Merchandise imports (current US$) in North Korea
North Korea: Merchandise imports (current US$) was 2.87 billion current US$ in 2025. ▲ Rising
Merchandise imports in North Korea, 1980–2025
Source: World Trade Organization (WTO). Measured in current US$.
Analysis
North Korea recorded 2.87 billion current US$ for merchandise imports in 2025.
That represents a change of up 22.6% on the previous year and down 40.5% over ten years.
Over the whole period, merchandise imports in North Korea peaked at 5.58 billion current US$ in 2014 and was at its lowest, 631.00 million current US$, in 2021.
That places North Korea 153rd out of 206 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 46 years of available data.
Merchandise imports (current US$) in North Korea, year by year
| Year | current US$ | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 1.20 billion current US$ | — |
| 1981 | 1.50 billion current US$ | +25.0% |
| 1982 | 1.50 billion current US$ | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 1.60 billion current US$ | +6.7% |
| 1984 | 1.70 billion current US$ | +6.2% |
| 1985 | 1.79 billion current US$ | +5.1% |
| 1986 | 2.10 billion current US$ | +17.7% |
| 1987 | 2.26 billion current US$ | +7.4% |
| 1988 | 2.84 billion current US$ | +25.6% |
| 1989 | 2.90 billion current US$ | +2.3% |
| 1990 | 2.93 billion current US$ | +0.9% |
| 1991 | 2.76 billion current US$ | -5.8% |
| 1992 | 1.71 billion current US$ | -38.0% |
| 1993 | 1.64 billion current US$ | -4.1% |
| 1994 | 1.26 billion current US$ | -23.2% |
| 1995 | 1.38 billion current US$ | +9.5% |
| 1996 | 1.32 billion current US$ | -4.3% |
| 1997 | 1.39 billion current US$ | +5.1% |
| 1998 | 1.01 billion current US$ | -27.0% |
| 1999 | 1.18 billion current US$ | +16.2% |
| 2000 | 1.69 billion current US$ | +43.2% |
| 2001 | 1.85 billion current US$ | +9.5% |
| 2002 | 1.89 billion current US$ | +2.5% |
| 2003 | 2.05 billion current US$ | +8.2% |
| 2004 | 2.28 billion current US$ | +11.2% |
| 2005 | 2.72 billion current US$ | +19.3% |
| 2006 | 2.88 billion current US$ | +6.0% |
| 2007 | 3.06 billion current US$ | +6.1% |
| 2008 | 3.58 billion current US$ | +17.2% |
| 2009 | 3.10 billion current US$ | -13.5% |
| 2010 | 3.53 billion current US$ | +14.1% |
| 2011 | 4.37 billion current US$ | +23.8% |
| 2012 | 4.83 billion current US$ | +10.4% |
| 2013 | 4.65 billion current US$ | -3.6% |
| 2014 | 5.58 billion current US$ | +20.1% |
| 2015 | 4.82 billion current US$ | -13.7% |
| 2016 | 3.86 billion current US$ | -20.0% |
| 2017 | 3.78 billion current US$ | -2.0% |
| 2018 | 2.62 billion current US$ | -30.7% |
| 2019 | 2.98 billion current US$ | +13.6% |
| 2020 | 774.00 million current US$ | -74.0% |
| 2021 | 631.00 million current US$ | -18.5% |
| 2022 | 1.43 billion current US$ | +126.6% |
| 2023 | 2.44 billion current US$ | +70.6% |
| 2024 | 2.34 billion current US$ | -4.1% |
| 2025 | 2.87 billion current US$ | +22.6% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 2.87 billion current US$ is below the median for low income countries, which is 3.66 billion current US$, 78% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 2.87 billion current US$ is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4.62 billion current US$, 62% of the median. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Merchandise imports (current US$) in North Korea changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | +126.6% | 631.00 million current US$ | 1.43 billion current US$ |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.94 billion current US$ | 1.20 billion current US$ | 2.90 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 1990s | 1.66 billion current US$ | 1.01 billion current US$ | 2.93 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.51 billion current US$ | 1.69 billion current US$ | 3.58 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2010s | 4.10 billion current US$ | 2.62 billion current US$ | 5.58 billion current US$ | 10 |
| 2020s | 1.75 billion current US$ | 631.00 million current US$ | 2.87 billion current US$ | 6 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
More private sector data for North Korea
- Merchandise exports 611.00 million current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 23 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), annual growth rate 69.72 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), per capita 107.97 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise imports (current US$), annual growth rate 22.61 % change on previous year (2025)
- Merchandise imports from economies in the Arab World 0.0% (2023)
- Merchandise imports from high-income economies 0.2% (2023)
- Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies outside 2.7% (2023)
- Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in East 97.1% (2023)
- Merchandise imports from low- and middle-income economies in Europe & 0.0% (2023)
Frequently asked questions
- What is merchandise imports in North Korea?
- Merchandise imports in North Korea was 2.87 billion current US$ in 2025, according to World Trade Organization (WTO).
- What is the highest merchandise imports recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 5.58 billion current US$ in 2014.
- What is the lowest merchandise imports recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 631.00 million current US$ in 2021.
- How does North Korea rank for merchandise imports?
- North Korea ranks 153rd out of 206 countries with data for 2025.
- Is merchandise imports rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 40.5%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from World Trade Organization (WTO), published as part of Merchandise imports (current US$). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 46 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Merchandise imports includes goods whose economic ownership is changed from a non-resident to a resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e. This indicator is expressed in current prices, meaning no adjustment has been made to account for price changes over time. This indicator is expressed in United States dollars.