Thailand vs Vietnam
Thailand vs Vietnam: Armed forces personnel
Armed forces personnel in 2020: 455,000 people in Thailand and 522,000 people in Vietnam, by IISS estimates. In 2020 the value was higher in Vietnam, by 67,000 people, or 1.15 times that in Thailand.
people · IISS
What the numbers say
- Vietnam has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1985.
- In 2020, Thailand ranked 16 and Vietnam ranked 12 of 170 countries, counting from the highest.
- The world as a whole: 27.4 million people in 2020.
Every year
people · IISS
| Year | Thailand | Vietnam | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 455,000 | 522,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2019 | 455,000 | 522,000 | 27.7 million |
| 2018 | 454,900 | 522,000 | 27.7 million |
| 2017 | 455,000 | 522,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2016 | 454,600 | 522,000 | 27.5 million |
| 2015 | 454,600 | 522,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2014 | 453,600 | 522,000 | 27.3 million |
| 2013 | 453,600 | 522,000 | 27.2 million |
| 2012 | 453,600 | 522,000 | 28.2 million |
| 2011 | 474,600 | 522,000 | 28 million |
| 2010 | 419,600 | 522,000 | 28.1 million |
| 2009 | 419,600 | 495,000 | 27.9 million |
| 2008 | 421,000 | 495,000 | 27.5 million |
| 2007 | 420,000 | 495,000 | 27.3 million |
| 2006 | 420,000 | 495,000 | 27 million |
| 2005 | 421,000 | 495,000 | 28.5 million |
| 2004 | 419,000 | – | 27.1 million |
| 2003 | 427,200 | 524,000 | 28.2 million |
| 2002 | 419,000 | 524,000 | 28.3 million |
| 2001 | 410,000 | 524,000 | 28.2 million |
| 2000 | 416,600 | 524,000 | 29.4 million |
| 1999 | 377,000 | 524,000 | 29.6 million |
| 1998 | 377,000 | 524,000 | 29.9 million |
| 1997 | 337,000 | 557,000 | 29.9 million |
| 1996 | 393,500 | 622,000 | 30.2 million |
| 1995 | 420,500 | 622,000 | 30.2 million |
| 1994 | 290,000 | 700,000 | 23.2 million |
| 1993 | 295,000 | 857,000 | 23.7 million |
| 1992 | 283,000 | 857,000 | 24.5 million |
| 1991 | 283,000 | 1.04 million | 22.7 million |
| 1990 | 283,000 | 1.05 million | 23.9 million |
| 1989 | 283,000 | 1.25 million | 24.3 million |
| 1985 | 235,300 | 1.03 million | 22.2 million |
| 1984 | 235,000 | 1.23 million | – |
| 1983 | 233,000 | 1.03 million | – |
| 1982 | 250,000 | 1 million | – |
| 1981 | 250,000 | 1 million | – |
| 1980 | 234,000 | 900,000 | – |
| 1979 | 250,000 | 650,000 | – |
| 1978 | 250,000 | 660,000 | – |
| 1977 | 230,000 | 615,000 | – |
| 1976 | 228,000 | 637,000 | – |
| 1975 | 227,000 | – | – |
| 1974 | 221,000 | – | – |
| 1973 | 233,000 | – | – |
| 1972 | 205,000 | – | – |
| 1971 | 195,000 | – | – |
| 1970 | 175,000 | – | – |
| 1969 | 175,000 | – | – |
| 1968 | 167,000 | – | – |
| 1967 | 151,000 | – | – |
| 1966 | 151,000 | – | – |
| 1965 | 132,000 | – | – |
| 1964 | 85,000 | – | – |
| 1963 | 85,000 | – | – |
| 1962 | 83,000 | – | – |
| 1961 | 80,000 | – | – |
| 1960 | 97,000 | – | – |
| 1959 | 99,000 | – | – |
| 1958 | 100,000 | – | – |
| 1957 | 100,000 | – | – |
| 1956 | 50,000 | – | – |
| 1955 | 45,000 | – | – |
| 1954 | 45,000 | – | – |
| 1953 | 45,000 | – | – |
| 1952 | 44,000 | – | – |
| 1951 | 44,000 | – | – |
| 1950 | 44,000 | – | – |
| 1949 | 44,000 | – | – |
| 1948 | 44,000 | – | – |
| 1947 | 44,000 | – | – |
| 1946 | 44,000 | – | – |
| 1939 | 31,000 | – | – |
| 1938 | 38,000 | – | – |
| 1937 | 35,000 | – | – |
| 1936 | 32,000 | – | – |
| 1935 | 27,000 | – | – |
| 1934 | 27,000 | – | – |
| 1933 | 27,000 | – | – |
| 1932 | 30,000 | – | – |
| 1931 | 30,000 | – | – |
| 1930 | 28,000 | – | – |
