Wheat production in North Korea
North Korea: Wheat production was 90,073 tonnes in 2024. ▬ Flat
Latest (2024)
90,073 tonnes
Change on year
up 1.9%
World rank
83rd
of 126 countries
All-time high
199,000 tonnes
in 2006
All-time low
39,000 tonnes
in 2016
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Wheat 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
North Korea recorded 90,073 tonnes for wheat production in 2024.
The figure is up 1.9% on the previous year and up 100.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, wheat production in North Korea peaked at 199,000 tonnes in 2006 and was at its lowest, 39,000 tonnes, in 2016.
That places North Korea 83rd out of 126 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
Wheat production in North Korea, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 85,000 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 87,000 tonnes | +2.4% |
| 1963 | 94,000 tonnes | +8.0% |
| 1964 | 98,000 tonnes | +4.3% |
| 1965 | 88,000 tonnes | -10.2% |
| 1966 | 96,000 tonnes | +9.1% |
| 1967 | 91,000 tonnes | -5.2% |
| 1968 | 87,000 tonnes | -4.4% |
| 1969 | 88,000 tonnes | +1.1% |
| 1970 | 88,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1971 | 91,000 tonnes | +3.4% |
| 1972 | 87,000 tonnes | -4.4% |
| 1973 | 98,000 tonnes | +12.6% |
| 1974 | 102,000 tonnes | +4.1% |
| 1975 | 106,000 tonnes | +3.9% |
| 1976 | 108,000 tonnes | +1.9% |
| 1977 | 115,000 tonnes | +6.5% |
| 1978 | 111,000 tonnes | -3.5% |
| 1979 | 115,000 tonnes | +3.6% |
| 1980 | 99,000 tonnes | -13.9% |
| 1981 | 114,000 tonnes | +15.2% |
| 1982 | 121,000 tonnes | +6.1% |
| 1983 | 124,000 tonnes | +2.5% |
| 1984 | 132,000 tonnes | +6.5% |
| 1985 | 127,000 tonnes | -3.8% |
| 1986 | 143,000 tonnes | +12.6% |
| 1987 | 133,000 tonnes | -7.0% |
| 1988 | 128,000 tonnes | -3.8% |
| 1989 | 129,000 tonnes | +0.8% |
| 1990 | 116,000 tonnes | -10.1% |
| 1991 | 135,000 tonnes | +16.4% |
| 1992 | 123,000 tonnes | -8.9% |
| 1993 | 123,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 125,000 tonnes | +1.6% |
| 1995 | 125,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1996 | 100,000 tonnes | -20.0% |
| 1997 | 100,000 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 165,000 tonnes | +65.0% |
| 1999 | 97,000 tonnes | -41.2% |
| 2000 | 50,000 tonnes | -48.5% |
| 2001 | 123,866 tonnes | +147.7% |
| 2002 | 145,000 tonnes | +17.1% |
| 2003 | 161,000 tonnes | +11.0% |
| 2004 | 175,000 tonnes | +8.7% |
| 2005 | 193,000 tonnes | +10.3% |
| 2006 | 199,000 tonnes | +3.1% |
| 2007 | 195,000 tonnes | -2.0% |
| 2008 | 175,000 tonnes | -10.3% |
| 2009 | 169,000 tonnes | -3.4% |
| 2010 | 160,000 tonnes | -5.3% |
| 2011 | 127,000 tonnes | -20.6% |
| 2012 | 74,000 tonnes | -41.7% |
| 2013 | 75,000 tonnes | +1.4% |
| 2014 | 45,000 tonnes | -40.0% |
| 2015 | 55,000 tonnes | +22.2% |
| 2016 | 39,000 tonnes | -29.1% |
| 2017 | 43,800 tonnes | +12.3% |
| 2018 | 50,900 tonnes | +16.2% |
| 2019 | 87,500 tonnes | +71.9% |
| 2020 | 89,000 tonnes | +1.7% |
| 2021 | 88,250 tonnes | -0.8% |
| 2022 | 88,600 tonnes | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 88,400 tonnes | -0.2% |
| 2024 | 90,073 tonnes | +1.9% |
North Korea compared with similar countries
- North Korea's 90,073 tonnes is above the median for low income countries, which is 20,708 tonnes, 4.3× the median. (18 countries reporting)
- North Korea's 90,073 tonnes is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 243,666 tonnes, 37% of the median. (10 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Wheat 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 | +147.7% | 50,000 tonnes | 123,866 tonnes |
| 2019 | +71.9% | 50,900 tonnes | 87,500 tonnes |
| 1998 | +65.0% | 100,000 tonnes | 165,000 tonnes |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 90,444 tonnes | 85,000 tonnes | 98,000 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 102,100 tonnes | 87,000 tonnes | 115,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 125,000 tonnes | 99,000 tonnes | 143,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 120,900 tonnes | 97,000 tonnes | 165,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 158,587 tonnes | 50,000 tonnes | 199,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 75,720 tonnes | 39,000 tonnes | 160,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 88,865 tonnes | 88,250 tonnes | 90,073 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 wheat production in North Korea?
- Wheat production in North Korea was 90,073 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 wheat production recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 199,000 tonnes in 2006.
- What is the lowest wheat production recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 39,000 tonnes in 2016.
- How does North Korea rank for wheat production?
- North Korea ranks 83rd out of 126 countries with data for 2024.
- Is wheat production rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 100.2%. 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 Wheat 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
Wheat production is measured in tonnes.