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North Korea trade in 2024

In 2024, North Korea exported $410 million and imported $1.9 billion, a trade deficit of $1.5 billion. It was the world's 171st-largest exporter, with 0% of world exports. Its top export was wigs (45.9% of the total) and its main trading partner was China (92.2% of its trade).

Summary

Exports
$410million
Imports
$1.9billion
Trade balance
-$1.5billion
Routes to the main partners. Width: trade value; color: estimated transport mode.SeaAirLand
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Products

What it exports

Wigs (45.9%) and tungsten ore (7.7%) together make up 53.5% of its exports.

  1. Wigs$188 million · 45.9%
    Main partner: China
  2. Tungsten ore$31 million · 7.7%
    Main partner: China
  3. Ferroalloys$23 million · 5.7%
    Main partner: China
  4. Electricity$22 million · 5.4%
    Main partner: China
  5. Watch movements$16 million · 4%
    Main partner: China
  6. Molybdenum ore$15 million · 3.7%
    Main partner: China
  7. Cars$9 million · 2.1%
    Main partner: Togo
  8. Carbides$6 million · 1.4%
    Main partner: China
  9. Cyanides$5 million · 1.2%
    Main partner: Zimbabwe
  10. Raw silk$4 million · 1%
    Main partner: China

What it imports

Prepared human hair (8.8%) and synthetic filament fabric (5.1%) together make up 13.9% of its imports.

