North Korea vs Vietnam
North Korea vs Vietnam: Arms exports
Arms exports: 44 million TIV in North Korea in 2025 and 10 million TIV in Vietnam in 2018, by SIPRI estimates. In 2006 the value was higher in North Korea, by 1 million TIV, or 1.07 times that in Vietnam.
SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- North Korea has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1987.
- The world as a whole: 24.5 billion TIV in 2006.
Every year
SIPRI trend-indicator values · SIPRI
| Year | North Korea | Vietnam | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 44 million | – | 33.5 billion |
| 2024 | 211 million | – | 30.7 billion |
| 2023 | 9 million | – | 29.5 billion |
| 2022 | – | – | 33.3 billion |
| 2021 | – | – | 27.1 billion |
| 2020 | – | – | 24.1 billion |
| 2019 | – | – | 27 billion |
| 2018 | – | 10 million | 27.4 billion |
| 2017 | – | – | 31.3 billion |
| 2016 | – | – | 31.5 billion |
| 2015 | – | – | 28.7 billion |
| 2014 | 1 million | – | 27.1 billion |
| 2013 | – | – | 27.4 billion |
| 2012 | – | – | 27.9 billion |
| 2011 | – | – | 29.9 billion |
| 2010 | 7 million | – | 25.8 billion |
| 2009 | 23 million | – | 24.4 billion |
| 2008 | 15 million | – | 24.1 billion |
| 2007 | 15 million | – | 26.5 billion |
| 2006 | 15 million | 14 million | 24.5 billion |
| 2005 | 15 million | – | 21.4 billion |
| 2004 | 42 million | – | 21.3 billion |
| 2003 | 129 million | – | 19.2 billion |
| 2002 | 150 million | – | 17.7 billion |
| 2001 | 53 million | – | 18.5 billion |
| 2000 | 40 million | – | 20.5 billion |
| 1999 | 42 million | – | 25.4 billion |
| 1998 | 59 million | – | 27.9 billion |
| 1997 | 35 million | – | 28.9 billion |
| 1996 | 35 million | – | 23.7 billion |
| 1995 | 33 million | – | 22.9 billion |
| 1994 | 21 million | – | 23 billion |
| 1993 | 104 million | – | 25.8 billion |
| 1992 | 98 million | – | 24.3 billion |
| 1991 | 85 million | – | 28.2 billion |
| 1990 | 6 million | – | 30.2 billion |
| 1989 | 65 million | – | 34.9 billion |
| 1988 | 179 million | – | 36.8 billion |
| 1987 | 189 million | 11 million | 39.4 billion |
| 1986 | 53 million | – | 39 billion |
| 1985 | 154 million | – | 38.2 billion |
| 1984 | 185 million | – | 41.6 billion |
| 1983 | 231 million | – | 43.9 billion |
| 1982 | 129 million | – | 46.2 billion |
| 1981 | 27 million | – | 45.8 billion |
| 1980 | 43 million | – | 42.2 billion |
| 1979 | 20 million | – | 38.4 billion |
| 1978 | – | – | 42.4 billion |
| 1977 | – | – | 40 billion |
| 1976 | – | – | 36 billion |
| 1975 | 12 million | – | 37.2 billion |
| 1974 | 8 million | – | 36.6 billion |
| 1973 | – | – | 36.3 billion |
| 1972 | – | 0 | 34.5 billion |
| 1971 | – | – | 32.9 billion |
| 1970 | – | – | 25.3 billion |
| 1969 | – | – | 28.1 billion |
| 1968 | – | – | 26.1 billion |
| 1967 | – | – | 25.6 billion |
| 1966 | – | – | 25.8 billion |
| 1965 | – | – | 25.8 billion |
| 1964 | – | – | 26.7 billion |
| 1963 | – | – | 20.3 billion |
| 1962 | – | – | 17.5 billion |
| 1961 | – | – | 16.4 billion |
| 1960 | – | – | 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
North Korea vs Vietnam
Health
- Life expectancyNorth Korea: 73.6 years in 2023Vietnam: 74.6 years in 2023
- Child mortalityNorth Korea: 1.7 per 100 live births in 2024Vietnam: 1.7 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityNorth Korea: 14.5 per 1,000 live births in 2023Vietnam: 15.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterNorth Korea: 66.5% in 2022Vietnam: 57.8% in 2022
- DepressionNorth Korea: 3.09% in 2017Vietnam: 2.88% in 2017
- Suicide rateNorth Korea: 11.1 per 100,000 people in 2017Vietnam: 7.4 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationNorth Korea: 26.4 million people in 2023Vietnam: 100 million people in 2023
- Population growthNorth Korea: 0.32% a year in 2023Vietnam: 0.64% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateNorth Korea: 1.78 births per woman in 2023Vietnam: 1.91 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationNorth Korea: 64.2% in 2025Vietnam: 38.8% in 2025
- Median ageNorth Korea: 36.1 years in 2023Vietnam: 32.4 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overNorth Korea: 12% in 2023Vietnam: 8.6% in 2023
- Net migration rateNorth Korea: -0.1 per 1,000 people in 2023Vietnam: -0.8 per 1,000 people in 2023
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spending per personNorth Korea: $62 in 2018Vietnam: $104 in 2025
- Armed forces personnelNorth Korea: 1.47 million people in 2020Vietnam: 522,000 people in 2020
- National powerNorth Korea: 1.41% of world capability in 2022Vietnam: 1.11% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersNorth Korea: 8.62% of the labour force in 2020Vietnam: 0.95% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsNorth Korea: 1 million TIV in 2010Vietnam: 177 million TIV in 2025