Topic 13 of 18 · Country Index 2026
North Korea: Food & Agriculture
What does a country grow, and what does it take to grow it?
North Korea is placed 49th of 184 countries on food & agriculture in the Country Index 2026, from 2 of its 4 key statistics. Readings behind it: Progress Toward Productive and Sustainable Agriculture (SDG 2.4.1 Proxy) 3.67 (2024); Cereal Yield 3,539 (2023).
Share
Food & Agriculture
49th
of 184 countries placed
Placed from 2 of 4 key statistics
Not placed in the Country Index 2026 overall: measured on too few topics.
- 3.67Progress Toward Productive and Sustainable Agriculture (SDG 2.4.1 Proxy), 2024Current status score, from 1 (worst) to 5 (best), averaged over up to seven sub-indicators
- 3,539Cereal Yield, 2023Cereal yield (kg per hectare)
- —Dietary Energy Supply, 2024No reading for this country
- —Agriculture Orientation Index, 2024No reading for this country
01The evidence
The 4 key statistics that decide it
Only these place North Korea on food & agriculture — one vote each. Every value is the publisher’s own, read at the edition the Country Index 2026 used; the grey ticks are every other country it was compared with, lowest on the left.
Key 1 of 4
Progress Toward Productive and Sustainable Agriculture (SDG 2.4.1 Proxy)
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Why it is a key: How productive and how sustainable a country's farming is at once — output, inputs, water, emissions and farm work scored together, which is what it takes to grow food rather than how much is grown.
2024 edition · data for 2024 · CC BY 4.0
3.67
Current status score, from 1 (worst) to 5 (best), averaged over up to seven sub-indicators
Higher is better
North Korea: 3.67. Across the 186 countries in this edition, values run from 1.67 (Tuvalu) to 4.57 (Italy); the world median is 3.14.
- World median
- 3.14
- Best in Eastern Asia
- 4.17 China and Japan
- Land neighbours
- China 4.17 · South Korea 3.29 · Russia 3.86
Each grey tick is one of 186 countries in the 2024 edition.
Key 2 of 4
Cereal Yield
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Why it is a key: How much food a hectare of land produces: the clearest single measure of how productively a country farms.
2023 edition · data for 2023 · CC BY 4.0
3,539
Cereal yield (kg per hectare)
Higher is better
North Korea: 3,539. Across the 179 countries in this edition, values run from 23 (Cabo Verde) to 29,147 (Oman); the world median is 3,072.
- World median
- 3,072
- Best in Eastern Asia
- 6,615 South Korea
- Land neighbours
- China 6,418 · South Korea 6,615 · Russia 3,167
Each grey tick is one of 179 countries in the 2023 edition.
Key 3 of 4
Dietary Energy Supply
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Why it is a key: Whether the food a country produces and imports covers what its population needs to eat, measured before anyone has eaten it.
2024 edition · data for 2024 · CC BY 4.0
No reading
Dietary energy supply (kcal per person per day)
Higher is better
FAO publishes no 2024 figure for North Korea, so the standing rests on the other keys.
Across the 155 countries in this edition, values run from 1,757 (Somalia) to 3,962 (United States); the world median is 2,982.
- World median
- 2,982
- Best in Eastern Asia
- 3,504 China
- Land neighbours
- China 3,504 · South Korea 3,419 · Russia 3,578
Each grey tick is one of 155 countries in the 2024 edition.
Key 4 of 4
Agriculture Orientation Index
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Why it is a key: How much public spending agriculture attracts set against the share of the economy it produces — whether a state invests in its farms or lives off them.
2024 edition · data for 2024 · CC BY 4.0
No reading
Agriculture orientation index (1.0 = spending matches sector size)
Higher is better
FAO publishes no 2024 figure for North Korea, so the standing rests on the other keys.
Across the 132 countries in this edition, values run from 0.03 (Ghana) to 5.38 (Singapore); the world median is 0.305.
- World median
- 0.305
- Best in Eastern Asia
- 0.95 China
- Land neighbours
- China 0.95 · Russia 0.35
Each grey tick is one of 132 countries in the 2024 edition.
02Over time
Which way North Korea is moving
Each key’s published value, edition by edition, beside the world median. The Country Index 2026 is the first edition of the standing, so the standing itself has no history to chart yet.
