South Korea vs Vietnam
South Korea vs Vietnam: National power
National power in 2022: 2% of world capability in South Korea and 1.11% of world capability in Vietnam, by Correlates of War estimates. In 2022 the value was higher in South Korea, by 0.88 percentage points, or 1.79 times that in Vietnam.
% of world capability · Correlates of War
What the numbers say
- South Korea has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1976.
- In 2022, South Korea ranked 8 and Vietnam ranked 19 of 195 countries, counting from the highest.
Every year
% of world capability · Correlates of War
| Year | South Korea | Vietnam |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 2 | 1.11 |
| 2021 | 2.11 | 1.16 |
| 2020 | 2.11 | 1.15 |
| 2019 | 2.19 | 1.12 |
| 2018 | 2.26 | 1.08 |
| 2017 | 2.3 | 1.04 |
| 2016 | 2.33 | 0.95 |
| 2015 | 2.35 | 1.05 |
| 2014 | 2.33 | 0.91 |
| 2013 | 2.27 | 0.89 |
| 2012 | 2.32 | 0.88 |
| 2011 | 2.33 | 0.85 |
| 2010 | 2.24 | 0.83 |
| 2009 | 2.2 | 0.81 |
| 2008 | 2.25 | 0.81 |
| 2007 | 2.3 | 0.82 |
| 2006 | 2.32 | 0.82 |
| 2005 | 2.34 | 0.83 |
| 2004 | 2.32 | 0.81 |
| 2003 | 2.35 | 0.8 |
| 2002 | 2.42 | 0.8 |
| 2001 | 2.32 | 0.79 |
| 2000 | 2.34 | 0.77 |
| 1999 | 2.34 | 0.75 |
| 1998 | 2.31 | 0.87 |
| 1997 | 2.46 | 0.86 |
| 1996 | 2.43 | 0.85 |
| 1995 | 2.4 | 0.84 |
| 1994 | 2.32 | 0.87 |
| 1993 | 2.31 | 0.96 |
| 1992 | 2.2 | 0.95 |
| 1991 | 2.06 | 1.06 |
| 1990 | 1.79 | 0.97 |
| 1989 | 1.79 | 1.11 |
| 1988 | 1.65 | 1.11 |
| 1987 | 1.59 | 1.3 |
| 1986 | 1.55 | 1.13 |
| 1985 | 1.54 | 0.99 |
| 1984 | 1.53 | 1.1 |
| 1983 | 1.52 | 1.17 |
| 1982 | 1.53 | 1.15 |
| 1981 | 1.47 | 1.14 |
| 1980 | 1.39 | 1.08 |
| 1979 | 1.2 | 0.89 |
| 1978 | 1.11 | 0.9 |
| 1977 | 1.09 | 0.88 |
| 1976 | 1.05 | 0.88 |
| 1975 | 1.02 | – |
| 1974 | 1 | – |
| 1973 | 1 | – |
| 1972 | 0.97 | – |
| 1971 | 0.94 | – |
| 1970 | 0.91 | – |
| 1969 | 0.87 | – |
| 1968 | 0.86 | – |
| 1967 | 0.85 | – |
| 1966 | 0.84 | – |
| 1965 | 0.91 | – |
| 1964 | 0.89 | – |
| 1963 | 0.92 | – |
| 1962 | 0.91 | – |
| 1961 | 0.89 | – |
| 1960 | 0.93 | – |
| 1959 | 0.94 | – |
| 1958 | 0.93 | – |
| 1957 | 0.91 | – |
| 1956 | 0.89 | – |
| 1955 | 0.93 | – |
| 1954 | 0.85 | – |
| 1953 | 0.76 | – |
| 1952 | 0.62 | – |
| 1951 | 0.54 | – |
| 1950 | 0.47 | – |
| 1949 | 0.44 | – |
Each country on its own
Good to know
- The Correlates of War’s Composite Index of National Capability: the country’s share of the world’s military spending, soldiers, iron and steel, energy use, people and city dwellers, averaged.
- Source: Correlates of War Project, National Material Capabilities v7.0; Singer, Bremer and Stuckey (1972), “Capability Distribution, Uncertainty, and Major Power War, 1820–1965”, in Bruce Russett (ed.), Peace, War, and Numbers, Sage, 19–48.
- Ranks count the 195 countries with a value in 2022, 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 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
- 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