Officially named the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea, North Korea is strategically located on the north part of the Korean Peninsula near leading trading partners including China to its west and Japan to the east.

Based on latest available statistics, North Korea exported US$354.2 million worth of products around the globe in 2023.

That projected dollar amount results from a -27.3% reduction compared to $487.2 million five years earlier in 2019.

Year over year, the overall value of North Korea’s exported products increased by 13.4% from $312.3 million during 2022.

North Korea’s Top Trading Partners

Below is a list of North Korea’s top 25 trading partners that imported the most shipments from North Korea by dollar value during 2023. Also shown is each import country’s percentage share of total North Korean exports.

1. mainland China: US$291.8 million (82.4% of total North Korean exports)
2. Poland: $10.3 million (2.9%)
3. Luxembourg: $6.8 million (1.9%)
4. South Africa: $6.7 million (1.9%)
5. Nigeria: $6.3 million (1.8%)
6. Togo: $4.7 million (1.3%)
7. Spain: $3.3 million (0.9%)
8. Mozambique: $3.2 million (0.9%)
9. India: $2.8 million (0.8%)
10. Suriname: $2.3 million (0.7%)
11. Tanzania: $2 million (0.6%)
12. Seychelles: $1.4 million (0.4%)
13. Barbados: $1.02 million (0.3%)
14. Burkina Faso: $1.02 million (0.3%)
15. Finland: $984,000 (0.3%)
16. Grenada: $877,000 (0.2%)
17. Austria: $724,000 (0.2%)
18. Moldova: $671,000 (0.2%)
19. Netherlands: $669,000 (0.2%)
20. Indonesia: $651,000 (0.2%)
21. Costa Rica: $636,000 (0.2%)
22. Zimbabwe: $563,000 (0.2%)
23. Ethiopia: $497,000 (0.1%)
24. Mongolia: $434,000 (0.1%)

 
Focusing on 2023, 99% of North Korean shipments were delivered to the listed top trading partners.

The fastest-growing importers purchasing goods from North Korea from 2022 to 2023 were: Austria (up 4,159%), South Africa (up 1,215%), Finland (up 741%), Tanzania (up 252.7%) and mainland China (up 118.3%).

There was a pair of year-over-year decliners in terms of top importing countries buying exports from North Korea namely Moldova (down -22.8% from 2022) and Indonesia (down -18.4%).

See also North Korea’s Top 10 Exports, South Korea’s Top Trading Partners and Capital Facts for Pyongyang, North Korea

Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, Field Listing: Imports, The World Factbook. Accessed on July 11, 2024

International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on July 11, 2024