United Kingdom vs Vietnam
United Kingdom vs Vietnam: Military spending
Military spending in 2025: 2.35% of GDP in United Kingdom and 2.15% of GDP in Vietnam, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in United Kingdom, by 0.2 percentage points, or 1.09 times that in Vietnam.
% of GDP · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- United Kingdom has been higher since 2022, when it overtook Vietnam.
- In 2025, United Kingdom ranked 41 and Vietnam ranked 49 of 151 countries, counting from the highest.
Every year
% of GDP · SIPRI
| Year | United Kingdom | Vietnam |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2.35 | 2.15 |
| 2024 | 2.44 | 1.8 |
| 2023 | 2.15 | 1.83 |
| 2022 | 2.01 | 1.72 |
| 2021 | 2.04 | 2.05 |
| 2020 | 2.14 | 2.07 |
| 2019 | 1.97 | 2.17 |
| 2018 | 1.93 | 2.22 |
| 2017 | 1.94 | 2.28 |
| 2016 | 1.97 | 2.46 |
| 2015 | 2.04 | 2.56 |
| 2014 | 2.17 | 2.41 |
| 2013 | 2.28 | 2.58 |
| 2012 | 2.41 | 2.42 |
| 2011 | 2.49 | 1.76 |
| 2010 | 2.56 | 1.84 |
| 2009 | 2.64 | 2.73 |
| 2008 | 2.48 | 2.07 |
| 2007 | 2.37 | 2.31 |
| 2006 | 2.36 | 1.94 |
| 2005 | 2.42 | 1.78 |
| 2004 | 2.48 | 2.01 |
| 2003 | 2.54 | 2.13 |
| 2002 | 2.47 | – |
| 2001 | 2.39 | – |
| 2000 | 2.35 | – |
| 1999 | 2.41 | – |
| 1998 | 2.48 | – |
| 1997 | 2.54 | – |
| 1996 | 2.71 | – |
| 1995 | 2.84 | – |
| 1994 | 3.38 | 2.65 |
| 1993 | 3.59 | 2.26 |
| 1992 | 3.87 | 3.38 |
| 1991 | 4.12 | 5.6 |
| 1990 | 3.98 | 7.91 |
| 1989 | 4.04 | 7.29 |
| 1988 | 4.21 | 7.1 |
| 1987 | 4.69 | 3.95 |
| 1986 | 5.06 | – |
| 1985 | 5.32 | – |
| 1984 | 5.51 | – |
| 1983 | 5.4 | – |
| 1982 | 5.38 | – |
| 1981 | 4.98 | – |
| 1980 | 5.02 | – |
| 1979 | 4.68 | – |
| 1978 | 4.73 | – |
| 1977 | 4.92 | – |
| 1976 | 5.18 | – |
| 1975 | 5.34 | – |
| 1974 | 5.07 | – |
| 1973 | 4.91 | – |
| 1972 | 5.17 | – |
| 1971 | 5.08 | – |
| 1970 | 5.2 | – |
| 1969 | 5.5 | – |
| 1968 | 5.94 | – |
| 1967 | 6.24 | – |
| 1966 | 6.25 | – |
| 1965 | 6.44 | – |
| 1964 | 6.6 | – |
| 1963 | 6.8 | – |
| 1962 | 6.94 | – |
| 1961 | 6.92 | – |
| 1960 | 7.09 | – |
| 1959 | 7.29 | – |
| 1958 | 7.63 | – |
| 1957 | 7.99 | – |
| 1956 | 8.56 | – |
| 1955 | 9.09 | – |
| 1954 | 10.06 | – |
| 1953 | 10.96 | – |
| 1952 | 10.37 | – |
| 1951 | 8.3 | – |
| 1950 | 7.21 | – |
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.
- 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
United Kingdom vs Vietnam
Health
- Life expectancyUnited Kingdom: 81.3 years in 2023Vietnam: 74.6 years in 2023
- Child mortalityUnited Kingdom: 0.5 per 100 live births in 2024Vietnam: 1.7 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityUnited Kingdom: 3.7 per 1,000 live births in 2023Vietnam: 15.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterUnited Kingdom: 99.8% in 2022Vietnam: 57.8% in 2022
- DepressionUnited Kingdom: 4.12% in 2017Vietnam: 2.88% in 2017
- Suicide rateUnited Kingdom: 7.4 per 100,000 people in 2017Vietnam: 7.4 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationUnited Kingdom: 68.7 million people in 2023Vietnam: 100 million people in 2023
- Population growthUnited Kingdom: 0.7% a year in 2023Vietnam: 0.64% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateUnited Kingdom: 1.56 births per woman in 2023Vietnam: 1.91 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationUnited Kingdom: 83.3% in 2025Vietnam: 38.8% in 2025
- Median ageUnited Kingdom: 39.8 years in 2023Vietnam: 32.4 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overUnited Kingdom: 19.2% in 2023Vietnam: 8.6% in 2023
- Net migration rateUnited Kingdom: 6.5 per 1,000 people in 2023Vietnam: -0.8 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spending in US dollarsUnited Kingdom: $88B in 2025Vietnam: $10.9B in 2025
- Military spending per personUnited Kingdom: $1,283 in 2025Vietnam: $104 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingUnited Kingdom: 5.4% of government spending in 2025Vietnam: 9.9% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelUnited Kingdom: 153,000 people in 2020Vietnam: 522,000 people in 2020
- National powerUnited Kingdom: 1.25% of world capability in 2022Vietnam: 1.11% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersUnited Kingdom: 0.45% of the labour force in 2020Vietnam: 0.95% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsUnited Kingdom: 609 million TIV in 2025Vietnam: 177 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsUnited Kingdom: 702 million TIV in 2025Vietnam: 10 million TIV in 2018