Country export capability

Democratic People\'s Republic of Korea
export capability

A reported view of Democratic People\'s Republic of Korea's export scale, destination network, sector breadth, trade history, and market-access context. Use the indicators together; no single measure describes export readiness on its own.

PRK1995-2024 coverage270 active partner marketsMacro trend unavailable
Latest exports$406.7M2024 reported value
Latest imports$2.0B2024 reported value
Trade balance-$1.6BExports minus imports
Export growth-22.8%Latest year-on-year change
Active partners270Latest reported markets

Country export profile overview

Democratic People\'s Republic of Korea export data in one research view

This profile brings together export performance, trade balance, destination markets, HS2 sectors, partner breadth, history, and market-access context for country export research.

Export scale and balance

Start with the latest reported trade position

In 2024, Democratic People\'s Republic of Korea recorded $406.7M in exports and $2.0B in imports. The resulting -$1.6B trade balance gives the latest country-level position a clear context.

Exports changed -22.8% year on year and show a calculated +19.1% three-year CAGR. CAGR is an annualized comparison of reported values, not a forecast.

Markets and sectors

See where export value is concentrated

China received $329.8M in reported exports, representing 81.1% of the latest country total. Prepared feathers and hair was the largest displayed HS2 export sector at $180.4M and 44.4% of exports.

The visible page highlights five leading destinations and five leading HS2 sectors, while the complete structured files retain every row supplied for this sample.

History and coverage

Read today's number against the long series

The country series covers 1995 through 2024, with 30 observed annual rows. That longer view helps separate a single-year movement from the broader export trend.

Partner counts, tariff context, concentration, exposure shares, and momentum are supporting indicators calculated from available trade observations. Missing values remain unavailable rather than estimated.

Economy and structure

The context around Democratic People\'s Republic of Korea's export base

Macroeconomic and structural indicators add context to merchandise trade scale. They describe the country environment; they do not predict company performance or future exports.

GDP$0.02024 macro context
GDP per capita$0.0Current-dollar GDP
Population26.5MReported population
Labor forceNot reportedReported labor force
Investment rateNot reportedNational investment rate
Savings rateNot reportedNational savings rate
Trade opennessNot reportedExports + imports / GDP
Exports / GDPNot reportedMerchandise exports / GDP
Secondary educationNot reportedEducation context
Tertiary educationNot reportedEducation context

Market signals

Where to look more closely next

Route-level risk and emerging-corridor signals for further research. These are calculated indicators, not forecasts.

Destination risk contextAll covered routes
Destination risk context for Democratic People\'s Republic of Korea
DestinationAttentionAttention shareBelow peakApplied tariffPrimary reason
ChinaCHNHigh attention78.3%10.8%Not reportedVolatile products account for the largest observed corridor exposure
TogoTGOHigh attention78.7%14.4%Not reportedTariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
ZimbabweZWEHigh attention81.8%14.7%Not reportedTariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
AustriaAUTWatch46.1%17.4%Not reportedTariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
IndiaINDHigh attention69.8%51.4%Not reportedCurrent trade remains materially below historical peaks
PolandPOLWatch45%7.1%Not reportedTariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
Burkina FasoBFAHigh attention83.3%11.7%Not reportedVolatile products account for the largest observed corridor exposure
SurinameSURHigh attention87.1%11.9%Not reportedTariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
LuxembourgLUXWatch43%50.7%Not reportedTariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
AngolaAGOStable0%33.1%Not reportedTariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction

Full route coverage is retained. High attention means the route deserves closer product and access review.

Market opportunity signals

Product-market combinations worth investigating

All returned rows use buyer demand, exporter position, and calculated addressable-value fields. They are research signals, not forecasts.

