South Korea vs Vietnam
South Korea vs Vietnam: Military spending per person
Military spending per person in 2025: $924 in South Korea and $104 in Vietnam, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in South Korea, by $821, or 8.93 times that in Vietnam.
US dollars per person · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- South Korea has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1988.
- In 2025, South Korea ranked 25 and Vietnam ranked 76 of 151 countries, counting from the highest.
Every year
US dollars per person · SIPRI
| Year | South Korea | Vietnam |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $924 | $104 |
| 2024 | $920 | $85 |
| 2023 | $924 | $80 |
| 2022 | $895 | $71 |
| 2021 | $980 | $76 |
| 2020 | $890 | $73 |
| 2019 | $853 | $75 |
| 2018 | $835 | $72 |
| 2017 | $762 | $68 |
| 2016 | $721 | $68 |
| 2015 | $720 | $66 |
| 2014 | $747 | $62 |
| 2013 | $689 | $61 |
| 2012 | $647 | $53 |
| 2011 | $634 | $34 |
| 2010 | $579 | $31 |
| 2009 | $507 | $34 |
| 2008 | $540 | $24 |
| 2007 | $577 | $22 |
| 2006 | $525 | $16 |
| 2005 | $464 | $13 |
| 2004 | $375 | $11 |
| 2003 | $334 | $11 |
| 2002 | $299 | – |
| 2001 | $276 | – |
| 2000 | $296 | – |
| 1999 | $261 | – |
| 1998 | $227 | – |
| 1997 | $324 | – |
| 1996 | $361 | – |
| 1995 | $356 | – |
| 1994 | $300 | $6 |
| 1993 | $277 | $4 |
| 1992 | $261 | $5 |
| 1991 | $247 | $6 |
| 1990 | $231 | $8 |
| 1989 | $219 | $7 |
| 1988 | $181 | $21 |
- Estimate
Each country on its own
Good to know
- What the country spends on its armed forces and defence for each person living there, in US dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation.
- 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 spendingSouth Korea: 2.6% of GDP in 2025Vietnam: 2.15% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsSouth Korea: $48.9B in 2025Vietnam: $10.9B 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