  1. Prepared human hair$169 million · 8.8%
    Main partner: China
  2. Synthetic filament fabric$99 million · 5.1%
    Main partner: China
  3. Soybean oil$97 million · 5%
    Main partner: China
  4. Alcohols$90 million · 4.7%
    Main partner: Trinidad and Tobago
  5. Furniture$51 million · 2.7%
    Main partner: China
  6. Other knitted fabric$48 million · 2.5%
    Main partner: China
  7. Plastic floor and wall coverings$45 million · 2.3%
    Main partner: China
  8. Ceramic tiles$40 million · 2.1%
    Main partner: China
  9. New tires$35 million · 1.8%
    Main partner: China
  10. Plastic sheets and film$32 million · 1.7%
    Main partner: China
By Harmonized System chapter (93)
ChapterExportsImports
67 · Feathers and artificial flowers$189 million$174 million
26 · Ores and slag$47 million$20 thousand
72 · Iron and steel$27 million$393 thousand
27 · Oil, gas and coal$22 million$32 million
91 · Watches and clocks$17 million$27 million
28 · Inorganic chemicals$12 million$27 million
87 · Vehicles$11 million$18 thousand
85 · Electrical and electronic equipment$10 million$3 million
84 · Mechanical machinery$10 million$527 thousand
39 · Plastics$9 million$231 million
50 · Silk$7 million$15 thousand
95 · Toys and sports gear$6 million$11 million
90 · Precision and medical instruments$5 million$12 million
38 · Miscellaneous chemicals$5 million$9 million
20 · Preserved fruit and vegetables$5 million$2 million
30 · Pharmaceuticals$4 million$28 million
46 · Wicker and basketware$2 million$471 thousand
64 · Footwear$2 million$39 million
42 · Leather goods and bags$2 million$10 million
71 · Gems and precious metals$1 million$597 thousand
29 · Organic chemicals$1 million$129 million
22 · Beverages and spirits$1 million$11 million
73 · Iron and steel products$1 million$8 thousand
40 · Rubber$1 million$57 million
19 · Baked goods and cereal products$1 million$10 million
31 · Fertilizers$936 thousand$10 million
93 · Weapons and ammunition$858 thousand$0
54 · Synthetic filaments$823 thousand$111 million
76 · Aluminum$804 thousand$1 million
48 · Paper and paperboard$543 thousand$45 million
33 · Perfumes and cosmetics$531 thousand$23 million
94 · Furniture and lighting$521 thousand$88 million
55 · Synthetic staple fibers$496 thousand$29 million
03 · Fish and seafood$471 thousand$22 million
12 · Oilseeds and grains$403 thousand$1 million
68 · Stone, plaster and cement articles$384 thousand$13 million
11 · Milling products and malt$340 thousand$12 million
05 · Other animal products$337 thousand$14 million
21 · Food preparations$299 thousand$9 million
56 · Felt, nonwovens and rope$293 thousand$26 million
92 · Musical instruments$238 thousand$18 million
82 · Tools and cutlery$206 thousand$2 thousand
37 · Photographic goods$201 thousand$395 thousand
79 · Zinc$187 thousand$0
96 · Other manufactured goods$147 thousand$16 million
83 · Miscellaneous metal goods$137 thousand$1 thousand
69 · Ceramics$131 thousand$56 million
47 · Wood pulp$112 thousand$6 million
32 · Dyes, paints and tanning agents$100 thousand$14 million
41 · Hides and leather$100 thousand$353 thousand
16 · Prepared meat and fish$98 thousand$18 million
58 · Special fabrics and lace$93 thousand$9 million
49 · Books and printed matter$84 thousand$509 thousand
81 · Other base metals$80 thousand$0
61 · Knitted clothing$73 thousand$72 million
06 · Live plants and flowers$65 thousand$156 thousand
52 · Cotton$63 thousand$11 million
63 · Home textiles and used clothing$62 thousand$33 million
59 · Coated and technical textiles$52 thousand$20 million
60 · Knitted fabric$51 thousand$59 million
25 · Salt, stone and cement$50 thousand$9 million
35 · Glues, starches and enzymes$45 thousand$9 million
62 · Woven clothing$43 thousand$28 million
14 · Other plant products$41 thousand$843 thousand
44 · Wood$31 thousand$40 million
34 · Soap and cleaning products$27 thousand$13 million
65 · Hats$26 thousand$12 million
97 · Art and antiques$25 thousand$16 thousand
13 · Gums and plant extracts$25 thousand$65 thousand
70 · Glass$21 thousand$18 million
17 · Sugar and sweets$20 thousand$18 million
08 · Fruit and nuts$16 thousand$40 million
09 · Coffee, tea and spices$13 thousand$14 million
86 · Railway equipment$12 thousand$0
78 · Lead$12 thousand$0
74 · Copper$10 thousand$406 thousand
15 · Fats and oils$8 thousand$101 million
04 · Dairy, eggs and honey$7 thousand$8 million
07 · Vegetables$7 thousand$1 million
36 · Explosives and matches$4 thousand$0
88 · Aircraft and spacecraft$1 thousand$0
18 · Cocoa and chocolate$480$2 million
10 · Cereals$252$10 million
01 · Live animals$69$580 thousand
02 · Meat and offal$0$24 million
43 · Fur and fur goods$0$6 million
24 · Tobacco$0$4 million
66 · Umbrellas and canes$0$4 million
57 · Carpets and rugs$0$4 million
51 · Wool$0$3 million
23 · Animal feed and food waste$0$3 million
53 · Other plant fibers$0$434 thousand
45 · Cork$0$1 thousand

Trading partners

China is its main destination (82.3% of exports) and source (94.3% of imports).

Who it sells to

PartnerValue (USD millions)ShareMode
China33782.3%Land
Poland9.72.4%Sea
Austria6.91.7%Sea
Togo6.41.6%Sea
Zimbabwe4.21%Sea
Suriname40.99%Sea
India40.98%Sea
Luxembourg3.10.75%Sea
Indonesia2.80.69%Sea
Angola2.80.69%Sea

Who it buys from

PartnerValue (USD billions)ShareMode
China1.894.3%Land
Trinidad and Tobago0.094.8%Sea
Togo0.010.31%Sea
Netherlands< 0.010.11%Sea
India< 0.010.1%Air
Nigeria< 0.010.1%Sea
Uganda< 0.010.08%Sea
United States< 0.010.08%Air
Côte d'Ivoire< 0.010.03%—
Austria< 0.010.02%—

Overview 1995–2024

In 2024, North Korea accounted for 0% of world exports, compared with 0.02% in 1995.

Exports and imports

Exports fell 55% since 1995

USD billions (current). Bars: trade balance (green surplus, red deficit).

