Military spending per military personnel in North Korea
North Korea: Military spending per military personnel was 1,224 in 2018. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2018)
1,224
Change on year
up 2.0%
World rank
167th
of 170 countries
All-time high
11,965
in 1985
All-time low
1,084
in 2016
Years of data
71
1948–2018
Military spending per military personnel in North Korea, 1948–2018
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
In 2018, military spending per military personnel in North Korea stood at 1,224.
The figure is up 2.0% on the previous year and down 61.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending per military personnel in North Korea peaked at 11,965 in 1985 and was at its lowest, 1,084, in 2016.
North Korea ranks 167th of 170 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Military spending per military personnel in North Korea, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1948 | 2,246 | — |
| 1949 | 8,461 | +276.7% |
| 1950 | 3,543 | -58.1% |
| 1951 | 4,503 | +27.1% |
| 1952 | 2,416 | -46.3% |
| 1953 | 2,324 | -3.8% |
| 1954 | 2,292 | -1.4% |
| 1955 | 2,300 | +0.3% |
| 1956 | 2,665 | +15.9% |
| 1957 | 3,067 | +15.1% |
| 1958 | 10,329 | +236.7% |
| 1959 | 5,381 | -47.9% |
| 1960 | 4,298 | -20.1% |
| 1961 | 4,478 | +4.2% |
| 1962 | 5,324 | +18.9% |
| 1963 | 6,015 | +13.0% |
| 1964 | 6,206 | +3.2% |
| 1965 | 6,737 | +8.5% |
| 1966 | 6,906 | +2.5% |
| 1967 | 7,984 | +15.6% |
| 1968 | 8,902 | +11.5% |
| 1969 | 9,267 | +4.1% |
| 1970 | 8,473 | -8.6% |
| 1971 | 8,477 | +0.0% |
| 1972 | 7,546 | -11.0% |
| 1973 | 7,474 | -1.0% |
| 1974 | 8,544 | +14.3% |
| 1975 | 8,703 | +1.9% |
| 1976 | 9,210 | +5.8% |
| 1977 | 8,587 | -6.8% |
| 1978 | 6,279 | -26.9% |
| 1979 | 5,914 | -5.8% |
| 1980 | 6,116 | +3.4% |
| 1981 | 6,901 | +12.8% |
| 1982 | 7,529 | +9.1% |
| 1983 | 8,810 | +17.0% |
| 1984 | 11,038 | +25.3% |
| 1985 | 11,965 | +8.4% |
| 1986 | 11,237 | -6.1% |
| 1987 | 11,232 | -0.1% |
| 1988 | 11,425 | +1.7% |
| 1989 | 9,338 | -18.3% |
| 1990 | 8,234 | -11.8% |
| 1991 | 7,813 | -5.1% |
| 1992 | 8,247 | +5.6% |
| 1993 | 8,762 | +6.2% |
| 1994 | 8,022 | -8.4% |
| 1995 | 7,442 | -7.2% |
| 1996 | 6,484 | -12.9% |
| 1997 | 4,404 | -32.1% |
| 1998 | 4,051 | -8.0% |
| 1999 | 3,842 | -5.2% |
| 2000 | 3,873 | +0.8% |
| 2001 | 4,385 | +13.2% |
| 2002 | 5,959 | +35.9% |
| 2003 | 6,261 | +5.1% |
| 2004 | 6,221 | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 4,778 | -23.2% |
| 2006 | 4,323 | -9.5% |
| 2007 | 3,795 | -12.2% |
| 2008 | 3,201 | -15.7% |
| 2009 | 2,794 | -12.7% |
| 2010 | 2,363 | -15.4% |
| 2011 | 1,960 | -17.1% |
| 2012 | 1,753 | -10.6% |
| 2013 | 1,540 | -12.1% |
| 2014 | 1,272 | -17.4% |
| 2015 | 1,089 | -14.5% |
| 2016 | 1,084 | -0.4% |
| 2017 | 1,200 | +10.7% |
| 2018 | 1,224 | +2.0% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 1,224 is below the median for low income countries, which is 8,393, 15% of the median. (25 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 1,224 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 28,962, 4% of the median. (20 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military spending per military personnel 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1949 | +276.7% | 2,246 | 8,461 |
| 1958 | +236.7% | 3,067 | 10,329 |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940s | 5,354 | 2,246 | 8,461 | 2 |
| 1950s | 3,882 | 2,292 | 10,329 | 10 |
| 1960s | 6,612 | 4,298 | 9,267 | 10 |
| 1970s | 7,921 | 5,914 | 9,210 | 10 |
| 1980s | 9,559 | 6,116 | 11,965 | 10 |
| 1990s | 6,730 | 3,842 | 8,762 | 10 |
| 2000s | 4,559 | 2,794 | 6,261 | 10 |
| 2010s | 1,498 | 1,084 | 2,363 | 9 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
More reference data data for North Korea
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - Enteric Fermentation 91.9 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - IPCC Agriculture 245.47 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 1.25 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 3.78 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 8.66 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 1.75 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - Manure Management 325.47 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 0.3562 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CO2eq) from CH4 (AR5) - IPCC Agriculture 6,873 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (CH4) - Manure Management 11.62 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending per military personnel in North Korea?
- Military spending per military personnel in North Korea was 1,224 in 2018, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military spending per military personnel recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 11,965 in 1985.
- What is the lowest military spending per military personnel recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1,084 in 2016.
- How does North Korea rank for military spending per military personnel?
- North Korea ranks 167th out of 170 countries with data for 2018.
- Is military spending per military personnel rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 61.8%. 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 per military personnel. 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).