Share of cereals allocated to human food vs. GDP per capita in North Korea
North Korea: Share of cereals allocated to human food vs. GDP per capita was 89.0% in 2018. ▲ Rising
Share of cereals allocated to human food vs. GDP per capita in North Korea, 1961–2018
Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of cereals allocated to human food vs. gdp per capita in North Korea is 89.0%, measured in 2018.
The figure is down 0.4% on the previous year and up 5.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of cereals allocated to human food vs. gdp per capita in North Korea peaked at 89.3% in 2017 and was at its lowest, 52.5%, in 1992.
That places North Korea 42nd out of 192 countries with data for 2018, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 58 years of available data.
Share of cereals allocated to human food vs. GDP per capita in North Korea, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 66.3% | — |
| 1962 | 66.4% | +0.1% |
| 1963 | 66.1% | -0.3% |
| 1964 | 66.4% | +0.4% |
| 1965 | 66.6% | +0.3% |
| 1966 | 67.3% | +1.0% |
| 1967 | 66.7% | -0.9% |
| 1968 | 67.9% | +1.7% |
| 1969 | 66.4% | -2.1% |
| 1970 | 66.7% | +0.5% |
| 1971 | 66.7% | -0.0% |
| 1972 | 68.3% | +2.4% |
| 1973 | 65.3% | -4.5% |
| 1974 | 63.6% | -2.5% |
| 1975 | 66.1% | +3.9% |
| 1976 | 65.4% | -1.1% |
| 1977 | 63.9% | -2.2% |
| 1978 | 61.8% | -3.4% |
| 1979 | 63.3% | +2.4% |
| 1980 | 58.1% | -8.2% |
| 1981 | 60.0% | +3.4% |
| 1982 | 55.6% | -7.5% |
| 1983 | 56.3% | +1.4% |
| 1984 | 55.6% | -1.3% |
| 1985 | 55.1% | -0.8% |
| 1986 | 55.4% | +0.5% |
| 1987 | 54.9% | -0.8% |
| 1988 | 52.9% | -3.7% |
| 1989 | 52.8% | -0.2% |
| 1990 | 54.4% | +3.0% |
| 1991 | 52.6% | -3.2% |
| 1992 | 52.5% | -0.3% |
| 1993 | 63.8% | +21.7% |
| 1994 | 85.7% | +34.2% |
| 1995 | 87.3% | +1.9% |
| 1996 | 88.6% | +1.5% |
| 1997 | 88.7% | +0.1% |
| 1998 | 88.2% | -0.5% |
| 1999 | 87.3% | -1.0% |
| 2000 | 86.3% | -1.2% |
| 2001 | 88.7% | +2.9% |
| 2002 | 88.2% | -0.6% |
| 2003 | 87.8% | -0.5% |
| 2004 | 86.4% | -1.6% |
| 2005 | 86.9% | +0.6% |
| 2006 | 84.3% | -3.1% |
| 2007 | 85.1% | +1.0% |
| 2008 | 84.5% | -0.8% |
| 2009 | 85.3% | +0.9% |
| 2010 | 88.3% | +3.5% |
| 2011 | 86.9% | -1.5% |
| 2012 | 83.8% | -3.7% |
| 2013 | 86.7% | +3.5% |
| 2014 | 83.8% | -3.3% |
| 2015 | 86.4% | +3.1% |
| 2016 | 85.8% | -0.7% |
| 2017 | 89.3% | +4.1% |
| 2018 | 89.0% | -0.4% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 66.7% | 66.1% | 67.9% | 9 |
| 1970s | 65.1% | 61.8% | 68.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 55.7% | 52.8% | 60.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 74.9% | 52.5% | 88.7% | 10 |
| 2000s | 86.4% | 84.3% | 88.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 86.7% | 83.8% | 89.3% | 9 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
- 39 Sri Lanka 90.9% compare
- 40 Cote d'Ivoire 89.9% compare
- 41 Democratic Republic of Congo 89.8% compare
- 43 Antigua and Barbuda 88.9% compare
- 44 Malawi 88.3% compare
- 45 Zimbabwe 88.1% compare
More agriculture & rural data for North Korea
- Rural population, annual growth rate -0.6454 % change on previous year (2025)
- Rural population, per capita 0.3581 units per person (2025)
- Rural population 9.52 million (2025)
- Rural population growth -0.6% (2025)
- Rural population 35.8% (2025)
- Seafood production: wild fish catch vs. aquaculture 685,700 metric tons (2024)
- Cereal yield 3,610 kg per hectare (2024)
- Cereal production 4.89 million metric tons (2024)
- Cereal yield vs. GDP per capita 3.61 kg per hectare (2024)
- Milk per animal 2,342 kilograms per animal (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is share of cereals allocated to human food vs. gdp per capita in North Korea?
- Share of cereals allocated to human food vs. gdp per capita in North Korea was 89.0% in 2018, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of cereals allocated to human food vs. gdp per capita recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 89.3% in 2017.
- What is the lowest share of cereals allocated to human food vs. gdp per capita recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 52.5% in 1992.
- How does North Korea rank for share of cereals allocated to human food vs. gdp per capita?
- North Korea ranks 42nd out of 192 countries with data for 2018.
- Is share of cereals allocated to human food vs. gdp per capita rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is up 5.3%. 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 Share of cereals allocated to human food vs. GDP per capita. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Share of domestic cereal supply allocated to direct human food, rather than animal feed or biofuels. GDP is adjusted for inflation and differences in living costs across countries.