Australia and North Korea
Australia and North Korea maintain a relationship marked by nuclear security, missiles and sanctions. Australia coordinates its responses with regional and international partners.
Analysis reviewed: 2026-10-07 · Indicators updated: 2026-10-07History and institutional framework
Security Council measures and Australia's autonomous sanctions have different legal bases.
Areas of the relationship
Australia coordinates its responses with regional and international partners.
Areas of the relationship
Australia coordinates its responses with regional and international partners.
Bilateral indicators
Blank cells: data unavailable.
| Indicator | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Goods trade | ||
| Goods: Australia to North Korea | ||
| Goods: North Korea to Australia | ||
| Services trade | ||
| Export share: Australia to North Korea | ||
| Export share: North Korea to Australia | ||
| Investment stock: Australia in North Korea | ||
| Investment stock: North Korea in Australia |
Definitions and sources
Trade adds both directions. Shares refer to the country’s total goods exports; investment is an accumulated stock, not an annual flow. Every figure retains the currency and period of its source. BEA positions are historical-cost estimates based on the immediate counterpart, not market values or investment by ultimate owner. ‘More than’ indicates a lower bound, not an exact amount. A recorded stock does not establish new activity or authorisation to operate under sanctions.
Country comparison
Period and source beside each figure · est. = estimate by the stated institution.
| Indicator | Australia | North Korea |
|---|---|---|
| Nominal GDP | 1.8 trillion USD2025 · WB | |
| GDP per capita | 65,129.72 USD2025 · WB | |
| GDP growth | 1.35 %2025 · WB | |
| Policy interest rate | 4.6 %2026-09-29 · RBA | |
| Inflation · annual average | 2.87 %Annual average · 2025 · WB | |
| Inflation · latest year-on-year figure | 4 %Headline CPI · 2026-08 · year-on-year · ABS | |
| Unemployment | 4.09 %ILO est.2025 · WB | 3.55 %ILO est.2025 · World Bank |
| Budget balance (% of GDP) | -2.8 %IMF est.2025 · IMF | |
| Gross public debt (% of GDP) | 51 %IMF est.2025 · IMF | |
| Current account balance (% of GDP) | -2.68 %2025 · WB | |
| Population | 27,614,4112025 · WB | 26,571,0362025 · World Bank |
| Area | 7,741,220 km²2023 · WB | 120,540 km²2023 · World Bank |
| Military expenditure | ||
| Military expenditure (% of GDP) |
Definitions, dates and sources
Blank cells are not zero. Average annual inflation and the latest year-on-year figure appear in separate rows: they are not the same measure. Every annual indicator retains its reference year; when the years differ, the figures are identified as not directly comparable. When a figure is unavailable from the World Bank, an annual IMF estimate is used and identified as such. The latest year-on-year figure is the latest official release verified as of 7 October 2026. This includes advance releases marked as provisional. Mexico may have a fortnightly figure before the full month is published; it is not automatically compared with a monthly figure. The publication date is retained in each source’s details; it does not replace the observation period or the annual average. Policy rates carry their own dates and represent different instruments. Spain and France share the ECB rate. Balances are positive for surpluses and negative for deficits. The IMF may use fiscal years; unemployment retains each source’s definition (ILO estimates, IMF WEO or PCBS), as stated in the details. For Palestine, debt and the fiscal balance cover central government and retain the PCBS definition; they are not presented as consolidated general government. These are economic magnitudes, not measures of relationship quality.
Area retains each source’s territorial coverage; it does not determine sovereignty or effective control. Canada uses an archived national geographic reference. Military expenditure retains the 2024 SIPRI sample distributed by the World Bank: the amount and percentage of GDP use that same definition, which differs from NATO’s. It is not an approved budget or a 2026 figure. Information from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Military expenditure database · Terms of use0
Indicators reviewed: 2026-10-07. Each source retains its original access date; this review does not turn all the data into 2026 observations. Figures may be revised.
- Nominal GDP
- Current USDAustralia: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; latest verified period available for this series in the 2023–2025 query.
- GDP per capita
- Current USD per personAustralia: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; latest verified period available for this series in the 2023–2025 query.
- GDP growth
- Annual real change (%)Australia: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; latest verified period available for this series in the 2023–2025 query.
- Policy interest rate
- Central bank instrument (%)Australia: 2026-09-29 · Cash rate target · RBA · Official central-bank decision; not a commercial lending rate or a bill yield.
- Inflation · annual average
- Average annual change in headline CPI (%)Australia: 2025 · Annual average change in the CPI (%) · World Bank · Official World Bank series; latest verified period available for this series in the 2023–2025 query.