Addressable-value signalsAll returned rows
Market opportunity signals for Democratic People\'s Republic of Korea
RankMarket and productBuyer importsAddressable 3-year valueCurrent shareDemand signal
1ChinaHS6 260111 · Iron ores and concentrates: non-agglomerated$111.0B$118.9B0.2%Accelerating -2.6%
2ChinaHS6 854231 · Electronic integrated circuits: processors and controllers, whether or not combined with memories, converters, logic circuits, amplifiers, clock and timing circuits, or other circuits$158.0B$93.1B0%Slowing +10.5%
3ChinaHS6 854232 · Electronic integrated circuits: memories$80.6B$65.7B0%Slowing +20.6%
4ChinaHS6 710812 · Metals: gold, non-monetary, unwrought (but not powder)$80.8B$64.9B0%Declining +2.4%
5ChinaHS6 120190 · Soya beans: other than seed, whether or not broken$47.8B$62.4B0%Slowing -13.5%
6ChinaHS6 854239 · Electronic integrated circuits: n.e.c. in heading no. 8542$81.8B$61.4B0%Slowing +4%
7ChinaHS6 260300 · Copper ores and concentrates$62.6B$35.3B0%Declining +11%
8IndiaHS6 710812 · Metals: gold, non-monetary, unwrought (but not powder)$53.8B$33.8B0%Declining +36.1%

Addressable value is a calculated field. Validate product, buyer, tariff, and route conditions before commercial decisions.

Detailed export portfolioHS4 lines beneath the leading sectorsOpen the detailed four-digit export table for Democratic People\'s Republic of Korea.
All HS4 export lines2024 ranking
Top HS4 export lines for Democratic People\'s Republic of Korea
RankHS4Parent HS2 sectorExportsShareActive HS6
16704HS4 detail codePrepared feathers and hair (67) ↗$178.9M44%4
22611HS4 detail codeOres, slag and ash (26) ↗$31.3M7.7%1
37202HS4 detail codeIron and steel (72) ↗$22.8M5.6%4
42716HS4 detail codeMineral fuels (27) ↗$21.8M5.4%1
59108HS4 detail codeClocks and watches (91) ↗$16.0M3.9%1
62613HS4 detail codeOres, slag and ash (26) ↗$15.1M3.7%2
78703HS4 detail codeVehicles (87) ↗$10.1M2.5%14
82849HS4 detail codeInorganic chemicals (28) ↗$5.5M1.4%1
99999HS4 detail codeHS2 sector 99 (99) ↗$4.8M1.2%1
102837HS4 detail codeInorganic chemicals (28) ↗$4.5M1.1%2
115002HS4 detail codeSilk (50) ↗$4.0M1%1
122008HS4 detail codePreparations of vegetables and fruit (20) ↗$3.8M0.9%10

HS4 values are reported observations. The hierarchy is preserved; no missing descriptions are inferred.

The country export read

Democratic People\'s Republic of Korea combines $406.7M in exports with a broad partner network.

In 2024, Democratic People\'s Republic of Korea recorded $406.7M in reported exports and $2.0B in imports, producing a reported trade deficit of $1.6B. Exports changed -22.8% year on year and +19.1% annualized over three years. Prepared feathers and hair (HS2 67) was the largest displayed export sector by value.

Destination network

Where Democratic People\'s Republic of Korea exports move

All returned destination lanes ranked by latest reported export value. Share is calculated against the country total. Review sources ↗

Latest reported destination lanesAll returned · 2024
Leading export destinations for Democratic People\'s Republic of Korea
RankDestinationLatest exportsShareYear-on-year3-year CAGR
1ChinaCHN$329.8M81.1%+17.3%+79.7%
2PolandPOL$9.2M2.3%-3.3%-1.1%
3AustriaAUT$6.7M1.6%-31.1%+1,037.8%
4TogoTGO$5.8M1.4%+36.9%+6.5%
5ZimbabweZWE$3.9M0.9%+643.2%+43.7%
6SurinameSUR$3.7M0.9%+74.5%-15.2%
7IndiaIND$3.7M0.9%+277.2%-13.8%
8LuxembourgLUX$3.1M0.8%-54.6%-23.8%
9FijiFJI$2.7M0.7%-28.2%+41.6%
10SpainESP$2.7M0.7%-16%+9.3%

Destination values are reported country-to-country observations. Full returned rows remain in the downloads.

