- Capital City: Pyongyang
- General Information Official Language: Korean
- Currency: North Korean Won / (KPW)
- Population (2024): 26.53 million (2024)
Political Overview
Government Type
Totalitarian, communist state, socialist state, dictatorship, one-party state
Key Leaders
- Supreme Leader – Kim Jong Un
- Premier – Kim Tok Hun
Political Stability Index
-0.4 (2022)
International Alliances
- UN, ASEAN Regional Forum, CBD, G77, IMO, IPU, WHO
Economic Overview
GDP (Nominal)
$29.6 billion (2023)
GDP (PPP)
$300–375 billion (2023)
Key Industries
- Manufacturing
- Agriculture
- Mining
- Military & Defense
Top 5 Importers/Exporters
Top exports include Tungsten ore ($30.9 million), Refined petroleum ($27.3 million), Ferroalloys ($25.3 million), Electricity ($20.4 million)
Molybdenum ore ($13.7 million). Top export partners are, 2022, China (52.7%), Senegal (10.8%), Nigeria (5.6%), Poland ($9.58 million) and Netherlands ($7.8 million).
Top imports include from China (98.3% for soybean oil, rubber tires, and packaged medicaments in 2022). Soybean Oil ($48.8M), Rubber Tires ($44.3M), Packaged Medicaments ($41.3M), Light Rubberized Knitted Fabric ($34M), and Rice ($33.2M), importing mostly from China ($894M), Zimbabwe ($2.8M), Netherlands ($2.41M), India ($1.74M), and Colombia ($1.63M).
Social Indicators
Human Development Index
Not included
Literacy Rate
100%
Life Expectancy
73.5 years (2024)
Geopolitical Relevance
Strategic Location
Borders with China, Russia and South Korea. Yellow Sea, Sea of Japan and Korean Strait (key waterways access). Control of land routes (resource-rich Russian Far East and China’s northeastern provinces to South Korea and beyond)
Key Conflicts
Korean Peninsula conflict with South Korea (armistice agreement and DMZ), Tensions with the U.S., Japan and South Korea
Border Issues
With South Korea over DMZ, North Korean defectors occasionally attempting to flee through China,
Military Strength
2024, etimated with 1.3 million active personnel, 600,000 reservists and 5.7 million Worker/Peasant Red Guard reservists, among many unarmed units. No formal alliances for military, though cooperate with China and Russia for military purposes.
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