North Korea

North Korea was estimated to be the world’s third-ranked producer of mined tungsten

Pictured: wolframite (tungsten ore)

Statistics and information on the mining industry in North Korea.

Overview

In 2024, North Korea was estimated to be the world’s 3d-ranked producer of mined tungsten, accounting for 2.3% of global production; 9th-ranked producer of graphite (natural), accounting for 0.5% of global production; and 13th-ranked producer of mined molybdenum, accounting for 0.3% of global production. Other mineral commodities produced in the country included mine production of copper, iron ore, lead, and zinc. The heavy and chemical manufacturing industry contributed 14% to North Korea’s gross domestic product (GDP). The mining industry contributed 10% to the country’s GDP.

The legislative framework for the mineral sector in North Korea is provided by mineral resources laws (Act No. 14 of 1993 and Amendment Act No. 757 of 2021). Mining and mineral-processing enterprises were primarily owned and operated by the Government. The Ministry of State Natural Resources Development is engaged in the exploration for mineral resources. The Ministry of Construction and Building-Materials Industry manages cement; the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry, iron ore and magnesite mines; and the Ministry of Mining Industry, all other mines. The General Bureau of Tanchon Area Mining Industry operated lead-zinc and magnesite mines and processing facilities in Tanchon. North Korea’s mined tungsten production in 2024 was 1,900 metric tons (W content), almost all of which was exported to China. North Korea’s tungsten concentrate accounted for 29% (by quantity) of China's tungsten imports during the year.

2024 Report

Full data release with tables here.

In 2024, North Korea was estimated to be the world’s 3d-ranked producer of mined tungsten accounting for 2.3% of global production; 9th-ranked producer of graphite (natural) accounting for 0.5% of global production; and 13th-ranked producer of mined molybdenum accounting for 0.3% of global production. Other mineral commodities produced in the country included mine production of copper, iron ore, lead, and zinc. Data on mineral production are in the Production table (formerly table 1). The heavy and chemical manufacturing industry contributed 14% to North Korea’s gross domestic product (GDP). The mining industry contributed 10% to the country’s GDP. North Korea exported about 1,900 metric tons (t) of tungsten in concentrate (W content) to China, which was the almost sole recipient of those mineral commodities (Bank of Korea, 2025, p. 3; Ministry of Unification, 2025; Polyak, 2026; Saloum, 2026; Stewart, 2026).

The legislative framework for the mineral sector in North Korea is provided by mineral resources laws (Act No. 14 of 1993 and Amendment Act No. 757 of 2021). Mining and mineral-processing enterprises were primarily owned and operated by the Government. The Ministry of State Natural Resources Development is engaged in the exploration for mineral resources. The Ministry of Construction and Building-Materials Industry manages cement; the Ministry of Metallurgical Industry, iron ore and magnesite mines; and the Ministry of Mining Industry, all other mines. The General Bureau of Tanchon Area Mining Industry operated lead-zinc and magnesite mines and processing facilities in Tanchon. The Facilities table (formerly table 2) is a list of major mineral industry facilities. More-extensive coverage of Government policies and programs can be found in previous editions of this chapter in the U.S. Geological Survey Minerals Yearbook, volume III, Area Reports—International—Asia and the Pacific, which are available at https://www.usgs.gov/centers/national-minerals-information-center/asia-…;

Commodity Review

Tungsten.—North Korea’s mined tungsten production in 2024 was estimated to have increased to 1,900 t (W content) from 1,600 t in 2023, almost all of which was exported to China. North Korea was a leading tungsten concentrate exporter to China. In 2024, North Korea’s tungsten concentrate accounted for 29% (by quantity) of China's tungsten imports. North Korea’s tungsten trade was not sanctioned under the United Nations Security Council Resolutions in 2017 after the country’s nuclear and missile tests (Facilities table; Ministry of Unification, 2025; Yoo, 2025; Trade Data Monitor LLC, 2026).

