South Africa vs Vietnam
South Africa vs Vietnam: Military spending
Military spending in 2025: 0.74% of GDP in South Africa and 2.15% of GDP in Vietnam, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in Vietnam, by 1.42 percentage points, or 2.92 times that in South Africa.
% of GDP · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- Vietnam has been higher since 1994, when it overtook South Africa.
- In 2025, South Africa ranked 128 and Vietnam ranked 49 of 151 countries, counting from the highest.
Every year
% of GDP · SIPRI
| Year | South Africa | Vietnam |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 0.74 | 2.15 |
| 2024 | 0.76 | 1.8 |
| 2023 | 0.8 | 1.83 |
| 2022 | 0.85 | 1.72 |
| 2021 | 0.84 | 2.05 |
| 2020 | 0.96 | 2.07 |
| 2019 | 0.88 | 2.17 |
| 2018 | 0.89 | 2.22 |
| 2017 | 0.94 | 2.28 |
| 2016 | 0.97 | 2.46 |
| 2015 | 1.01 | 2.56 |
| 2014 | 1.02 | 2.41 |
| 2013 | 1.03 | 2.58 |
| 2012 | 1.03 | 2.42 |
| 2011 | 1 | 1.76 |
| 2010 | 1 | 1.84 |
| 2009 | 1.09 | 2.73 |
| 2008 | 1.04 | 2.07 |
| 2007 | 1.06 | 2.31 |
| 2006 | 1.15 | 1.94 |
| 2005 | 1.24 | 1.78 |
| 2004 | 1.36 | 2.01 |
| 2003 | 1.47 | 2.13 |
| 2002 | 1.53 | – |
| 2001 | 1.48 | – |
| 2000 | 1.39 | – |
| 1999 | 1.27 | – |
| 1998 | 1.38 | – |
| 1997 | 1.58 | – |
| 1996 | 1.76 | – |
| 1995 | 2.12 | – |
| 1994 | 2.56 | 2.65 |
| 1993 | 2.5 | 2.26 |
| 1992 | 2.82 | 3.38 |
| 1991 | 3.22 | 5.6 |
| 1990 | 3.9 | 7.91 |
| 1989 | 4.36 | 7.29 |
| 1988 | 4.62 | 7.1 |
| 1987 | 4.19 | 3.95 |
| 1986 | 3.82 | – |
| 1985 | 3.7 | – |
| 1984 | 3.7 | – |
| 1983 | 3.61 | – |
| 1982 | 3.61 | – |
| 1981 | 3.64 | – |
| 1980 | 3.31 | – |
| 1979 | 3.86 | – |
| 1978 | 4.56 | – |
| 1977 | 5.26 | – |
| 1976 | 4.73 | – |
| 1975 | 3.88 | – |
| 1974 | 3.09 | – |
| 1973 | 2.65 | – |
| 1972 | 2.37 | – |
| 1971 | 2.46 | – |
| 1970 | 2.33 | – |
| 1969 | 2.61 | – |
| 1968 | 2.76 | – |
| 1967 | 2.79 | – |
| 1966 | 2.71 | – |
| 1965 | 2.63 | – |
| 1964 | 2.7 | – |
| 1963 | 2.07 | – |
| 1962 | 2.26 | – |
| 1961 | 1.47 | – |
| 1960 | 0.95 | – |
| 1959 | 0.88 | – |
| 1958 | 0.98 | – |
| 1957 | 1.3 | – |
| 1956 | 1.29 | – |
| 1955 | 1.22 | – |
| 1954 | 1.2 | – |
| 1953 | 1.35 | – |
| 1952 | 1.74 | – |
| 1951 | 1.62 | – |
- Estimate
Each country on its own
Good to know
- What the country spends on its armed forces and defence, as a share of its economy, by SIPRI’s count.
- Source: Information from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Military Expenditure Database, https://doi.org/10.55163/CQGC9685.
- Marked points are SIPRI’s own: a dot where it gives the figure as its estimate, a ring where it calls the figure highly uncertain.
- Ranks count the 151 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 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