Military spending gmsd in North Korea

North Korea: Military spending gmsd was 1.57 billion in 2018. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2018)
1.57 billion
Change on year
up 9.7%
World rank
75th
of 172 countries
All-time high
9.90 billion
in 1992
All-time low
425.17 million
in 1950
Years of data
71
1948–2018

Military spending gmsd in North Korea, 1948–2018

02.0B4.0B6.0B8.0B10.0B194819832018

Source: Our World in Data.

Analysis

In 2018, military spending gmsd in North Korea stood at 1.57 billion.

The figure is up 9.7% on the previous year and down 55.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military spending gmsd in North Korea peaked at 9.90 billion in 1992 and was at its lowest, 425.17 million, in 1950.

That places North Korea 75th out of 172 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the middle of the range.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Military spending gmsd in North Korea, year by year

Annual values for Military spending gmsd in North Korea, 1948 to 2018.
Year Value Change
1948 449.25 million —
1949 507.65 million +13.0%
1950 425.17 million -16.2%
1951 450.29 million +5.9%
1952 509.78 million +13.2%
1953 604.17 million +18.5%
1954 641.70 million +6.2%
1955 689.92 million +7.5%
1956 852.70 million +23.6%
1957 1.04 billion +22.3%
1958 3.72 billion +256.5%
1959 2.04 billion -45.0%
1960 1.72 billion -15.9%
1961 1.75 billion +1.6%
1962 2.02 billion +15.8%
1963 2.12 billion +4.7%
1964 2.25 billion +6.1%
1965 2.55 billion +13.3%
1966 2.65 billion +3.9%
1967 3.06 billion +15.6%
1968 3.65 billion +19.4%
1969 3.80 billion +4.1%
1970 3.71 billion -2.3%
1971 3.81 billion +2.8%
1972 3.47 billion -9.0%
1973 3.51 billion +1.2%
1974 4.02 billion +14.3%
1975 4.09 billion +1.9%
1976 4.60 billion +12.6%
1977 4.47 billion -3.0%
1978 3.97 billion -11.1%
1979 4.09 billion +3.1%
1980 4.28 billion +4.6%
1981 5.30 billion +23.8%
1982 5.89 billion +11.1%
1983 6.91 billion +17.3%
1984 8.65 billion +25.3%
1985 9.38 billion +8.4%
1986 9.42 billion +0.4%
1987 9.41 billion -0.1%
1988 9.62 billion +2.2%
1989 9.71 billion +1.0%
1990 9.88 billion +1.7%
1991 9.38 billion -5.1%
1992 9.90 billion +5.6%
1993 9.64 billion -2.6%
1994 8.82 billion -8.4%
1995 8.19 billion -7.2%
1996 7.13 billion -12.9%
1997 4.84 billion -32.1%
1998 4.05 billion -16.4%
1999 3.84 billion -5.2%
2000 4.09 billion +6.3%
2001 4.74 billion +16.1%
2002 6.45 billion +35.9%
2003 6.77 billion +5.1%
2004 6.81 billion +0.5%
2005 5.28 billion -22.4%
2006 4.78 billion -9.5%
2007 4.20 billion -12.2%
2008 3.54 billion -15.7%
2009 3.09 billion -12.7%
2010 2.61 billion -15.4%
2011 2.33 billion -10.8%
2012 2.09 billion -10.6%
2013 1.83 billion -12.1%
2014 1.51 billion -17.4%
2015 1.30 billion -14.5%
2016 1.29 billion -0.4%
2017 1.43 billion +10.7%
2018 1.57 billion +9.7%

North Korea compared with similar countries

  • North Korea's 1.57 billion is above the median for low income countries, which is 387.93 million, 4.0× the median. (25 countries reporting)
  • North Korea's 1.57 billion is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4.15 billion, 38% of the median. (20 countries reporting)

Biggest year-on-year movements

Years where Military spending gmsd 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.

YearChange FromTo
1958 +256.5% 1.04 billion 3.72 billion

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1940s 478.45 million 449.25 million 507.65 million 2
1950s 1.10 billion 425.17 million 3.72 billion 10
1960s 2.56 billion 1.72 billion 3.80 billion 10
1970s 3.97 billion 3.47 billion 4.60 billion 10
1980s 7.86 billion 4.28 billion 9.71 billion 10
1990s 7.57 billion 3.84 billion 9.90 billion 10
2000s 4.98 billion 3.09 billion 6.81 billion 10
2010s 1.77 billion 1.29 billion 2.61 billion 9

Countries ranked near North Korea

  1. 72 Kazakhstan 1.65 billion compare
  2. 73 Uruguay 1.62 billion compare
  3. 74 Croatia 1.60 billion compare
  4. 76 Sri Lanka 1.52 billion compare
  5. 77 Ireland 1.51 billion compare
  6. 78 Tunisia 1.44 billion compare

See the full ranking of 172 places →

More reference data data for North Korea

All data for North Korea →

Frequently asked questions

What is military spending gmsd in North Korea?
Military spending gmsd in North Korea was 1.57 billion in 2018, according to Our World in Data.
What is the highest military spending gmsd recorded in North Korea?
The highest recorded value was 9.90 billion in 1992.
What is the lowest military spending gmsd recorded in North Korea?
The lowest recorded value was 425.17 million in 1950.
How does North Korea rank for military spending gmsd?
North Korea ranks 75th out of 172 countries with data for 2018.
Is military spending gmsd rising or falling in North Korea?
Over the last ten years it is down 55.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this North Korea data come from?
The figures come from Our World in Data, published as part of Military spending gmsd. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 71 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Military spending gmsd in North Korea. Statizoid, drawing on Our World in Data. Retrieved 13 November 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/military-spending-gmsd/korea-dem-people-s-rep/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/military-spending-gmsd/korea-dem-people-s-rep/">Military spending gmsd in North Korea</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Military spending gmsd
Source
Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
172 places, 15,402 data points, 1816–2023
Last refreshed