Progress Toward Productive and Sustainable Agriculture (SDG 2.4.1 Proxy)
Current status score, from 1 (worst) to 5 (best), averaged over up to seven sub-indicators · higher is better
North KoreaWorld median
North Korea fell from 4 in 2015 to 3.67 in 2024; the world median went from 3.14 to 3.14.
Every year’s figures
Year North Korea World median 2024 3.7 3.1 2023 3.7 3.1 2022 3.7 3.2 2021 3.7 3.1 2020 3.8 3.1 2019 3.7 3.1 2018 3.3 3.2 2017 3.5 3.1 2016 3.5 3.1 2015 4.0 3.1 Cereal Yield
Cereal yield (kg per hectare) · higher is better
North KoreaWorld median
North Korea rose from 2,375 in 2000 to 3,539 in 2023; the world median went from 2,170 to 3,072.
Every year’s figures
Year North Korea World median 2023 3,539 3,072 2022 3,558 3,217 2021 3,538 3,003 2020 3,492 3,260 2019 4,382 3,106 2018 3,504 2,883 2017 4,016 2,984 2016 4,080 3,043 2015 3,654 3,000 2014 4,152 3,001 2013 3,980 2,970 2012 3,922 2,782 2011 3,586 2,754 2010 3,424 2,647 2009 3,364 2,653 2008 3,555 2,664 2007 2,922 2,553 2006 3,544 2,514 2005 3,368 2,512 2004 3,430 2,428 2003 3,250 2,331 2002 3,191 2,378 2001 3,016 2,199 2000 2,375 2,170 Dietary Energy Supply
Dietary energy supply (kcal per person per day) · higher is better
North KoreaWorld median
North Korea fell from 2,133 in 2001 to 2,022 in 2018; the world median went from 2,628 to 2,893.
Every year’s figures
Year North Korea World median 2024 — 2,982.0 2023 — 2,969.0 2022 — 2,962.5 2021 — 2,967.0 2020 — 2,934.0 2019 — 2,912.5 2018 2,022 2,893.0 2017 2,017 2,886.0 2016 2,037 2,863.0 2015 2,048 2,835.0 2014 2,055 2,844.0 2013 2,064 2,856.0 2012 2,062 2,838.0 2011 2,063 2,827.5 2010 2,067 2,808.0 2009 2,075 2,818.0 2008 2,091 2,811.0 2007 2,108 2,810.5 2006 2,136 2,772.0 2005 2,167 2,740.5 2004 2,183 2,712.5 2003 2,183 2,685.0 2002 2,147 2,667.0 2001 2,133 2,628.0
03In context
North Korea beside its neighbours
A position reads best beside the countries around it. Every position below is a place among all 184 countries on food & agriculture, never a place within the region.
North Korea and the countries it borders
The standing is each country’s place among all 184 placed on the topic; the other columns are the publishers’ own values, read at the edition the standing used.
| Country | Standing | Progress Toward Productive and Sustainable Agriculture (SDG 2.4.1 Proxy)Current status score, from 1 (worst) to 5 (best), averaged over up to seven sub-indicators | Cereal YieldCereal yield (kg per hectare) | Dietary Energy SupplyDietary energy supply (kcal per person per day) | Agriculture Orientation IndexAgriculture orientation index (1.0 = spending matches sector size) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 China | 6th | 4.17 | 6,418 | 3,504 | 0.95 |
 South Koreacompare | 32nd | 3.29 | 6,615 | 3,419 | — |
 Russia | 40th | 3.86 | 3,167 | 3,578 | 0.35 |
| North Korea | 49th | 3.67 | 3,539 | — | — |
“—” means the publisher gives no reading for that country in that edition. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed.
Across Eastern Asia
Every country in the sub-region, by its place among all 184.
Placed either side on food & agriculture
The countries immediately above and below North Korea in the topic’s list.
04Context, no vote
Where North Korea is ahead of the world, and behind
14 more statistics filed under food & agriculture, published in full and deliberately given no vote in the standing. Select a row for the publisher, the rank and the links.
Ahead of the world median1
Statistics on which North Korea does better than the middle country measured.
Agricultural Emissions IntensityFAO · 2023 · world median 1.5650.981.565▲ Improved since 2013
North Korea: 0.98 · world median 1.565 · Greenhouse gases from farming per value of agricultural output (kg CO₂eq per international dollar). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 28.2; lower is better.
Position 140th of 190 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = worst. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Behind the world median3
Statistics on which North Korea does worse than the middle country measured.