Trade history

A long view of export scale

Latest twelve years from the 30-year reported country series. Context, not a forecast.

Reported exports by year

2013
$3.4B
2014
$3.8B
2015
$2.9B
2016
$3.3B
2017
$1.9B
2018
$339.9M
2019
$396.2M
2020
$219.2M
2021
$240.5M
2022
$427.8M
2023
$527.2M
2024
$406.7M

Partner network

Scale is only one part of export capability

Partner breadth, distance, agreements, and tariffs add context to reported exports.

FTA partner markets0Reported count
WTO partner markets169Reported count
EU partner markets28Reported count
Shared-border partners3Country context
Shared-language partners1Country context
Average partner distance9,436 kmCalculated average
Partners with FTA0%Calculated share
Applied tariff contextNot reportedCalculated average
MFN tariff contextNot reportedCalculated average
Tariff advantageNot reported ppPreferential vs MFN

Exposure context

Signals to examine alongside export scale

Calculated or classified route and country context. Not predictions or recommendations.

Attention share73.9%

Covered value under attention

Critical share4.5%

Covered value marked critical

Below historical peak12.5%

Distance below route peaks

FTA-covered exports0%

Covered value with FTA context

Weighted tariff contextNot reported

Export-weighted tariff

Macro contextMacro trend unavailable

Primary attention driver: Market access exposure.

Momentum score-10.3

History-based indicator

Partner concentration6,593.3

Partner HHI

Product concentration1,939.8

Product HHI

Country attention level: Watch. Missing fields remain unavailable.

Complete country valuesOpen the full profile evidenceFull history, sectors, HS4, destinations, risk, opportunities, and source fields.

Profile fields

Year2,024
Country Iso3PRK
Exports Usd$406.7M
Imports Usd$2.0B
Trade Balance Usd-$1.6B
Yoy Exports Growth Pct-22.8%
Yoy Imports Growth Pct-22.2%
Exports Cagr 3y Pct19.1%
Imports Cagr 3y Pct43.1%
Export Partner Hhi6,593.3
Export Product Hhi1,939.8
Momentum Score-10.3
Risk Score42.7
Gdp Million Usd0 million USD
Gdp Per Capita Usd$0.0
Population26,498,823
Labor ForceNot reported
Investment Rate PctNot reported
Savings Rate PctNot reported
Secondary Education PctNot reported
Tertiary Education PctNot reported
Total Factor ProductivityNot reported
Trade Openness PctNot reported
Exports Gdp PctNot reported
Num Active Partners270
Num Fta Partners0
Num Wto Partners169
Num Eu Partners28
Num Shared Border Partners3
Num Shared Language Partners1
Avg Partner Distance Km9,436 km
Avg Partner Gdp Million Usd533,678,518.33 million USD
Avg Partner Gdp Per Capita Usd$15.8
Avg Buyer Biz Entry DaysNot reported
Avg Buyer Biz Entry Cost PctNot reported
Pct Partners With Fta0
Pct Partners Shared Language0
Pct Partners Shared Border1
Avg Applied Tariff PctNot reported
Avg Mfn Tariff PctNot reported
Avg Preferential Tariff PctNot reported
Tariff Advantage PpNot reported
Avg Distance All Partners Km9,532
Num Border Partners60
Num Colonial Partners20
Avg Substitution Elasticity-7.9
Pct Products High Elasticity65
Pct Products Low Elasticity5
Real Market Potential1,627,723.1
Foreign Market Potential15,893.7

