China vs Vietnam
China vs Vietnam: Arms exports
Arms exports: 880 million TIV in China in 2025 and 10 million TIV in Vietnam in 2018, by SIPRI estimates. In 2018 the value was higher in China, by 1.38 billion TIV, or 140 times that in Vietnam.
SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- China has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1972.
- The world as a whole: 27.4 billion TIV in 2018.
Every year
SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI
| Year | China | Vietnam | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 880 million | – | 33.5 billion |
| 2024 | 1.29 billion | – | 30.7 billion |
| 2023 | 2.75 billion | – | 29.5 billion |
| 2022 | 2.32 billion | – | 33.3 billion |
| 2021 | 1.34 billion | – | 27.1 billion |
| 2020 | 645 million | – | 24.1 billion |
| 2019 | 1.6 billion | – | 27 billion |
| 2018 | 1.39 billion | 10 million | 27.4 billion |
| 2017 | 1.64 billion | – | 31.3 billion |
| 2016 | 2.48 billion | – | 31.5 billion |
| 2015 | 1.84 billion | – | 28.7 billion |
| 2014 | 1.35 billion | – | 27.1 billion |
| 2013 | 2.1 billion | – | 27.4 billion |
| 2012 | 1.5 billion | – | 27.9 billion |
| 2011 | 1.31 billion | – | 29.9 billion |
| 2010 | 1.53 billion | – | 25.8 billion |
| 2009 | 1.14 billion | – | 24.4 billion |
| 2008 | 598 million | – | 24.1 billion |
| 2007 | 520 million | – | 26.5 billion |
| 2006 | 769 million | 14 million | 24.5 billion |
| 2005 | 341 million | – | 21.4 billion |
| 2004 | 408 million | – | 21.3 billion |
| 2003 | 701 million | – | 19.2 billion |
| 2002 | 524 million | – | 17.7 billion |
| 2001 | 510 million | – | 18.5 billion |
| 2000 | 309 million | – | 20.5 billion |
| 1999 | 334 million | – | 25.4 billion |
| 1998 | 349 million | – | 27.9 billion |
| 1997 | 427 million | – | 28.9 billion |
| 1996 | 764 million | – | 23.7 billion |
| 1995 | 981 million | – | 22.9 billion |
| 1994 | 1.06 billion | – | 23 billion |
| 1993 | 1.44 billion | – | 25.8 billion |
| 1992 | 672 million | – | 24.3 billion |
| 1991 | 1.32 billion | – | 28.2 billion |
| 1990 | 955 million | – | 30.2 billion |
| 1989 | 1.06 billion | – | 34.9 billion |
| 1988 | 1.43 billion | – | 36.8 billion |
| 1987 | 2.6 billion | 11 million | 39.4 billion |
| 1986 | 1.86 billion | – | 39 billion |
| 1985 | 1.29 billion | – | 38.2 billion |
| 1984 | 1.94 billion | – | 41.6 billion |
| 1983 | 1.76 billion | – | 43.9 billion |
| 1982 | 1.56 billion | – | 46.2 billion |
| 1981 | 707 million | – | 45.8 billion |
| 1980 | 943 million | – | 42.2 billion |
| 1979 | 553 million | – | 38.4 billion |
| 1978 | 611 million | – | 42.4 billion |
| 1977 | 224 million | – | 40 billion |
| 1976 | 580 million | – | 36 billion |
| 1975 | 661 million | – | 37.2 billion |
| 1974 | 508 million | – | 36.6 billion |
| 1973 | 658 million | – | 36.3 billion |
| 1972 | 1.25 billion | 0 | 34.5 billion |
| 1971 | 1.31 billion | – | 32.9 billion |
| 1970 | 905 million | – | 25.3 billion |
| 1969 | 669 million | – | 28.1 billion |
| 1968 | 746 million | – | 26.1 billion |
| 1967 | 426 million | – | 25.6 billion |
| 1966 | 628 million | – | 25.8 billion |
| 1965 | 387 million | – | 25.8 billion |
| 1964 | 75 million | – | 26.7 billion |
| 1963 | 12 million | – | 20.3 billion |
| 1962 | 47 million | – | 17.5 billion |
| 1961 | 35 million | – | 16.4 billion |
| 1960 | 285 million | – | 17.6 billion |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- Major weapons the country sent abroad, in SIPRI trend-indicator values (TIV): what the arms are worth as military capability, priced by their production cost, not what was paid.
- Source: SIPRI Arms Transfers Database, via the World Bank.
- The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
China vs Vietnam
Health
- Life expectancyChina: 78 years in 2023Vietnam: 74.6 years in 2023
- Child mortalityChina: 0.6 per 100 live births in 2024Vietnam: 1.7 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityChina: 5.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023Vietnam: 15.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionChina: 3.31% in 2017Vietnam: 2.88% in 2017
- Suicide rateChina: 7.2 per 100,000 people in 2017Vietnam: 7.4 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationChina: 1.42 billion people in 2023Vietnam: 100 million people in 2023
- Population growthChina: -0.24% a year in 2023Vietnam: 0.64% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateChina: 1 births per woman in 2023Vietnam: 1.91 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationChina: 66.3% in 2025Vietnam: 38.8% in 2025
- Median ageChina: 39.1 years in 2023Vietnam: 32.4 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overChina: 14.3% in 2023Vietnam: 8.6% in 2023
- Net migration rateChina: -0.4 per 1,000 people in 2023Vietnam: -0.8 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingChina: 1.73% of GDP in 2025Vietnam: 2.15% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsChina: $335B in 2025Vietnam: $10.9B in 2025
- Military spending per personChina: $237 in 2025Vietnam: $104 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingChina: 5.1% of government spending in 2025Vietnam: 9.9% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelChina: 2.54 million people in 2020Vietnam: 522,000 people in 2020
- National powerChina: 23.41% of world capability in 2022Vietnam: 1.11% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersChina: 0.33% of the labour force in 2020Vietnam: 0.95% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsChina: 207 million TIV in 2025Vietnam: 177 million TIV in 2025