Summary
- Largest supplier: China
- 94.3%
- Concentration (HHI)
- 8,916
- Products with a supplier above 50%
- 219
- Products with a supplier above 75%
- 219
Concentration index (HHI): 8,916 out of 10,000; equivalent to splitting purchases among 1 supplier of the same size
Trend
Trend in shares
China went from 40.6% to 94.3% of what North Korea buys
Share (%)
- China 94.3%
- Trinidad and Tobago 4.8%
- Togo 0.31%
- Netherlands 0.11%
- India 0.1%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Largest supplier | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | China | 40.6% |
| 1996 | China | 40.6% |
| 1997 | China | 41.2% |
| 1998 | China | 33.9% |
| 1999 | China | 28.1% |
| 2000 | China | 26.1% |
| 2001 | Japan | 36.5% |
| 2002 | China | 26.5% |
| 2003 | China | 39.5% |
| 2004 | China | 37.7% |
| 2005 | China | 45.7% |
| 2006 | China | 46.1% |
| 2007 | China | 45.5% |
| 2008 | China | 47.8% |
| 2009 | China | 64.9% |
| 2010 | China | 63.6% |
| 2011 | China | 82.8% |
| 2012 | China | 83.8% |
| 2013 | China | 81.7% |
| 2014 | China | 85.9% |
| 2015 | China | 78.1% |
| 2016 | China | 85.7% |
| 2017 | China | 92.3% |
| 2018 | China | 88.3% |
| 2019 | China | 81.1% |
| 2020 | China | 52.1% |
| 2021 | Papua New Guinea | 58.9% |
| 2022 | China | 49.6% |
| 2023 | China | 79.9% |
| 2024 | China | 94.3% |
Its suppliers
Some of these goods may have been produced in another country: countries record origin in different ways.
Products with a dominant supplier
Of the 219 products North Korea buys for more than $1 million in 2024, these are the highest-value ones with a dominant supplier.
| Product | Supplier | Share | Second | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prepared human hair | China | 100%over 75% | — | $169 million |
| Synthetic filament fabric | China | 100%over 75% | — | $99 million |
| Soybean oil | China | 100%over 75% | — | $97 million |
| Alcohols | Trinidad and Tobago | 99.1%over 75% | China · 0.93% | $90 million |
| Furniture | China | 100%over 75% | — | $51 million |
| Other knitted fabric | China | 100%over 75% | — | $48 million |
| Plastic floor and wall coverings | China | 100%over 75% | — | $45 million |
| Ceramic tiles | China | 100%over 75% | — | $40 million |
| New tires | China | 100%over 75% | United Kingdom · 0.01% | $35 million |
| Plastic sheets and film | China | 99.9%over 75% | Thailand · 0.08% | $32 million |
| Medicines in measured doses or retail packs | China | 96.1%over 75% | United States · 2.7% | $25 million |
| Poultry meat | China | 100%over 75% | — | $22 million |
| Polyethylene | China | 100%over 75% | — | $22 million |
| Amino acids and amino alcohols (lysine) | China | 98.7%over 75% | India · 1.3% | $21 million |
| Sweaters and pullovers | China | 100%over 75% | — | $21 million |
| Other plastic articles | China | 100%over 75% | United States · 0.03% | $20 million |
| Citrus fruit | China | 99.9%over 75% | South Africa · 0.07% | $20 million |
| Plywood | China | 100%over 75% | — | $19 million |
| Carbonates | China | 100%over 75% | — | $18 million |
| Petroleum coke and bitumen | China | 100%over 75% | — | $18 million |
| Plastic-coated fabric | China | 100%over 75% | — | $18 million |
| Packing sacks and bags | China | 100%over 75% | — | $17 million |
| Other watch and clock parts | China | 100%over 75% | — | $17 million |
| Frozen fish | China | 99.3%over 75% | Netherlands · 0.36% | $17 million |
| Pianos | China | 100%over 75% | — | $16 million |
and 194 more
A product has a dominant supplier when a single country sells more than 50% of what is bought of it; we flag it separately above 75%.