Exposure fields

Country Iso3PRK
All History Lane Count6,919
Current Lane Count178
Critical Lane Count1
High Attention Lane Count21
High Volatility Lane Count89
Unrecovered Drawdown Lane Count65
Declining Demand Lane Count0
Concentrated Market Lane Count83
Access Friction Lane Count121
Buyer Macro Weakness Lane Count8
Monitored Exports Current Usd$358.3M
Attention Exports Usd$264.7M
Critical Exports Usd$16.0M
High Volatility Exports Usd$300.0M
Unrecovered Drawdown Exports Usd$45.9M
Non Fta Exports Usd$358.2M
Monitored Attention Share Pct73.9%
Monitored Critical Share Pct4.5%
Fta Covered Exports Share Pct0%
Export Weighted Volatility Cv1.6
Export Weighted Below Peak Pct12.5%
Export Weighted Distance Km1,894 km
Export Weighted Tariff PctNot reported
Latest Data Year2,024
First Data Year1,995
Country Years Count30
Total Exports Latest Usd$406.7M
Total Imports Latest Usd$2.0B
Trade Balance Latest Usd-$1.6B
Exports Yoy Latest Pct-22.8%
Exports Cagr 3y Latest Pct19.1%
Gdp Latest Million Usd0 million USD
Gdp Per Capita Latest Usd$0.0
Population Latest26,498,823
Investment Rate Latest PctNot reported
Savings Rate Latest PctNot reported
Trade Openness Latest PctNot reported
Exports Gdp Latest PctNot reported
Active Partners Latest270
Fta Partners Latest0
Foreign Market Potential Latest15,893.7
Gdp 5y Cagr PctNot reported
Gdp Per Capita 5y Cagr PctNot reported
Population 5y Cagr Pct0.4%
Partner Hhi Latest6,593.3
Partner Top1 Share Latest Pct81.1%
Partner Top3 Share Latest Pct85%
Partner Hhi All Avg2,983.1
Partner Hhi All Max7,674.3
Product Hhi Latest1,939.8
Product Top1 Share Latest Pct42.2%
Product Top3 Share Latest Pct55.3%
Product Hhi All Avg622.1
Product Hhi All Max1,939.8
Total Exports Attention Share Pct65.1%
Total Exports Critical Share Pct3.9%
Attention LevelWatch
Primary Risk DriverMarket access exposure
Macro Resilience LabelMacro trend unavailable

Annual country history

YearExportsImportsTrade balanceExports YoYExports CAGR 3Y
1995$927.6M$1.3B-$353.9MNot reportedNot reported
1996$916.8M$1.3B-$353.2M-1.2%Not reported
1997$1.3B$1.3B-$49.5M+40.8%Not reported
1998$911.6M$1.1B-$159.2M-29.4%-0.6%
1999$906.9M$1.1B-$235.7M-0.5%-0.4%
2000$1.1B$1.7B-$632.2M+16.9%-6.4%
2001$918.8M$2.9B-$2.0B-13.3%+0.3%
2002$957.1M$1.9B-$903.0M+4.2%+1.8%
2003$973.5M$1.6B-$659.9M+1.7%-2.8%
2004$1.2B$2.3B-$1.1B+26.2%+10.2%
2005$1.8B$2.4B-$641.0M+46.2%+23.4%
2006$1.7B$2.7B-$1.0B-4.2%+20.9%
2007$2.5B$3.1B-$665.2M+42.5%+25.9%
2008$2.1B$4.3B-$2.2B-15.1%+5%
2009$1.4B$2.9B-$1.5B-30.5%-5.6%
2010$2.0B$3.6B-$1.6B+38.1%-6.6%
2011$3.2B$3.8B-$644.6M+60.3%+15.5%
2012$3.0B$4.2B-$1.3B-7.4%+27%
2013$3.4B$4.5B-$1.0B+14.8%+19.4%
2014$3.8B$4.5B-$621.4M+12.8%+6.2%
2015$2.9B$4.1B-$1.1B-23.5%-0.3%
2016$3.3B$3.6B-$340.6M+11.6%-1.3%
2017$1.9B$3.9B-$2.1B-43.4%-21.5%
2018$339.9M$2.9B-$2.6B-81.7%-51.3%
2019$396.2M$3.2B-$2.8B+16.6%-50.5%
2020$219.2M$957.8M-$738.7M-44.7%-50.9%
2021$240.5M$668.9M-$428.4M+9.7%-10.9%
2022$427.8M$1.8B-$1.4B+77.8%+2.6%
2023$527.2M$2.5B-$2.0B+23.2%+34%
2024$406.7M$2.0B-$1.6B-22.8%+19.1%

