North Korea

North Korea has one of the world's most isolated, centrally planned, and secretive economies, crippled by decades of mismanagement, international sanctions over its nuclear-weapons program, and chronic shortages.

The state directs nearly all economic activity, prioritizing the military and the ruling Kim dynasty, while much of the population has at times faced severe food insecurity and even famine.

Key Sectors

The economy centers on heavy industry, mining (coal and minerals), and military production, with agriculture unable to reliably feed the population; trade is overwhelmingly with China, its economic lifeline.