: 100% 
Female: 100%
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.)

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% of population living on less than $3.10 a day

N/A

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Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index)

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Freedom House rating

Not Free
Political Rights: 7
Civil Liberties: 7 (2019)
(1 represents the most free, 7 the least free rating)

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Total telephone subscribers as % of population

Fixed: 50.6% Mobile: 129.7% (2018)

(fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers)

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Internet users as % of total population

95.9 % (2018)

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Mercer Cost of living index

Seoul: 4th (2019)

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CO2 emissions

11.57 metric tons per capita (2014)

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