North Korean economy hits 3 percent growth for third straight year: BOK
South Korea’s central bank said North Korea’s economy expanded 3.5 percent in 2025, helped by deeper ties with Russia, increased trade with China and state-led construction projects.
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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, center right, walks with his daughter Ju-ae, center left, at a public event held in Pyongyang on Feb. 16 in a photo carried by the state-controlled Korean Central News Agency.NEWS1
The North Korean economy grew more than 3 percent for the third consecutive year in 2025, supported by expanded economic cooperation with Russia, South Korea's central bank said Friday.
North Korea's GDP is estimated to have expanded 3.5 percent from a year earlier in 2025, following 3.7 percent on year growth in 2024 and 3.1 percent growth in 2023, according to a report from the Bank of Korea (BOK).
"Expanded economic cooperation with Russia, increased trade with China and national policy projects helped North Korea post growth of more than 3 percent for three consecutive years," a BOK official said.
"In particular, the North's real GDP has surpassed its 2017 level, when United Nations sanctions were imposed," the official added.
Pyongyang deployed around 15,000 combat troops to support Russia in its war against Ukraine after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a strategic partnership treaty in June 2024.
The mining and manufacturing sector rose 4.9 percent on year in 2025 due to growth in the manufacturing industry.
The BOK said weapons production for Russia increased, while a growing number of Russian tourists helped boost food production.
The construction sector expanded 6.3 percent on year, mainly due to increased nonresidential construction and public works under the regime's regional development project, which aims to build modern hospitals in 20 cities and counties each year.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un speaks at a public event held in Pyongyang on Feb. 16 in a photo carried by the state-controlled Korean Central News Agency.YONHAP
The service sector also grew 1.8 percent last year, while the agricultural sector gained 3.6 percent.
Mining and manufacturing accounted for 30.1 percent of the country's total GDP, with the service sector accounting for 29.6 percent and the agriculture sector 21.2 percent, according to the South Korean central bank.
North Korea's nominal gross national income (GNI) was estimated at 48.5 trillion won ($33.8 billion) in 2025, equivalent to just 1.8 percent of South Korea's GNI of 2.72 quadrillion won.
The North's GNI per capita stood at 1.87 million won, or about 3.6 percent of South Korea's per capita GNI of 52.57 million won, the data showed.
