1. Global Data
  2. Country Data
  3. North Korea GDP and Economic Data
Featured image for North Korea

North Korea GDP and Economic Data

Country Report 2017 - 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.

 
 
Source
Central bank

N/A

Source
International Reserves

N/A

Source
Gross Domestic Product - GDP

N/A

Source
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity)

N/A

Source
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

Source
GDP per capita - current prices

N/A

Source
GDP per capita - PPP

N/A

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

 

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

(2017 estimate)

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

N/A

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

*Estimate

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

*Estimate

Source
Household saving rates

N/A

Source
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

Source
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

Source
Government bond ratings

Standard & Poor's: N/A

Moody's: N/A

Standard & Poor's / Moody's 

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

N/A

Source
 
 
Source
Current account balance

N/A

Source
Current account balance by percentage of GDP

N/A

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

N/A

Source
Shares in world total merchandising export

N/A

Source
Shares in world total commercial services export

N/A

Source
Total exports

USD 4.2 billion (2015 estimate)

Source
Export commodities

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

Source
Total imports

N/A

Source
 
 
Source
Import commodities

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

Source
Exports - major partners

China 86.3% (2017)

Source
Imports - major partners

China 91.9% (2017)

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

N/A

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

N/A

Source
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

Source
Global competitiveness ranking

N/A

Source
Index of Economic Freedom

Ranking: 180 / Score: 5.9 (Repressed)

(100=totally free 0=totally repressed)

Source
 
 
Source
Time zone

UTC+9

Source
Total area

120,538 sq km

Source
Capital

Pyongyang

Source
Currency

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

Source
Government type

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

Source
Languages

Korean

Source
Religions

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

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

*Estimate

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

34.2 years 

Source
Population growth rate

0.52% (2018 estimate)

Source
Life expectancy

71 years (2018 estimate)

Source
Literacy

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

Source
% of population living on less than $3.10 a day

N/A

Source
Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index)

N/A

Source
Freedom House rating

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

Source
Total telephone subscribers as % of population

Fixed: 50.6% Mobile: 129.7% (2018)

(fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers)

Source
Internet users as % of total population

95.9 % (2018)

Source
Mercer Cost of living index

Seoul: 4th (2019)

Source
CO2 emissions

11.57 metric tons per capita (2014)

Source
View all North Korea GDP and Economic Data content