Top export sectors

RankHS2SectorExportsShareExport partnersActive HS6
167Prepared feathers and hair$180.4M44.4%17
226Ores, slag and ash$46.5M11.4%17
372Iron and steel$26.4M6.5%1830
427Mineral fuels$22.2M5.4%1214
591Clocks and watches$16.4M4%523
687Vehicles$12.9M3.2%4778
728Inorganic chemicals$11.4M2.8%1359
885Electrical machinery$10.8M2.7%57139
984Machinery$10.1M2.5%63182
1039Plastics$8.1M2%55127

Detailed HS4 export lines

RankHS4Parent HS2ExportsShareActive HS6
16704Prepared feathers and hair (67)$178.9M44%4
22611Ores, slag and ash (26)$31.3M7.7%1
37202Iron and steel (72)$22.8M5.6%4
42716Mineral fuels (27)$21.8M5.4%1
59108Clocks and watches (91)$16.0M3.9%1
62613Ores, slag and ash (26)$15.1M3.7%2
78703Vehicles (87)$10.1M2.5%14
82849Inorganic chemicals (28)$5.5M1.4%1
99999HS2 sector 99 (99)$4.8M1.2%1
102837Inorganic chemicals (28)$4.5M1.1%2
115002Silk (50)$4.0M1%1
122008Preparations of vegetables and fruit (20)$3.8M0.9%10

Top export destinations

RankDestinationISO3ExportsShareYoYCAGR 3Y
1ChinaCHN$329.8M81.1%+17.3%+79.7%
2PolandPOL$9.2M2.3%-3.3%-1.1%
3AustriaAUT$6.7M1.6%-31.1%+1,037.8%
4TogoTGO$5.8M1.4%+36.9%+6.5%
5ZimbabweZWE$3.9M0.9%+643.2%+43.7%
6SurinameSUR$3.7M0.9%+74.5%-15.2%
7IndiaIND$3.7M0.9%+277.2%-13.8%
8LuxembourgLUX$3.1M0.8%-54.6%-23.8%
9FijiFJI$2.7M0.7%-28.2%+41.6%
10SpainESP$2.7M0.7%-16%+9.3%

Destination risk context

RankDestinationAttentionAttention shareBelow peakApplied tariffPrimary reason
1China (CHN)High attention78.3%10.8%Not reportedVolatile products account for the largest observed corridor exposure
2Togo (TGO)High attention78.7%14.4%Not reportedTariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
3Zimbabwe (ZWE)High attention81.8%14.7%Not reportedTariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
4Austria (AUT)Watch46.1%17.4%Not reportedTariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
5India (IND)High attention69.8%51.4%Not reportedCurrent trade remains materially below historical peaks
6Poland (POL)Watch45%7.1%Not reportedTariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
7Burkina Faso (BFA)High attention83.3%11.7%Not reportedVolatile products account for the largest observed corridor exposure
8Suriname (SUR)High attention87.1%11.9%Not reportedTariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
9Luxembourg (LUX)Watch43%50.7%Not reportedTariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction
10Angola (AGO)Stable0%33.1%Not reportedTariff, distance or agreement conditions create market-access friction