  • Exports 0.4
  • Imports 1.9
  • Balance -1.5

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearExportsImportsTrade balance
1995$912 million$1.2 billion-$279 million
1996$904 million$1.2 billion-$312 million
1997$1.3 billion$1.3 billion$20 million
1998$967 million$1 billion-$81 million
1999$915 million$1.1 billion-$205 million
2000$1.1 billion$1.6 billion-$528 million
2001$966 million$2.9 billion-$1.9 billion
2002$981 million$1.8 billion-$776 million
2003$971 million$1.6 billion-$606 million
2004$1.3 billion$2.1 billion-$831 million
2005$1.9 billion$2.4 billion-$464 million
2006$1.8 billion$2.6 billion-$824 million
2007$2.7 billion$3.1 billion-$354 million
2008$2.2 billion$4.3 billion-$2.1 billion
2009$1.5 billion$2.9 billion-$1.4 billion
2010$2 billion$3.6 billion-$1.5 billion
2011$3.4 billion$3.8 billion-$398 million
2012$3.2 billion$4.2 billion-$1 billion
2013$3.6 billion$4.4 billion-$839 million
2014$4 billion$4.1 billion-$93 million
2015$3 billion$3.8 billion-$769 million
2016$3.4 billion$3.3 billion$77 million
2017$1.9 billion$3.5 billion-$1.6 billion
2018$347 million$2.5 billion-$2.2 billion
2019$423 million$3.2 billion-$2.7 billion
2020$232 million$942 million-$710 million
2021$258 million$654 million-$396 million
2022$452 million$1.8 billion-$1.4 billion
2023$550 million$2.5 billion-$2 billion
2024$410 million$1.9 billion-$1.5 billion

World rank

North Korea fell from 112th to 171st among the world's exporters

Rank among 222 countries by export value (1st at the top).

  • 112th in 1995
  • 171st in 2024

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
YearRank
1995112th
1996116th
1997112th
1998115th
1999119th
2000122nd
2001131st
2002131st
2003135th
2004132nd
2005127th
2006130th
2007123rd
2008137th
2009140th
2010134th
2011129th
2012130th
2013127th
2014124th
2015128th
2016124th
2017142nd
2018175th
2019173rd
2020177th
2021180th
2022173rd
2023171st
2024171st

What it sells

Feathers and artificial flowers became its top export group: from 0% to 46%

% of exports by Harmonized System chapter.

  • Other 18%
  • Electrical and electronic equipment 2%
  • Vehicles 3%
  • Inorganic chemicals 3%
  • Watches and clocks 4%
  • Oil, gas and coal 5%
  • Iron and steel 7%
  • Ores and slag 11%
  • Feathers and artificial flowers 46%

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
Chapter19952024
Feathers and artificial flowers0.01%46.3%
Ores and slag1%11.4%
Iron and steel5.7%6.7%
Oil, gas and coal2.1%5.5%
Watches and clocks0.1%4.1%
Inorganic chemicals0.42%2.9%
Vehicles1.3%2.8%
Electrical and electronic equipment22.2%2.5%
Other67.1%18%

Who it trades with

China went from 26% to 92% of North Korea's trade

% of total trade (exports + imports) with each partner.

  • China 92%
  • Trinidad and Tobago 4%
  • Togo 1%
  • Poland 0%
  • Austria 0%

Source: CEPII BACI

Show the numbers
Partner19952024
China26%92.2%
Trinidad and Tobago0.03%4%
Togo0.01%0.53%
Poland1.4%0.43%
Austria0%0.32%

Production hubs

Largest industrial emission sources (Climate TRACE, 2025)

  • Pukchang power stationPower · 4.7 Mt CO₂e
  • East Pyongyang power stationPower · 2.1 Mt CO₂e
  • Pyongyang power stationPower · 1.4 Mt CO₂e
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Largest economic production hubs (gridded GDP, 2024)

  • Pyongyang$19.6 billion (PPP, 2021 dollars)
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Sources and methodology

Sources and licenses

Methodology

Goods trade from CEPII BACI (BACI_HS92_V202601), in current US dollars, with exports and imports reconciled between countries. The transport mode is our own estimate based on value per kilo and geography. Ranks are computed among the countries with data each year. Services are not included. Data up to 2024.

Neighboring countries

Main partners

See all countries