- Inflation · latest year-on-year figure
- Headline CPI relative to the same period of the previous year (%); monthly or fortnightly frequency statedAustralia: 2026-08 · National headline CPI, change from the same month of the previous year · ABS · Published: 2026-09-30 · Official monthly data. Not mixed with the annual average. · Alternative official source; verified 2026-10-07
- Unemployment
- % of the labour force; definition used by the stated institutionAustralia: 2025 · ILO modelled estimate, % of the labour force · World Bank · ILO est. · Official World Bank series; latest verified period available for this series in the 2023–2025 query.North Korea: 2025 · ILO modelled estimate, percentage of the labour force · World Bank · ILO est. · Official World Bank series; observation period, not download date.
- Budget balance
- General government (% of GDP)Australia: 2025 · IMF · IMF est. · IMF WEO estimate, not a monthly observation. Retains the country's fiscal year where it differs from the calendar year.
- Gross public debt
- General government (% of GDP)Australia: 2025 · IMF · IMF est. · IMF WEO estimate, not a monthly observation. Retains the country's fiscal year where it differs from the calendar year.
- Current account balance
- % of GDPAustralia: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; latest verified period available for this series in the 2023–2025 query.
- Population
- PeopleAustralia: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; latest verified period available for this series in the 2023–2025 query.North Korea: 2025 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; observation period, not download date.
- Area
- Total area in km²; territorial coverage of the sourceAustralia: 2023 · World Bank / FAO · Official World Bank series; latest verified period available for this series in the 2023–2025 query.North Korea: 2023 · World Bank · Official World Bank series; observation period, not download date.
- Military expenditure
- Current USD per year; SIPRI series
- Military expenditure (% of GDP)
- Percentage of GDP; SIPRI definition, not NATO’s definition
Other data specific to this relationship
What they buy and sell
Documented selection, not an exhaustive list. Cells without a figure do not mean zero value; some products are identified without a verified amount.
Australia to North Korea
| Product or sector | Value / share |
|---|---|
North Korea to Australia
| Product or sector | Value / share |
|---|---|
Connections between people
Contacts between people and relations between governments are distinct dimensions. Published counts appear in the table with their date and definition; a resident community is not inferred from trade or diplomatic representation. [1]
Residents, study and travel
Blank cells: data unavailable. Each measure retains its definition and period.
| Indicator | Value | Period / source |
|---|---|---|
| Residents from Australia living in North Korea | ||
| Residents from North Korea living in Australia | ||
| Study and training: Australia in North Korea | ||
| Study and training: North Korea in Australia | ||
| Academic stays: Australia in North Korea | ||
| Academic stays: North Korea in Australia | ||
| Travel: Australia to North Korea | ||
| Travel: North Korea to Australia |
What each figure measures
Residents are counted by nationality and the coverage of the stated register, not as people born in the other country or as new arrivals in one year. PERE includes dual nationals and people born outside Spain. Study with OPT and stays carrying academic credit are different measures. Travel may include several visits by the same person; FRONTUR arrivals require an overnight stay, whereas the Canadian survey includes day visits. These figures are neither added together nor automatically compared across directions.
Mobility data added or reviewed: 2026-10-07. Reference periods may be earlier.
Underlying ties
History, institutions and long-standing issues.
History and institutional framework
Security Council measures and Australia's autonomous sanctions have different legal bases. Monitoring evasion and consultations with other countries are not bilateral normalisation negotiations. [1]
Recent developments
Recent developments and latest available data · Reviewed: 2026-10-07
Areas of the relationship
Australia coordinates its responses with regional and international partners. [1]
Diplomacy with interruptions
Australia and North Korea established relations in 1974 and opened embassies in Canberra and Pyongyang. Contacts were interrupted in November 1975 after the withdrawal of the North Korean mission and the expulsion of Australian personnel. Relations resumed in May 2000. The North Korean embassy in Canberra, reopened in 2002, closed in 2008. Current representation is organised through North Korea's mission in Jakarta and Australia's in Seoul, without resident embassies in both capitals. [1]
Aid, monitoring and restrictions
Australia suspended its limited bilateral aid programme in 2002 over nuclear concerns. In October 2017, it suspended payments to World Food Programme operations because it could not verify their use through requested visits. These are decisions distinct from the full set of United Nations and autonomous sanctions. Trade restrictions cover specific categories of equipment, raw materials, products and financial services. The relationship also includes Australian positions on human rights and monitoring sanctions evasion; these areas are not interpreted as a bilateral military operation. [1]
Sources and data
Periods and scope of the figures
Institutional sources and periods accompany each figure. Annual trade, investment positions, residents and visits are distinct measures. Empty cells do not mean zero. Statements of intent are not presented as project implementation or treaties in force.
- Bilateral relations — AUS-PRK
Australia DFAT · Institutional source · Accessed: 2026-10-07