Emerging corridor signals

RankDestinationHS6SignalMarket importsCurrent shareStrength
1Senegal (SEN)871000new$16.4M5.5%100
2United Rep. of Tanzania (TZA)842952new$73.2M0.1%100
3Austria (AUT)842952new$392.3M0.1%100
4China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKG)051000new$283.1M0.1%100
5Austria (AUT)721049new$157.3M0.7%100
6The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (MKD)842230new$8.2M2.7%100
7Netherlands (NLD)370500new$40.7M0.5%100
8Poland (POL)900720new$1.3M19.3%100
9United Rep. of Tanzania (TZA)760429new$8.5M3.6%100
10Côte d\'Ivoire (CIV)846210new$289.2K54.7%100

Market opportunity signals

RankMarketHS6Buyer importsAddressable 3-year valueCurrent shareSignal
1China (CHN)260111$111.0B$118.9B0.2%Accelerating (-2.6%)
2China (CHN)854231$158.0B$93.1B0%Slowing (+10.5%)
3China (CHN)854232$80.6B$65.7B0%Slowing (+20.6%)
4China (CHN)710812$80.8B$64.9B0%Declining (+2.4%)
5China (CHN)120190$47.8B$62.4B0%Slowing (-13.5%)
6China (CHN)854239$81.8B$61.4B0%Slowing (+4%)
7China (CHN)260300$62.6B$35.3B0%Declining (+11%)
8India (IND)710812$53.8B$33.8B0%Declining (+36.1%)

How to read this page

Separate reported scale from calculated context.

Reported exports, imports, trade balance, sector rows, destination rows, and annual history describe merchandise trade observations for the stated country and year.

CAGR, shares, concentration measures, tariff context, exposure shares, and momentum are calculated indicators built from the available observations. They help organize research but are not additional reported trade or forecasts.

Coverage runs from 1995 through 2024 for this profile. Missing values are shown as Not reported. Read the full methodology ↗

Reported observations

OECD BIMTS merchandise trade values are the primary series for this view.

Calculated indicators

Growth, share, HHI, tariff, and exposure fields are derived from available reported values.

Coverage limits

Unavailable values remain unavailable. No company sales, shipment records, or forecasts are implied.

Questions about this profile

Democratic People\'s Republic of Korea export capability, in context

Short answers for readers comparing country export scale, partner breadth, and calculated trade indicators.

What does the Democratic People\'s Republic of Korea export profile measure?

It combines reported exports, imports, history, destinations, HS2 sectors, partner context, and calculated indicators for Democratic People\'s Republic of Korea.

What is the latest reported export value for Democratic People\'s Republic of Korea?

Democratic People\'s Republic of Korea recorded $406.7M in reported exports in 2024.

Which markets receive the most exports from Democratic People\'s Republic of Korea?

China leads by reported export value at $329.8M in 2024. Five destination lanes are highlighted.

Which sectors lead Democratic People\'s Republic of Korea's exports?

Prepared feathers and hair leads by reported value at $180.4M. Five HS2 chapters are highlighted.

How many years of Democratic People\'s Republic of Korea trade history are available?

This sample contains 30 observed annual rows covering 1995 through 2024. Missing observations are not estimated.

Are the growth and exposure values forecasts?

No. They are calculated or classified from reported observations, not forecasts or market-access guarantees.

Continue your research

Take the country view into a broader Yugalinks workspace.

Compare countries, products, sectors, and routes using the available trade evidence and definitions.

Data source

OECD trade statistics with CEPII context

OECD (2025), Balanced international merchandise trade statistics (BIMTS) - HS2017-6D, OECD Data Explorer (accessed on 2026-08-28). OECD BIMTS is the primary trade series for this view. Supporting bilateral trade context uses CEPII BACI bilateral trade flows (202601) under Etalab 2.0 Open Licence. Yugalinks presents derived views of reported observations and calculated indicators. Data terms: OECD Terms & Conditions.