Selling: who it relies on
- Largest customer: China
- 82.3%
- Concentration (HHI)
- 6,795
Concentration index (HHI): 6,795 out of 10,000; equivalent to splitting sales among 1 customer of the same size
Trend in shares
China went from 7% to 82.3% of what North Korea sells
Share (%)
- China 82.3%
- Poland 2.4%
- Austria 1.7%
- Togo 1.6%
- Zimbabwe 1%
Source: CEPII BACI
Show the numbers
| Year | Largest customer | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Japan | 37.4% |
| 1996 | Japan | 32.2% |
| 1997 | Japan | 22.9% |
| 1998 | Japan | 22.7% |
| 1999 | Japan | 21.9% |
| 2000 | Japan | 22.8% |
| 2001 | Japan | 23.2% |
| 2002 | China | 27.6% |
| 2003 | China | 40.7% |
| 2004 | China | 45.9% |
| 2005 | Angola | 29.9% |
| 2006 | India | 26.2% |
| 2007 | Angola | 38.9% |
| 2008 | China | 34.3% |
| 2009 | China | 52.9% |
| 2010 | China | 58.5% |
| 2011 | China | 72.3% |
| 2012 | China | 78.6% |
| 2013 | China | 81.2% |
| 2014 | China | 71.1% |
| 2015 | China | 83.2% |
| 2016 | China | 72.7% |
| 2017 | China | 87.1% |
| 2018 | China | 56.1% |
| 2019 | China | 49.3% |
| 2020 | Papua New Guinea | 19.7% |
| 2021 | China | 22.5% |
| 2022 | China | 29.6% |
| 2023 | China | 53.1% |
| 2024 | China | 82.3% |
29 of the 36 products North Korea sells for more than $1 million have a customer buying more than 50% of what North Korea sells of that product; in 27, more than 75%. In those products, sales to each one’s dominant customer add up to 84.2% of what North Korea sells.
| Product | Customer | Share | Second | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wigs | China | 100%over 75% | — | $188 million |
| Tungsten ore | China | 100%over 75% | — | $31 million |
| Ferroalloys | China | 89.9%over 75% | Austria · 6.1% | $23 million |
| Electricity | China | 100%over 75% | — | $22 million |
| Watch movements | China | 100%over 75% | — | $16 million |
| Molybdenum ore | China | 100%over 75% | — | $15 million |
| Carbides | China | 100%over 75% | — | $6 million |
| Cyanides | Zimbabwe | 67.6% | Suriname · 32.4% | $5 million |
| Raw silk | China | 100%over 75% | — | $4 million |
| Preserved fruit and nuts | China | 98.6%over 75% | Brunei · 0.54% | $4 million |
| Industrial fatty acids and oils | China | 98.8%over 75% | Tanzania · 0.6% | $4 million |
| Fishing gear | China | 99.7%over 75% | Trinidad and Tobago · 0.16% | $3 million |
| Silk waste | China | 100%over 75% | — | $3 million |
| Computer and office machine parts | India | 84.4%over 75% | Tanzania · 6% | $3 million |
| Festive and Christmas articles | China | 100%over 75% | Luxembourg · 0% | $2 million |
and 14 more
Concentration compared
The closest countries in the concentration ranking (HHI, highest first).
| Rank | Country | HHI |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Korea | 8,916 |
| 2 | Bhutan | 6,747 |
| 3 | Saint Barthélemy | 6,601 |
| 4 | Eswatini | 6,365 |
| 5 | Lesotho | 6,187 |
| 6 | Sint Maarten | 5,942 |
Links
Sources and method
Sources and licenses
- CEPII BACI · Licence Ouverte Etalab 2.0
- Natural Earth · Public domain
Methodology
The data come from CEPII BACI (Etalab 2.0 licence), which reconciles what the exporting and the importing country report, in current USD, FOB. Data up to 2024.
Dependence is the share of a country’s imports (or exports) that each partner accounts for. It does not measure whether a product has a substitute or how much it would cost to change supplier.
The concentration index (HHI) adds up the square of each partner’s share, in percent: it runs from 0 to 10,000. Its equivalent is 10,000 ÷ HHI, the number of partners of the same size that would give that value.
Products are HS4 headings of the 1992 nomenclature (some combine different goods), with a floor of $1 million per product and country.
The EU is the 27 current members in every year; the United Kingdom is outside the EU throughout the series.
Re-exports: countries that act as redistribution hubs carry their notice and the figures are not corrected.