Arms imports in North Korea
North Korea: Arms imports was 1.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values in 2010. ◆ Volatile
Arms imports in North Korea, 1960–2010
Source: Arms Transfers Programme, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in SIPRI trend indicator values.
Analysis
The most recent figure for arms imports in North Korea is 1.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values, measured in 2010. That is the lowest value across all 51 years on record.
The figure is down 75.0% on the previous year and down 98.4% over ten years.
Over the whole period, arms imports in North Korea peaked at 1.50 billion SIPRI trend indicator values in 1971 and was at its lowest, 1.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values, in 2010.
North Korea ranks 157th of 172 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 482.30 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 69.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 1.32 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 10 |
| 1970s | 603.30 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 297.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 1.50 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 10 |
| 1980s | 604.20 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 112.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 1.07 billion SIPRI trend indicator values | 10 |
| 1990s | 146.30 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 54.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 340.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 10 |
| 2000s | 25.70 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 4.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 73.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 10 |
| 2010s | 1.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 1.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 1.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values | 1 |
Countries ranked near North Korea
- 157 Belize 1.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values compare
- 157 Comoros 1.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values compare
- 157 Gabon 1.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values compare
- 157 Lesotho 1.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values compare
- 157 Madagascar 1.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values compare
- 157 Mozambique 1.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values compare
- 157 North Macedonia 1.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values compare
- 157 Yemen 1.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values compare
- 157 Zambia 1.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values compare
More public sector data for North Korea
- Military expenditure 1.60 billion current USD (2018)
- Armed forces personnel, total 1.47 million (2020)
- Armed forces personnel 8.6% (2020)
- Statistical performance indicators (SPI): Pillar 1 data use score 10 scale 0-100 (2024)
- Statistical performance indicators (SPI): Pillar 3 data products score 46.56 scale 0-100 (2024)
- Military expenditure 216.60 billion current LCU (2018)
- Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments 17.6% (2025)
- Internally displaced persons, new displacement associated with disaste 200 number of cases (2022)
- Arms exports 243.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is arms imports in North Korea?
- Arms imports in North Korea was 1.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values in 2010, according to Arms Transfers Programme, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest arms imports recorded in North Korea?
- The highest recorded value was 1.50 billion SIPRI trend indicator values in 1971.
- What is the lowest arms imports recorded in North Korea?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values in 2010.
- How does North Korea rank for arms imports?
- North Korea ranks 157th out of 172 countries with data for 2010.
- Is arms imports rising or falling in North Korea?
- Over the last ten years it is down 98.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this North Korea data come from?
- The figures come from Arms Transfers Programme, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), published as part of Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 51 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Arms transfers (imports) cover the volume of transfers of major arms through sales and gifts, and those made through manufacturing licenses. Data cover major conventional weapons such as aircraft, armored vehicles, artillery, radar systems, missiles, and ships. Figures are SIPRI Trend Indicator Values (TIVs). A '0' indicates that the volume of deliveries is between 0 and 0.5 million SIPRI TIV.