Livestock Production IndexFAO · 2022 · world median 107.0695.4107.06▼ Worsened since 2012
North Korea: 95.4 · world median 107.06 · Livestock production index (2014–2016 = 100). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2022 edition, data for 2022.
Published values in that edition run from 35.52 to 190.08; higher is better.
Position 157th of 194 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Crop Production IndexFAO · 2022 · world median 106.2392.58106.23▼ Worsened since 2012
North Korea: 92.58 · world median 106.23 · Crop production index (2014–2016 = 100). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2022 edition, data for 2022.
Published values in that edition run from 53.79 to 189.93; higher is better.
Position 166th of 195 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Food Production IndexFAO · 2022 · world median 106.0892.69106.08▼ Worsened since 2012
North Korea: 92.69 · world median 106.08 · Food production index (2014–2016 = 100). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2022 edition, data for 2022.
Published values in that edition run from 71.08 to 177.49; higher is better.
Position 169th of 195 — derived here by ordering the published values, 1st = best. The publisher ranks no country on this.
No better end10
These describe the shape of a country — more is not better or worse, only different — so they are never ahead or behind.
Employment in AgricultureILO · 2025 · world median 14.3854.0814.38Moved since 2015
North Korea: 54.08 · world median 14.38 · Employment in agriculture (% of total employment). International Labour Organization (ILO), 2025 edition, data for 2025.
Published values in that edition run from 0.095 to 85.34.
Position 19th of 182 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Fisheries and Aquaculture ProductionFAO · 2024 · world median 52,375291,06552,375No real change since 2014
North Korea: 291,065 · world median 52,375 · Fish, crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic animals caught or farmed, tonnes (live weight). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2024 edition, data for 2024.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 70,500,841.
Water Withdrawal by SectorFAO · 2022 · world median 62.1476.3562.14No real change since 2012
North Korea: 76.35 · world median 62.14 · Freshwater withdrawn for agriculture (% of total). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2022 edition, data for 2022.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 99.48.
Position 57th of 171 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Land Under Cereal ProductionFAO · 2023 · world median 689,2781,352,806689,278No real change since 2013
North Korea: 1,352,806 · world median 689,278 · Land under cereal production (hectares). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 103,715,108.
Position 68th of 179 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Livestock DensityFAO · 2023 · world median 0.5350.570.535No real change since 2013
North Korea: 0.57 · world median 0.535 · Livestock units per hectare of agricultural land. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.02 to 43.97.
Position 87th of 188 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Agricultural EmissionsFAO · 2023 · world median 8,6356,3668,635Moved since 2013
North Korea: 6,366 · world median 8,635 · Farm-gate emissions (kt CO₂eq). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 1,044,508.
Position 115th of 193 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Arable Land per PersonFAO · 2023 · world median 0.1090.0870.109Moved since 2013
North Korea: 0.087 · world median 0.109 · Arable land (hectares per person). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 1.459.
Position 121st of 206 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Cropland Nitrogen BalanceFAO · 2023 · world median 37.6319.2137.63Moved since 2013
North Korea: 19.21 · world median 37.63 · Nitrogen surplus (+) or deficit (−) on cropland, kg per hectare. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from -555.52 to 1,199.
Agricultural LandFAO · 2023 · world median 37.9621.5537.96No real change since 2013
North Korea: 21.55 · world median 37.96 · Agricultural land (% of land area). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0.445 to 86.48.
Position 145th of 209 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
Fertilizer Consumption per HectareFAO · 2023 · world median 87.3614.6887.36Moved since 2013
North Korea: 14.68 · world median 87.36 · Fertilizer consumption (kg per hectare of arable land). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2023 edition, data for 2023.
Published values in that edition run from 0 to 2,926.
Position 152nd of 188 — derived here by ordering the published values, counted from the highest value. The publisher ranks no country on this.
No current reading for North Korea
Agricultural Irrigated Land, Agriculture Orientation Index, Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing Value Added (% of GDP), Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing Value Added per Worker, Cereal Import Dependency Ratio (last 2017), Dietary Energy Supply (last 2018), Fish and Seafood Supply per Person (last 2018), Fruit Supply per Person (last 2018), Global Report on Food Crises (last 2016), Legal Guarantees of Women's Equal Rights to Land, Meat Supply per Person (last 2018), Organic Agricultural Area, Per Capita Food Supply Variability (last 2018), Pesticide Use per Hectare, Prevalence of Severe Food Insecurity, Prevalence of Undernourishment (last 2018), Share of Dietary Energy Supply from Cereals, Roots and Tubers (last 2017), Vegetable Supply per Person (last 2018) and Women's Share of Agricultural Landowners. Listed rather than hidden, so the page can be checked against it.
