Rice production in North Korea
North Korea: Rice production was 2.25 million tonnes in 2024. ▬ Flat
Latest (2024)
2.25 million tonnes
Change on year
up 4.7%
World rank
28th
of 143 countries
All-time high
4.79 million tonnes
in 1993
All-time low
1.43 million tonnes
in 1996
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Rice 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, rice production in North Korea stood at 2.25 million tonnes.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 4.7% on the previous year and down 14.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, rice production in North Korea peaked at 4.79 million tonnes in 1993 and was at its lowest, 1.43 million tonnes, in 1996.
That places North Korea 28th out of 143 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top quarter.
Rice production in North Korea, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 1.81 million tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 1.90 million tonnes | +4.9% |
| 1963 | 2.07 million tonnes | +9.2% |
| 1964 | 2.18 million tonnes | +5.0% |
| 1965 | 1.91 million tonnes | -12.5% |
| 1966 | 2.13 million tonnes | +11.7% |
| 1967 | 1.98 million tonnes | -7.1% |
| 1968 | 1.91 million tonnes | -3.2% |
| 1969 | 2.34 million tonnes | +22.5% |
| 1970 | 2.33 million tonnes | -0.7% |
| 1971 | 2.41 million tonnes | +3.4% |
| 1972 | 2.31 million tonnes | -4.0% |
| 1973 | 2.60 million tonnes | +12.4% |
| 1974 | 2.71 million tonnes | +4.3% |
| 1975 | 2.81 million tonnes | +3.8% |
| 1976 | 2.85 million tonnes | +1.4% |
| 1977 | 3.06 million tonnes | +7.3% |
| 1978 | 2.96 million tonnes | -3.4% |
| 1979 | 3.06 million tonnes | +3.5% |
| 1980 | 2.65 million tonnes | -13.5% |
| 1981 | 3.04 million tonnes | +15.1% |
| 1982 | 2.01 million tonnes | -34.0% |
| 1983 | 2.06 million tonnes | +2.7% |
| 1984 | 2.19 million tonnes | +6.2% |
| 1985 | 2.11 million tonnes | -3.6% |
| 1986 | 2.39 million tonnes | +13.0% |
| 1987 | 2.22 million tonnes | -7.0% |
| 1988 | 2.13 million tonnes | -4.1% |
| 1989 | 2.14 million tonnes | +0.6% |
| 1990 | 1.80 million tonnes | -16.0% |
| 1991 | 4.12 million tonnes | +128.9% |
| 1992 | 4.50 million tonnes | +9.2% |
| 1993 | 4.79 million tonnes | +6.4% |
| 1994 | 3.18 million tonnes | -33.6% |
| 1995 | 2.02 million tonnes | -36.5% |
| 1996 | 1.43 million tonnes | -29.3% |
| 1997 | 1.53 million tonnes | +7.1% |
| 1998 | 2.31 million tonnes | +51.1% |
| 1999 | 2.34 million tonnes | +1.6% |
| 2000 | 1.69 million tonnes | -27.9% |
| 2001 | 2.06 million tonnes | +21.9% |
| 2002 | 2.19 million tonnes | +6.1% |
| 2003 | 2.24 million tonnes | +2.7% |
| 2004 | 2.37 million tonnes | +5.6% |
| 2005 | 2.58 million tonnes | +9.0% |
| 2006 | 2.48 million tonnes | -4.1% |
| 2007 | 1.87 million tonnes | -24.6% |
| 2008 | 2.86 million tonnes | +53.1% |
| 2009 | 2.34 million tonnes | -18.4% |
| 2010 | 2.43 million tonnes | +3.9% |
| 2011 | 2.48 million tonnes | +2.2% |
| 2012 | 2.86 million tonnes | +15.4% |
| 2013 | 2.90 million tonnes | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 2.63 million tonnes | -9.5% |
| 2015 | 1.95 million tonnes | -25.9% |
| 2016 | 2.54 million tonnes | +30.3% |
| 2017 | 2.38 million tonnes | -6.0% |
| 2018 | 2.09 million tonnes | -12.4% |
| 2019 | 2.80 million tonnes | +34.3% |
| 2020 | 2.11 million tonnes | -24.6% |
| 2021 | 2.10 million tonnes | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 2.14 million tonnes | +1.9% |
| 2023 | 2.15 million tonnes | +0.5% |
| 2024 | 2.25 million tonnes | +4.7% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 2.25 million tonnes is above the median for low income countries, which is 243,900 tonnes, 9.2× the median. (23 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 2.25 million tonnes is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.00 million tonnes, 75% of the median. (20 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Rice 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | +128.9% | 1.80 million tonnes | 4.12 million tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 2.02 million tonnes | 1.81 million tonnes | 2.34 million tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 2.71 million tonnes | 2.31 million tonnes | 3.06 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 2.29 million tonnes | 2.01 million tonnes | 3.04 million tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.80 million tonnes | 1.43 million tonnes | 4.79 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.27 million tonnes | 1.69 million tonnes | 2.86 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.51 million tonnes | 1.95 million tonnes | 2.90 million tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.15 million tonnes | 2.10 million tonnes | 2.25 million tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
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 rice production in North Korea?
- Rice production in North Korea was 2.25 million 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 rice production recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 4.79 million tonnes in 1993.
- What is the lowest rice production recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.43 million tonnes in 1996.
- How does North Korea rank for rice production?
- North Korea ranks 28th out of 143 countries with data for 2024.
- Is rice production rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 14.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
- 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 Rice 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
Rice production is measured in tonnes.