Compare
United States vs Vietnam
How United States and Vietnam compare on 37 measures, from 1789 to 2025. The main differences:
- Life expectancy · In 2023, United States was higher: 79.3 years against 74.6 years
- GDP per person · In 2025, United States was higher: $67,950 against $4,308
- Population · In 2023, United States was higher: 344 million people against 100 million people
- Military spending · In 2025, United States was higher: 3.12% of GDP against 2.15% of GDP
- CO₂ per person · In 2024, United States was higher: 13.62 tonnes against 4.27 tonnes
Every measure
Health
- Life expectancyUnited States: 79.3 years in 2023Vietnam: 74.6 years in 2023
- Child mortalityUnited States: 0.7 per 100 live births in 2024Vietnam: 1.7 per 100 live births in 2024
- Infant mortalityUnited States: 5.3 per 1,000 live births in 2023Vietnam: 15.1 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Safe drinking waterUnited States: 97.5% in 2022Vietnam: 57.8% in 2022
- DepressionUnited States: 4.84% in 2017Vietnam: 2.88% in 2017
- Suicide rateUnited States: 12.8 per 100,000 people in 2017Vietnam: 7.4 per 100,000 people in 2017
People
- PopulationUnited States: 344 million people in 2023Vietnam: 100 million people in 2023
- Population growthUnited States: 0.58% a year in 2023Vietnam: 0.64% a year in 2023
- Fertility rateUnited States: 1.62 births per woman in 2023Vietnam: 1.91 births per woman in 2023
- Urban populationUnited States: 80.2% in 2025Vietnam: 38.8% in 2025
- Median ageUnited States: 38 years in 2023Vietnam: 32.4 years in 2023
- People aged 65 and overUnited States: 17.4% in 2023Vietnam: 8.6% in 2023
- Net migration rateUnited States: 3.9 per 1,000 people in 2023Vietnam: -0.8 per 1,000 people in 2023
Economy
Education
Politics
Conflict
Military
- Military spendingUnited States: 3.12% of GDP in 2025Vietnam: 2.15% of GDP in 2025
- Military spending in US dollarsUnited States: $929B in 2025Vietnam: $10.9B in 2025
- Military spending per personUnited States: $2,755 in 2025Vietnam: $104 in 2025
- