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As of 2023, coal dominated North Korea's reserves at 11.7 billion short tons recoverable. Over the last decade, coal reserves jumped in a single restatement (18-fold in 2014). Beyond fossil fuels, North Korea is a top-ten producer of Natural Graphite among USGS-tracked critical minerals.
Coal reserves (2023)
11.7 B ST
Natural Graphite reserves (2025)
#122.0 Mt
North Korea's reserve base was dominated by coal, the most carbon-intensive fossil fuel by energy content. As a top-ten producer of Natural Graphite, North Korea is a strategically important supplier in global critical-minerals markets. Natural Graphite output has contracted since 2002, easing that role.
North Korea produces Natural Graphite among USGS-tracked critical minerals.
USGS marks 2025 production figures and all reserve estimates as estimated; some earlier production years are USGS estimates as well. Each commodity below charts its own mine-production history, with the 2025 reserve shown beneath its chart.