Production table

(Metric tons, gross weight, unless otherwise specified)

Commodity	2020	2021	2022	2023	2024
Cement, hydraulic	5,690,000	5,960,000	6,551,000	7,070,000	7,000,000^e
Copper, mine, concentrates, Cu content	15,000^e	20,000^e	25,000^e	25,000^e	25,000^e
Copper, refinery, primary, Cu content	15,000^e	20,000^e	25,000^e	25,000^e	25,000^e
Copper, refinery, secondary, Cu content	4,000^e	4,000^e	5,000^e	5,000^e	5,000^e
Copper, smelter, primary, Cu content	15,000^e	20,000^e	25,000^e	25,000^e	25,000^e
Copper, smelter, secondary, Cu content	4,000^e	4,000^e	5,000^e	5,000^e	5,000^e
Ferroalloys, ferrosilicon	16,000^e	37,000^e	37,000^e	36,000^e	36,000^e
Fertilizers	670,000	612,000	659,000	680,000	700,000^e
Gold, mine, Au content (kilograms)	1,000^e	1,000^e	1,000^e	1,000^e	1,000^e
Graphite, amorphous	4,500^e	4,500^e	3,600^e	—	—
Graphite, crystalline flake	—	—	4,500^e	4,500^e	4,500^e
Iron ore, mine	2,580,000	2,650,000	2,595,000	2,730,000	2,700,000^e
Iron ore, mine, Fe content	1,600,000	1,640,000	1,610,000	1,690,000	1,650,000^e
Lead, mine, Pb content	20,000^e	20,000^e	22,000^e	22,000^e	22,000^e
Lead, refinery, primary	3,000^e	3,000^e	3,000^e	3,000^e	3,100^e
Magnesite	70,000^e	70,000^e	70,000^e	70,000^e	75,000^e
Molybdenum, mine, Mo content	100^e	0^e	700^e	400^e	800^e
Nitrogen, ammonia, N content	80,000^e	73,000^e	79,000^e	82,000^e	82,000^e
Raw steel	707,000	598,000	289,000	347,000	350,000
Salt	500,000^e	500,000^e	700,000^e	800,000^e	800,000^e
Silver, mine, Ag content (kilograms)	20,000^e	20,000^e	20,000^e	20,000^e	20,000^e
Tungsten, mine, concentrates, W content	410^e	50^e	1,520^e	1,600^e	1,900^e
Zinc, mine, Zn content	10,000^e	10,000^e	10,000^e	10,000^e	15,000^e
Zinc, smelter	5,000^e	5,000^e	5,000^e	5,000^e	8,000^e

^e Estimated.

References Cited

Bank of Korea, 2025, Gross domestic product estimates for North Korea in 2024: Seoul, Republic of Korea, Bank of Korea, August 29, 8 p. (Accessed September 26, 2025, at https://www.bok.or.kr/eng/bbs/E0000634/view.do?nttId=10093293&menuNo=40…;

Ministry of Unification, 2025, North Korea–China trade statistics: Seoul, Republic of Korea, Ministry of Unification. (Accessed September 26, 2025, via https://nkinfo.unikorea.go.kr/nkp/stats/openapi/kitaView.do.) [In Korean.]

Polyak, D.E., 2026, Molybdenum: U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, p. 130–131.

Saloum, S.H., 2026, Tungsten: U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, p. 200–201.

Stewart, A.A., 2026, Graphite (natural): U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Commodity Summaries 2026, p. 92–93.

Trade Data Monitor LLC, 2026, Global trade data statistics: Trade Data Monitor LLC. (Accessed January 28, 2026, via https://www1.tdmlogin.com/tdm/default.asp.)

Yoo, M.J., 2025, China is buying tons of North Korean tungsten—And it’s not banned: News1 [Seoul, Republic of Korea], June 17. (Accessed September 26, 2025, at https://en.news1.kr/northkorea/5660281.)

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