| 1929 | 28,000 | – | – |
| 1928 | 27,000 | – | – |
| 1927 | 27,000 | – | – |
| 1926 | 26,000 | – | – |
| 1925 | 25,000 | – | – |
| 1924 | 26,000 | – | – |
| 1923 | 26,000 | – | – |
| 1922 | 24,000 | – | – |
| 1921 | 25,000 | – | – |
| 1920 | 25,000 | – | – |
| 1919 | 25,000 | – | – |
| 1918 | 32,000 | – | – |
| 1917 | 32,000 | – | – |
| 1916 | 32,000 | – | – |
| 1915 | 32,000 | – | – |
| 1914 | 32,000 | – | – |
| 1913 | 31,000 | – | – |
| 1912 | 31,000 | – | – |
| 1911 | 31,000 | – | – |
| 1910 | 31,000 | – | – |
| 1909 | 31,000 | – | – |
| 1908 | 31,000 | – | – |
| 1907 | 26,000 | – | – |
| 1906 | 16,000 | – | – |
| 1905 | 18,000 | – | – |
| 1904 | 18,000 | – | – |
| 1903 | 18,000 | – | – |
| 1902 | 10,000 | – | – |
| 1901 | 4,000 | – | – |
| 1900 | 10,000 | – | – |
| 1899 | 6,000 | – | – |
| 1898 | 6,000 | – | – |
| 1897 | 6,000 | – | – |
| 1896 | 6,000 | – | – |
| 1895 | 6,000 | – | – |
| 1894 | 6,000 | – | – |
| 1893 | 5,000 | – | – |
| 1892 | 15,000 | – | – |
| 1891 | 15,000 | – | – |
| 1890 | 15,000 | – | – |
| 1889 | 15,000 | – | – |
| 1888 | 15,000 | – | – |
| 1887 | 15,000 | – | – |
- 12.3Estimates, Correlates of War
Each country on its own
Good to know
- Active-duty military personnel, with paramilitary forces where they are trained and equipped like soldiers, by the IISS Military Balance.
- Source: IISS, The Military Balance, via the World Bank.
- Before 1985: 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 170 countries with a value in 2020, highest first.
- The faint line is the world as a whole, as the same source counts it.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time
Thailand vs Vietnam
Health
- Life expectancyThailand: 76.4 years in 2023Vietnam: 74.6 years in 2023
- Child mortalityThailand: 0.9 per 100 live births in 2024Vietnam: 1.7 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityThailand: 6.2 per 1,000 live births in 2023Vietnam: 15.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- DepressionThailand: 3.09% in 2017Vietnam: 2.88% in 2017
- Suicide rateThailand: 10.4 per 100,000 people in 2017Vietnam: 7.4 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationThailand: 71.7 million people in 2023Vietnam: 100 million people in 2023
- Population growthThailand: -0.04% a year in 2023Vietnam: 0.64% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateThailand: 1.21 births per woman in 2023Vietnam: 1.91 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationThailand: 62.8% in 2025Vietnam: 38.8% in 2025
- Median ageThailand: 39.7 years in 2023Vietnam: 32.4 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overThailand: 14.7% in 2023Vietnam: 8.6% in 2023
- Net migration rateThailand: 0.3 per 1,000 people in 2023Vietnam: -0.8 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingThailand: 1.04% of GDP in 2025Vietnam: 2.15% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsThailand: $5.57B in 2025Vietnam: $10.9B in 2025
- Military spending per personThailand: $84 in 2025Vietnam: $104 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingThailand: 4.4% of government spending in 2025Vietnam: 9.9% of government spending in 2025
- National powerThailand: 0.79% of world capability in 2022Vietnam: 1.11% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersThailand: 1.13% of the labour force in 2020Vietnam: 0.95% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsThailand: 33 million TIV in 2025Vietnam: 177 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsThailand: 15 million TIV in 2024Vietnam: 10 million TIV in 2018