South Korea vs Vietnam
South Korea vs Vietnam: Military spending
Military spending in 2025: 2.6% of GDP in South Korea and 2.15% of GDP in Vietnam, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in South Korea, by 0.45 percentage points, or 1.21 times that in Vietnam.
% of GDP · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- South Korea has been higher since 2017, when it overtook Vietnam.
- In 2025, South Korea ranked 34 and Vietnam ranked 49 of 151 countries, counting from the highest.
Every year
% of GDP · SIPRI
| Year | South Korea | Vietnam |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2.6 | 2.15 |
| 2024 | 2.54 | 1.8 |
| 2023 | 2.6 | 1.83 |
| 2022 | 2.58 | 1.72 |
| 2021 | 2.62 | 2.05 |
| 2020 | 2.64 | 2.07 |
| 2019 | 2.52 | 2.17 |
| 2018 | 2.36 | 2.22 |
| 2017 | 2.3 | 2.28 |
| 2016 | 2.34 | 2.46 |
| 2015 | 2.38 | 2.56 |
| 2014 | 2.41 | 2.41 |
| 2013 | 2.39 | 2.58 |
| 2012 | 2.39 | 2.42 |
| 2011 | 2.37 | 1.76 |
| 2010 | 2.36 | 1.84 |
| 2009 | 2.5 | 2.73 |
| 2008 | 2.39 | 2.07 |
| 2007 | 2.27 | 2.31 |
| 2006 | 2.3 | 1.94 |
| 2005 | 2.28 | 1.78 |
| 2004 | 2.17 | 2.01 |
| 2003 | 2.18 | 2.13 |
| 2002 | 2.17 | – |
| 2001 | 2.28 | – |
| 2000 | 2.31 | – |
| 1999 | 2.49 | – |
| 1998 | 2.79 | – |
| 1997 | 2.66 | – |
| 1996 | 2.74 | – |
| 1995 | 2.89 | – |
| 1994 | 3.19 | 2.65 |
| 1993 | 3.42 | 2.26 |
| 1992 | 3.69 | 3.38 |
| 1991 | 3.71 | 5.6 |
| 1990 | 4 | 7.91 |
| 1989 | 4.29 | 7.29 |
| 1988 | 4.28 | 7.1 |
| 1987 | 4.47 | 3.95 |
| 1986 | 4.95 | – |
| 1985 | 5.23 | – |
| 1984 | 5.26 | – |
| 1983 | 5.73 | – |
| 1982 | 6.24 | – |
| 1981 | 6.42 | – |
| 1980 | 6.4 | – |
| 1979 | 5.53 | – |
| 1978 | 6.37 | – |
| 1977 | 6.04 | – |
| 1976 | 5.91 | – |
| 1975 | 4.88 | – |
| 1974 | 4.54 | – |
| 1973 | 4.04 | – |
| 1972 | 5.01 | – |
| 1971 | 4.74 | – |
| 1970 | 4.4 | – |
| 1969 | 4.69 | – |
| 1968 | 4.73 | – |
| 1967 | 4.69 | – |
| 1966 | 4.69 | – |
| 1965 | 4.41 | – |
| 1964 | 4.13 | – |
| 1963 | 4.82 | – |
| 1962 | 6.87 | – |
| 1961 | 6.73 | – |
| 1960 | 7.16 | – |
| 1959 | 7.64 | – |
| 1958 | 7.43 | – |
| 1957 | 6.8 | – |
| 1956 | 8.33 | – |
| 1955 | 6.24 | – |
| 1954 | 5.85 | – |
| 1953 | 2.36 | – |
- 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 Korea vs Vietnam
Health
- Life expectancySouth Korea: 84.3 years in 2023Vietnam: 74.6 years in 2023
- Child mortalitySouth Korea: 0.3 per 100 live births in 2024Vietnam: 1.7 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalitySouth Korea: 2.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023Vietnam: 15.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterSouth Korea: 99.3% in 2022Vietnam: 57.8% in 2022
- DepressionSouth Korea: 3.17% in 2017Vietnam: 2.88% in 2017
- Suicide rateSouth Korea: 20.8 per 100,000 people in 2017Vietnam: 7.4 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationSouth Korea: 51.8 million people in 2023Vietnam: 100 million people in 2023
- Population growthSouth Korea: -0.04% a year in 2023Vietnam: 0.64% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateSouth Korea: 0.72 births per woman in 2023Vietnam: 1.91 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationSouth Korea: 81.2% in 2025Vietnam: 38.8% in 2025
- Median ageSouth Korea: 44.5 years in 2023Vietnam: 32.4 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overSouth Korea: 18.3% in 2023Vietnam: 8.6% in 2023
- Net migration rateSouth Korea: 1.7 per 1,000 people in 2023Vietnam: -0.8 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spending in US dollarsSouth Korea: $48.9B in 2025Vietnam: $10.9B in 2025
- Military spending per personSouth Korea: $924 in 2025Vietnam: $104 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingSouth Korea: 10.8% of government spending in 2025Vietnam: 9.9% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelSouth Korea: 569,000 people in 2020Vietnam: 522,000 people in 2020
- National powerSouth Korea: 2% of world capability in 2022Vietnam: 1.11% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersSouth Korea: 2.01% of the labour force in 2020Vietnam: 0.95% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsSouth Korea: 222 million TIV in 2025Vietnam: 177 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsSouth Korea: 2.02 billion TIV in 2025Vietnam: 10 million TIV in 2018