Indicator	Value
Military expenditure (% GDP)	No authoritative open source found
Military expenditure	1,600,000,000 US$SIPRI via World Bank WDI [2018]
Armed forces personnel	1,470,000 peopleWorld Bank WDI [2020]
Arms imports	1,000,000 US$SIPRI via World Bank WDI [2010]
Arms exports	243,000,000 US$SIPRI via World Bank WDI [2024]
Military & security forces	Korean People's Army (KPA): KPA Ground Forces, KPA Navy, KPA Air Force and Air Defense Forces, KPA Strategic Forces (missile forces), KPA Special Forces (special operations forces); Security Guard Command (aka Bodyguard Command); Military Security CommandMinistry of Social Security (formerly Ministry of Public Security): Border Guard General Bureau, civil security forces; Ministry of State Security: internal security, investigations (2025); note: note 1: Kim Jong Un is the KPA supreme commander, while operational control of the armed forces resides in the General Staff Department (GSD), which reports directly to Kim; the GSD maintains overall control of all military forces and is charged with turning Kim’s directives into operational military orders; the Ministry of National Defense (MND) is responsible for administrative control of the military and external relations with foreign militariesnote 2: the Security Guard Command protects the Kim family, other senior leadership figures, and government facilitiesnote 4: the North also has a large paramilitary/militia force organized into the Worker Peasant Red Guard and Red Youth Guard; these organizations are present at all levels of government (province, county, ward) and are under the control of the Korean Workers' Party in peacetime, but revert to KPA control in crisis or war; they are often mobilized for domestic projects, such as road building and agricultural supportCIA World Factbook [2025] · 2026 archive
Military service age & obligation	compulsory military service for men (17-30 years of age) and women (17-23 years of age); service obligation is reportedly up to 10 years for men and up to 7 years for women (2025)CIA World Factbook [2025] · 2026 archive
Arms imports (USD)	1,000,000 US$SIPRI via World Bank WDI [2010]
Arms exports (USD)	243,000,000 US$SIPRI via World Bank WDI [2024]
Military spending (% of GDP)	No authoritative open source found
Military spending (USD)	1,600,000,000 US$SIPRI via World Bank WDI [2018]