Barley production in North Korea
North Korea: Barley production was 53,060 tonnes in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
53,060 tonnes
Change on year
down 6.4%
World rank
70th
of 106 countries
All-time high
210,000 tonnes
in 1963
All-time low
11,000 tonnes
in 2015
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Barley production in North Korea, 1961–2024
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in tonnes.
Analysis
In 2024, barley production in North Korea stood at 53,060 tonnes.
The figure is down 6.4% on the previous year and up 342.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, barley production in North Korea peaked at 210,000 tonnes in 1963 and was at its lowest, 11,000 tonnes, in 2015.
That places North Korea 70th out of 106 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Barley production in North Korea, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 200,000 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 200,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1963 | 210,000 tonnes | +5.0% |
| 1964 | 200,000 tonnes | -4.8% |
| 1965 | 180,000 tonnes | -10.0% |
| 1966 | 150,000 tonnes | -16.7% |
| 1967 | 130,000 tonnes | -13.3% |
| 1968 | 120,000 tonnes | -7.7% |
| 1969 | 110,000 tonnes | -8.3% |
| 1970 | 120,000 tonnes | +9.1% |
| 1971 | 130,000 tonnes | +8.3% |
| 1972 | 112,000 tonnes | -13.8% |
| 1973 | 145,000 tonnes | +29.5% |
| 1974 | 150,000 tonnes | +3.4% |
| 1975 | 140,000 tonnes | -6.7% |
| 1976 | 140,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1977 | 140,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1978 | 160,000 tonnes | +14.3% |
| 1979 | 170,000 tonnes | +6.2% |
| 1980 | 150,000 tonnes | -11.8% |
| 1981 | 145,000 tonnes | -3.3% |
| 1982 | 150,000 tonnes | +3.4% |
| 1983 | 140,000 tonnes | -6.7% |
| 1984 | 150,000 tonnes | +7.1% |
| 1985 | 150,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1986 | 150,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1987 | 150,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 150,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1989 | 150,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 150,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1991 | 145,000 tonnes | -3.3% |
| 1992 | 130,000 tonnes | -10.3% |
| 1993 | 120,000 tonnes | -7.7% |
| 1994 | 210,000 tonnes | +75.0% |
| 1995 | 180,000 tonnes | -14.3% |
| 1996 | 160,000 tonnes | -11.1% |
| 1997 | 140,000 tonnes | -12.5% |
| 1998 | 90,000 tonnes | -35.7% |
| 1999 | 55,000 tonnes | -38.9% |
| 2000 | 29,000 tonnes | -47.3% |
| 2001 | 69,638 tonnes | +140.1% |
| 2002 | 69,000 tonnes | -0.9% |
| 2003 | 69,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 64,000 tonnes | -7.2% |
| 2005 | 74,000 tonnes | +15.6% |
| 2006 | 77,000 tonnes | +4.1% |
| 2007 | 75,000 tonnes | -2.6% |
| 2008 | 65,000 tonnes | -13.3% |
| 2009 | 63,000 tonnes | -3.1% |
| 2010 | 80,000 tonnes | +27.0% |
| 2011 | 55,000 tonnes | -31.2% |
| 2012 | 29,000 tonnes | -47.3% |
| 2013 | 30,300 tonnes | +4.5% |
| 2014 | 12,000 tonnes | -60.4% |
| 2015 | 11,000 tonnes | -8.3% |
| 2016 | 16,200 tonnes | +47.3% |
| 2017 | 28,000 tonnes | +72.8% |
| 2018 | 32,500 tonnes | +16.1% |
| 2019 | 55,900 tonnes | +72.0% |
| 2020 | 57,000 tonnes | +2.0% |
| 2021 | 56,500 tonnes | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 56,800 tonnes | +0.5% |
| 2023 | 56,700 tonnes | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 53,060 tonnes | -6.4% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 53,060 tonnes is below the median for low income countries, which is 59,030 tonnes, 90% of the median. (8 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 53,060 tonnes is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 185,600 tonnes, 29% of the median. (9 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Barley production 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | +140.1% | 29,000 tonnes | 69,638 tonnes |
| 1994 | +75.0% | 120,000 tonnes | 210,000 tonnes |
| 2017 | +72.8% | 16,200 tonnes | 28,000 tonnes |
| 2019 | +72.0% | 32,500 tonnes | 55,900 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 166,667 tonnes | 110,000 tonnes | 210,000 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 140,700 tonnes | 112,000 tonnes | 170,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 148,500 tonnes | 140,000 tonnes | 150,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 138,000 tonnes | 55,000 tonnes | 210,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 65,464 tonnes | 29,000 tonnes | 77,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 34,990 tonnes | 11,000 tonnes | 80,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 56,012 tonnes | 53,060 tonnes | 57,000 tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
- 68 Turkmenistan 64,559 tonnes compare
- 69 Zimbabwe 58,151 tonnes compare
- 71 Georgia 48,400 tonnes compare
- 72 Kenya 48,237 tonnes compare
- 73 South Korea 47,730 tonnes compare
More reference data data for North Korea
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 1.75 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - Burning - Crop residues 3.54 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) (AR5) - Agricultural Soils 1,939 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Direct emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.838 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Direct emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 5.57 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Direct emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.91 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Manure Management 325.47 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - Manure Management 11.62 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Agricultural 1,939 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from N2O (AR5) - Burning - Crop 24.3 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is barley production in North Korea?
- Barley production in North Korea was 53,060 tonnes in 2024, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest barley production recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 210,000 tonnes in 1963.
- What is the lowest barley production recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 11,000 tonnes in 2015.
- How does North Korea rank for barley production?
- North Korea ranks 70th out of 106 countries with data for 2024.
- Is barley production rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 342.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Barley production. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Barley production is measured in tonnes.