Soybean production in North Korea
North Korea: Soybean production was 180,000 tonnes in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
180,000 tonnes
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
33rd
of 116 countries
All-time high
455,000 tonnes
in 1990
All-time low
135,280 tonnes
in 2018
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Soybean 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, soybean production in North Korea stood at 180,000 tonnes.
That represents a change of down 48.6% over ten years.
Over the whole period, soybean production in North Korea peaked at 455,000 tonnes in 1990 and was at its lowest, 135,280 tonnes, in 2018.
North Korea ranks 33rd of 116 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Soybean production in North Korea, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 170,000 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 175,000 tonnes | +2.9% |
| 1963 | 180,000 tonnes | +2.9% |
| 1964 | 190,000 tonnes | +5.6% |
| 1965 | 200,000 tonnes | +5.3% |
| 1966 | 210,000 tonnes | +5.0% |
| 1967 | 225,000 tonnes | +7.1% |
| 1968 | 240,000 tonnes | +6.7% |
| 1969 | 245,000 tonnes | +2.1% |
| 1970 | 255,000 tonnes | +4.1% |
| 1971 | 265,000 tonnes | +3.9% |
| 1972 | 263,000 tonnes | -0.8% |
| 1973 | 230,000 tonnes | -12.5% |
| 1974 | 280,000 tonnes | +21.7% |
| 1975 | 290,000 tonnes | +3.6% |
| 1976 | 300,000 tonnes | +3.4% |
| 1977 | 310,000 tonnes | +3.3% |
| 1978 | 320,000 tonnes | +3.2% |
| 1979 | 330,000 tonnes | +3.1% |
| 1980 | 340,000 tonnes | +3.0% |
| 1981 | 350,000 tonnes | +2.9% |
| 1982 | 360,000 tonnes | +2.9% |
| 1983 | 380,000 tonnes | +5.6% |
| 1984 | 440,000 tonnes | +15.8% |
| 1985 | 425,000 tonnes | -3.4% |
| 1986 | 432,000 tonnes | +1.6% |
| 1987 | 445,000 tonnes | +3.0% |
| 1988 | 448,000 tonnes | +0.7% |
| 1989 | 420,000 tonnes | -6.2% |
| 1990 | 455,000 tonnes | +8.3% |
| 1991 | 440,000 tonnes | -3.3% |
| 1992 | 400,000 tonnes | -9.1% |
| 1993 | 380,000 tonnes | -5.0% |
| 1994 | 400,000 tonnes | +5.3% |
| 1995 | 390,000 tonnes | -2.5% |
| 1996 | 400,000 tonnes | +2.6% |
| 1997 | 360,000 tonnes | -10.0% |
| 1998 | 340,000 tonnes | -5.6% |
| 1999 | 340,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 350,000 tonnes | +2.9% |
| 2001 | 343,000 tonnes | -2.0% |
| 2002 | 350,000 tonnes | +2.0% |
| 2003 | 352,000 tonnes | +0.6% |
| 2004 | 350,000 tonnes | -0.6% |
| 2005 | 340,000 tonnes | -2.9% |
| 2006 | 345,000 tonnes | +1.5% |
| 2007 | 345,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 350,000 tonnes | +1.4% |
| 2009 | 350,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 350,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 350,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 350,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 350,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 350,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 350,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 282,000 tonnes | -19.4% |
| 2017 | 223,325 tonnes | -20.8% |
| 2018 | 135,280 tonnes | -39.4% |
| 2019 | 263,920 tonnes | +95.1% |
| 2020 | 229,892 tonnes | -12.9% |
| 2021 | 190,000 tonnes | -17.4% |
| 2022 | 180,000 tonnes | -5.3% |
| 2023 | 180,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2024 | 180,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 180,000 tonnes is above the median for low income countries, which is 36,705 tonnes, 4.9× the median. (13 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 180,000 tonnes is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 48,564 tonnes, 3.7× the median. (16 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Soybean 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | +95.1% | 135,280 tonnes | 263,920 tonnes |
| 2018 | -39.4% | 223,325 tonnes | 135,280 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 203,889 tonnes | 170,000 tonnes | 245,000 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 284,300 tonnes | 230,000 tonnes | 330,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 404,000 tonnes | 340,000 tonnes | 448,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 390,500 tonnes | 340,000 tonnes | 455,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 347,500 tonnes | 340,000 tonnes | 352,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 300,452 tonnes | 135,280 tonnes | 350,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 191,978 tonnes | 180,000 tonnes | 229,892 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 soybean production in North Korea?
- Soybean production in North Korea was 180,000 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 soybean production recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 455,000 tonnes in 1990.
- What is the lowest soybean production recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 135,280 tonnes in 2018.
- How does North Korea rank for soybean production?
- North Korea ranks 33rd out of 116 countries with data for 2024.
- Is soybean production rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 48.6%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- 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 Soybean 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
Soybean production is measured in tonnes.