05Country Index 2026
Food & Agriculture among North Korea’s 10 topics
Food & Agriculture is North Korea’s best-placed topic of 10. Strongest first; each marker sits at the position divided by that topic’s field, so fields of different sizes compare fairly.
- Food & Agriculture49th of 1842/4 keys
- Energy51st of 1652/3 keys
- Work & Labour81st of 1824/4 keys
- Peace & Security94th of 1773/4 keys
- Health & Wellbeing115th of 2003/4 keys
- Digital & Technology119th of 1983/4 keys
- Environment & Sustainabilityjoint 121st of 1862/4 keys
- Risk & Resilience147th of 1933/4 keys
- Governance & Institutionsjoint 191st of 1943/4 keys
- Democracy & Civil Liberties196th of 1983/4 keys
No standing on Economy & Innovation, Education & Knowledge, Development & Human Capital, Gender & Equality, Mobility & Trade, Poverty & Inequality: too few of those topics’ key statistics are published for this country.
06The top of the list
Who leads on food & agriculture
The three countries placed highest of 184, and the leaders North Korea can most readily be measured against.
1
SerbiaSouthern Europe
1st of 184 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: Lošmi derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
2
AustriaWestern Europe
2nd of 184 · 4 of 4 keys
Photo: chensiyuan · CC BY-SA 4.0, greyscale
3
MaltaSouthern Europe
3rd of 184 · 3 of 4 keys
Photo: Dirk Heldmaier derivative work: Jjtkk · CC BY-SA 3.0, greyscale
Placed highest nearby
Highest in Asia
Japan5th2/4 keysThis page
North Korea49th2/4 keys
Positions out of 184 placed on the topic. A country needs readings on enough keys to be placed, and the top of the list is often held on fewer of them.
07Questions
North Korea on food & agriculture: questions answered
Every answer is built from the numbers on this page, so none can say something the page does not.
How does North Korea rank on food & agriculture?
North Korea is placed 49th of 184 countries on Food & Agriculture in the Country Index 2026, from 2 of its 4 key statistics (Progress Toward Productive and Sustainable Agriculture (SDG 2.4.1 Proxy) and Cereal Yield). The position is this site’s ordering of published statistics, not a rank any publisher printed.
What is the latest Progress Toward Productive and Sustainable Agriculture (SDG 2.4.1 Proxy) figure for North Korea?
3.67 in 2024 (current status score, from 1 (worst) to 5 (best), averaged over up to seven sub-indicators), according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The world median in the same edition was 3.14.
What is the latest Cereal Yield figure for North Korea?
3,539 in 2023 (cereal yield (kg per hectare)), according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The world median in the same edition was 3,072.
How does North Korea compare with China on food & agriculture?
China is placed 6th of 184, and North Korea 49th. Progress Toward Productive and Sustainable Agriculture (SDG 2.4.1 Proxy): China 4.17, North Korea 3.67; Cereal Yield: China 6,418, North Korea 3,539.
How have North Korea’s food & agriculture figures changed?
Progress Toward Productive and Sustainable Agriculture (SDG 2.4.1 Proxy) fell from 4 in 2015 to 3.67 in 2024; Cereal Yield rose from 2,375 in 2000 to 3,539 in 2023; Dietary Energy Supply fell from 2,133 in 2001 to 2,022 in 2018.
Which food & agriculture statistics are missing for North Korea?
No current reading is published for North Korea on Agricultural Irrigated Land, Agriculture Orientation Index, Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing Value Added (% of GDP), Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing Value Added per Worker, Cereal Import Dependency Ratio, Dietary Energy Supply, Fish and Seafood Supply per Person, Fruit Supply per Person, Global Report on Food Crises, Legal Guarantees of Women's Equal Rights to Land, Meat Supply per Person, Organic Agricultural Area, Per Capita Food Supply Variability, Pesticide Use per Hectare, Prevalence of Severe Food Insecurity, Prevalence of Undernourishment, Share of Dietary Energy Supply from Cereals, Roots and Tubers, Vegetable Supply per Person and Women's Share of Agricultural Landowners. They are listed rather than hidden, so the evidence on the page can be checked against it.
