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North Korea
65
High
Risk
Risk
#7
of 171
Riskier
than 96% of currencies
36
global avg score
$112
$1,000 in 5 years
Impact on Citizens
Citizens need to earn at least 57% on their money every year just to not get poorer. At 55% inflation, cash saved today loses half its value in about 1 year.See savings calculator ↓
Economic Indicators
Inflation Rate
55.0%
Debt to GDP
Not available
GDP Growth
-0.1%
Broad Money / GDP
Not available
Banking & Stability
NPL Ratio
Not available
Reserve Months
Not available
Current Account
Not available
FX Volatility
0.0
Governance & Markets
Rule of Law
-2.5
Black Market Premium
5000.0%
Capital Controls
100.0
Peg Fragility
Not available
Currency Structure
Global Currency Role
70.0
FX Regime
managed float
Data Coverage
58.0%
Savings Impact Calculator
KPW
Holding cash in KPW55.0% inflation
KPW 112−KPW 888 (89% purchasing power lost)
Your KPW 1,000 buys 89% less in 5 years
What if you invested KPW 1,000 instead? (5yr, in KPW terms)
USD-denominated assets gain an additional ~52.0%/yr from expected KPW depreciation vs USD
Hold USD Cash
KPW 7344
+KPW 6344
+49.0%/yr net in KPW
S&P 500
KPW 11.2k
+KPW 10.2k
range: KPW 6634–KPW 17.9k
10% USD return + 52.0% FX · ±16% vol
Gold
KPW 10.5k
+KPW 9486
range: KPW 4653–KPW 21.1k
8% USD return + 52.0% FX · ±24% vol
Bitcoin
KPW 17.4k
+KPW 16.4k
range: KPW 2815–KPW 65.8k
25% USD return + 52.0% FX · ±54% vol
All values in KPW. USD-denominated assets (S&P 500, Gold, Bitcoin) include an estimated FX gain of ~52.0%/yr based on the inflation differential between North Korea (55.0%) and the US (~3%). This uses purchasing power parity as a long-run approximation — actual FX movements can differ significantly in the short term. S&P 500 based on 1957-2024, Gold on 2000-2024, Bitcoin on 2015-2024. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Not financial advice.
Data last updated: 2026-08-17