Beef production in North Korea
North Korea: Beef production was 20,349 tonnes in 2024. ▼ Falling
Latest (2024)
20,349 tonnes
Change on year
down 0.3%
World rank
125th
of 198 countries
All-time high
42,000 tonnes
in 1988
All-time low
18,750 tonnes
in 1997
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Beef 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
The most recent figure for beef production in North Korea is 20,349 tonnes, measured in 2024.
That represents a change of down 0.3% on the previous year and down 5.2% over ten years.
Over the whole period, beef production in North Korea peaked at 42,000 tonnes in 1988 and was at its lowest, 18,750 tonnes, in 1997.
That places North Korea 125th out of 198 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 64 years of available data.
Beef production in North Korea, year by year
| Year | tonnes | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 20,160 tonnes | — |
| 1962 | 19,950 tonnes | -1.0% |
| 1963 | 20,160 tonnes | +1.1% |
| 1964 | 20,370 tonnes | +1.0% |
| 1965 | 20,400 tonnes | +0.1% |
| 1966 | 20,550 tonnes | +0.7% |
| 1967 | 20,700 tonnes | +0.7% |
| 1968 | 21,000 tonnes | +1.4% |
| 1969 | 21,600 tonnes | +2.9% |
| 1970 | 21,900 tonnes | +1.4% |
| 1971 | 22,500 tonnes | +2.7% |
| 1972 | 22,950 tonnes | +2.0% |
| 1973 | 23,400 tonnes | +2.0% |
| 1974 | 24,450 tonnes | +4.5% |
| 1975 | 25,500 tonnes | +4.3% |
| 1976 | 26,250 tonnes | +2.9% |
| 1977 | 27,450 tonnes | +4.6% |
| 1978 | 28,500 tonnes | +3.8% |
| 1979 | 29,550 tonnes | +3.7% |
| 1980 | 30,750 tonnes | +4.1% |
| 1981 | 31,500 tonnes | +2.4% |
| 1982 | 32,250 tonnes | +2.4% |
| 1983 | 34,500 tonnes | +7.0% |
| 1984 | 35,550 tonnes | +3.0% |
| 1985 | 37,500 tonnes | +5.5% |
| 1986 | 39,000 tonnes | +4.0% |
| 1987 | 41,250 tonnes | +5.8% |
| 1988 | 42,000 tonnes | +1.8% |
| 1989 | 37,950 tonnes | -9.6% |
| 1990 | 34,500 tonnes | -9.1% |
| 1991 | 30,000 tonnes | -13.0% |
| 1992 | 30,300 tonnes | +1.0% |
| 1993 | 31,050 tonnes | +2.5% |
| 1994 | 31,500 tonnes | +1.4% |
| 1995 | 42,000 tonnes | +33.3% |
| 1996 | 21,750 tonnes | -48.2% |
| 1997 | 18,750 tonnes | -13.8% |
| 1998 | 19,500 tonnes | +4.0% |
| 1999 | 19,950 tonnes | +2.3% |
| 2000 | 20,025 tonnes | +0.4% |
| 2001 | 21,450 tonnes | +7.1% |
| 2002 | 21,600 tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2003 | 21,750 tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2004 | 21,300 tonnes | -2.1% |
| 2005 | 21,450 tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2006 | 21,600 tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2007 | 21,750 tonnes | +0.7% |
| 2008 | 21,750 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 21,750 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 21,795 tonnes | +0.2% |
| 2011 | 21,795 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 21,975 tonnes | +0.8% |
| 2013 | 21,975 tonnes | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 21,468 tonnes | -2.3% |
| 2015 | 21,102 tonnes | -1.7% |
| 2016 | 20,817 tonnes | -1.4% |
| 2017 | 20,791 tonnes | -0.1% |
| 2018 | 20,855 tonnes | +0.3% |
| 2019 | 20,868 tonnes | +0.1% |
| 2020 | 20,809 tonnes | -0.3% |
| 2021 | 20,693 tonnes | -0.6% |
| 2022 | 20,336 tonnes | -1.7% |
| 2023 | 20,403 tonnes | +0.3% |
| 2024 | 20,349 tonnes | -0.3% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 20,543 tonnes | 19,950 tonnes | 21,600 tonnes | 9 |
| 1970s | 25,245 tonnes | 21,900 tonnes | 29,550 tonnes | 10 |
| 1980s | 36,225 tonnes | 30,750 tonnes | 42,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 1990s | 27,930 tonnes | 18,750 tonnes | 42,000 tonnes | 10 |
| 2000s | 21,442 tonnes | 20,025 tonnes | 21,750 tonnes | 10 |
| 2010s | 21,344 tonnes | 20,791 tonnes | 21,975 tonnes | 10 |
| 2020s | 20,518 tonnes | 20,336 tonnes | 20,809 tonnes | 5 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
More agriculture & rural data for North Korea
- Rural population 35.8% (2025)
- Rural population growth -0.6% (2025)
- Rural population 9.52 million (2025)
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.6454 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3581 units per person (2025)
- Land under cereal production 1.35 million hectares (2024)
- Cereal production 4.89 million metric tons (2024)
- Cereal yield 3,610 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal yield vs. GDP per capita 3.61 kg per hectare (2024)
- Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture 685,700 metric tons (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is beef production in North Korea?
- Beef production in North Korea was 20,349 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 beef production recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 42,000 tonnes in 1988.
- What is the lowest beef production recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 18,750 tonnes in 1997.
- How does North Korea rank for beef production?
- North Korea ranks 125th out of 198 countries with data for 2024.
- Is beef production rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 5.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- 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 Beef 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).