08Keep reading
Explore further
North Korea, topic by topic
- Governance & Institutions=191st of 194
- Work & Labour81st of 182
- Health & Wellbeing115th of 200
- Environment & Sustainability=121st of 186
- Democracy & Civil Liberties196th of 198
- Peace & Security94th of 177
- Risk & Resilience147th of 193
- Energy51st of 165
- Digital & Technology119th of 198
- The full North Korea profile
Nearby, on food & agriculture
The key statistics, for every country
09Method
Method, sources and how to cite
What this topic does not measure
This subject is about production and land use, not about whether people are fed. Hunger, undernourishment and what a population actually eats are measured under Health & Wellbeing, and the two regularly disagree — a country can grow a great deal and still leave many people short, and one that grows little can be well fed by trade. The wider environmental cost of farming — emissions, water withdrawal, forest cover — is filed under Environment & Sustainability.
How the Food & Agriculture standing is decided, step by step
A standing is a place in a list, not a mark out of anything. This one is part of the Country Index 2026, and it is worked out like this.
- A few key indicators decide it; the rest are context. 4 indicators on this topic are keys and 31 are charted alongside them without a vote. That split is the point: if every statistic voted, importing five more of one kind would quietly change what the topic is about.
- Each key is read at one edition. ⚠ The keys behind this standing do not all describe the same year — they run from 2023 to 2024, because publishers release on their own schedules. Read the standing as “how this country places now”, not as a snapshot of one year.
- Every country’s published value is turned into a place within that one key’s own field, and then expressed as a share of that field — how far down this key’s list the country sits, rather than how many countries are above it. Keys where a higher published number is worse (terrorism, hunger, disaster risk) are turned round first, so the good end is always the same end.
- Dividing by the field first is the whole reason this works. A place carries the size of its list inside it: 22nd of 44 and 108th of 215 are the same showing, and averaging the numbers 22 and 108 says loudly that they are not. Fields on this site run from about 44 countries to about 215, so averaging raw places would reward a country for happening to be measured in small ones. Dividing each place by its own field removes the size and leaves only the showing.
- The shares are averaged, plainly. One key, one vote — no key is weighted above another, because any weighting would be this site’s opinion presented as a measurement. Countries are then put in order by that average, and the average itself is never published. It is our arithmetic with nothing anchoring it, so printing it would invite it to be read as a measurement somebody made. The position it produces, the band, and the keys it was built from are all published instead — every one of them checkable against the tables on this page.
- A country needs 2 of this topic’s 4 keys — half, rounded up, and never fewer than 2. A standing built from one reading, printed beside one built from four, is two different things sharing a column heading. 184 countries clear the bar here.
- A key has to earn its vote every edition. It must measure at least 120 countries (below that it starts measuring who was surveyed rather than the world), it must not have more than 10% of its field tied at either end, and it must not repeat another key in the same topic — Spearman correlation above 0.92 counts as repeating. A topic needs at least 2 surviving keys to place anyone at all; this one has 4.
- A standing is relative, and the grouping is ours. It says where a country places against the others measured alongside it, so it moves when they move. The publishers listed on this page did not agree to be read together, and each measures its subject its own way: the underlying numbers are theirs, the ordering on top is this site’s — the same method as the rest of the Country Index, applied to one subject instead of all of them.
The key statistics and their licences
- Progress Toward Productive and Sustainable Agriculture (SDG 2.4.1 Proxy) — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), CC BY 4.0
- Cereal Yield — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), CC BY 4.0
- Dietary Energy Supply — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), CC BY 4.0
- Agriculture Orientation Index — Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), CC BY 4.0
The other 14 statistics on this page come from 2 publishers, each named beside its numbers, with every edition and licence on the datasets pages.
The standing itself is part of the Country Index 2026, published under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photographs
North Korea’s banner and the countries placed highest, from their profiles: Wikimedia Commons, shown in greyscale, each used under the licence named.
- Serbia — Lošmi derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Austria — chensiyuan, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Malta — Dirk Heldmaier derivative work: Jjtkk, CC BY-SA 3.0
Cite this page
Nations Inquiry (2026). North Korea: Food & Agriculture — standing and statistics, Country Index 2026. https://nationsinquiry.com/countries/north-korea/food