[1] Primary trade source
OECD Bilateral International Merchandise Trade Statistics, harmonised by Yugalinks at country-year, HS2 and bilateral-corridor levels. Coverage shown here is 1995–2024 where observations are available.
Country intelligence · PRK · 2024
Democratic People\'s Republic of Korea trade profile
In 2024, Democratic People\'s Republic of Korea recorded $406.7M in merchandise exports and $2.0B in imports, producing a $1.6B trade deficit. Exports changed -22.8% from the previous year, while imports changed -22.2%.[1]
Exports
$406.7M
-22.8%
Imports
$2.0B
-22.2%
Trade balance
-$1.6B
deficit
Active partners
270
0 FTA-linked
Historical evidence
Ten-year trade movement
The bars compare exports and imports on the same scale. The accompanying table preserves the exact values so the trend is usable without interpreting a graphic.
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
ExportsImports
Exact annual values
Leading export sectors
HS2 chapters rank broad product groups by observed export value in 2024.
1$180.4M
HS 67 · HS chapter
7 active HS6 lines · 1 export partners
2$46.5M
HS 26 · HS chapter
7 active HS6 lines · 1 export partners
3$26.4M
HS 72 · HS chapter
30 active HS6 lines · 18 export partners
4$22.2M
HS 27 · Mineral fuels and oils
14 active HS6 lines · 12 export partners
5$16.4M
HS 91 · HS chapter
23 active HS6 lines · 5 export partners
6$12.9M
HS 87 · Vehicles
78 active HS6 lines · 47 export partners
7$11.4M
HS 28 · HS chapter
59 active HS6 lines · 13 export partners
8$10.8M
HS 85 · Electrical machinery
139 active HS6 lines · 57 export partners
Leading export markets
Destinations rank bilateral export flows from Democratic People\'s Republic of Korea; growth describes each corridor rather than the whole economy.
1$329.8M
China
Annual change +17.3% · 3-year CAGR 79.7%
2$9.2M
Poland
Annual change -3.3% · 3-year CAGR -1.1%
3$6.7M
Austria
Annual change -31.1% · 3-year CAGR 1037.8%
4$5.8M
Togo
Annual change +36.9% · 3-year CAGR 6.5%
5$3.9M
Zimbabwe
Annual change +643.2% · 3-year CAGR 43.7%
6$3.7M
Suriname
Annual change +74.5% · 3-year CAGR -15.2%
7$3.7M
India
Annual change +277.2% · 3-year CAGR -13.8%
8$3.1M
Luxembourg
Annual change -54.6% · 3-year CAGR -23.8%
Sources, definitions and limitations
Calculation notes
USD values are aggregated from reported merchandise records. YoY compares consecutive annual totals; three-year CAGR is the mart-provided compound annual growth rate. Missing values are not inferred.