South Africa vs Vietnam
South Africa vs Vietnam: GDP growth
GDP growth in 2025: 1.1% a year in South Africa and 8% a year in Vietnam, by IMF estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Vietnam, by 6.9 percentage points, or 7.19 times that in South Africa.
% a year · IMF
What the numbers say
- Vietnam has been higher since 2022, when it overtook South Africa.
- In 2025, South Africa ranked 120 and Vietnam ranked 10 of 143 countries, counting from the highest.
- The IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) puts South Africa at 1.8% a year and Vietnam at 5.7% a year in 2031.
Every year
% a year · IMF
| Year | South Africa | Vietnam |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1.1 | 8 |
| 2024 | 0.5 | 7 |
| 2023 | 0.8 | 5.1 |
| 2022 | 2.1 | 8.5 |
| 2021 | 4.9 | 2.6 |
| 2020 | -6.2 | 2.9 |
| 2019 | 0.3 | 7.4 |
| 2018 | 1.6 | 7.5 |
| 2017 | 1.2 | 6.9 |
| 2016 | 0.7 | 6.7 |
| 2015 | 1.3 | 7 |
| 2014 | 1.4 | 6.4 |
| 2013 | 2.5 | 5.6 |
| 2012 | 2.4 | 5.5 |
| 2011 | 3.2 | 6.4 |
| 2010 | 3 | 6.4 |
| 2009 | -1.5 | 5.4 |
| 2008 | 3.2 | 5.7 |
| 2007 | 5.4 | 7.1 |
| 2006 | 5.6 | 7 |
| 2005 | 5.3 | 7.5 |
| 2004 | 4.6 | 7.8 |
| 2003 | 2.9 | 7.3 |
| 2002 | 3.7 | 7.1 |
| 2001 | 2.7 | 6.9 |
| 2000 | 4.2 | 6.8 |
| 1999 | 2.4 | 4.8 |
| 1998 | 0.5 | 5.8 |
| 1997 | 2.6 | 8.2 |
| 1996 | 4.3 | 9.3 |
| 1995 | 3.1 | 9.5 |
| 1994 | 3.2 | 8.8 |
| 1993 | 1.2 | 8.1 |
| 1992 | -2.1 | 8.7 |
| 1991 | -1 | 5.8 |
| 1990 | -0.3 | 5 |
| 1989 | 2.4 | 7.8 |
| 1988 | 4.2 | 5.1 |
| 1987 | 2.1 | 2.5 |
| 1986 | 0 | 3.4 |
| 1985 | -1.2 | 5.6 |
| 1984 | 5.1 | 8.4 |
| 1983 | -1.8 | 7.1 |
| 1982 | -0.4 | 8.2 |
| 1981 | 5.4 | 5.8 |
| 1980 | 6.6 | -3.5 |
IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026) · 2026–2031
| Year | South Africa | Vietnam |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 8.4 |
| 2027 | 1.3 | 7.5 |
| 2028 | 1.5 | 5.9 |
| 2029 | 1.7 | 5.9 |
| 2030 | 1.8 | 5.7 |
| 2031 | 1.8 | 5.7 |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- How much the economy grew or shrank in a year, after inflation.
- Source: IMF, World Economic Outlook, October 2026.
- The dashed line is the IMF projection (World Economic Outlook, October 2026), a scenario rather than a forecast.
- Ranks count the 143 countries with a value in 2025, highest first.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
South Africa vs Vietnam
Health
- Life expectancySouth Africa: 66.1 years in 2023Vietnam: 74.6 years in 2023
- Child mortalitySouth Africa: 3.5 per 100 live births in 2024Vietnam: 1.7 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalitySouth Africa: 27.9 per 1,000 live births in 2023Vietnam: 15.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionSouth Africa: 3.75% in 2017Vietnam: 2.88% in 2017
- Suicide rateSouth Africa: 11.2 per 100,000 people in 2017Vietnam: 7.4 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationSouth Africa: 63.2 million people in 2023Vietnam: 100 million people in 2023
- Population growthSouth Africa: 1.32% a year in 2023Vietnam: 0.64% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateSouth Africa: 2.22 births per woman in 2023Vietnam: 1.91 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationSouth Africa: 63.8% in 2025Vietnam: 38.8% in 2025
- Median ageSouth Africa: 28.2 years in 2023Vietnam: 32.4 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overSouth Africa: 6.5% in 2023Vietnam: 8.6% in 2023
- Net migration rateSouth Africa: 3.6 per 1,000 people in 2023Vietnam: -0.8 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingSouth Africa: 0.74% of GDP in 2025Vietnam: 2.15% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsSouth Africa: $3B in 2025Vietnam: $10.9B in 2025
- Military spending per personSouth Africa: $49 in 2025Vietnam: $104 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingSouth Africa: 2.2% of government spending in 2025Vietnam: 9.9% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelSouth Africa: 89,000 people in 2020Vietnam: 522,000 people in 2020
- National powerSouth Africa: 0.55% of world capability in 2022Vietnam: 1.11% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersSouth Africa: 0.4% of the labour force in 2020Vietnam: 0.95% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsSouth Africa: 30 million TIV in 2025Vietnam: 177 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsSouth Africa: 115 million TIV in 2025Vietnam: 10 million TIV in 2018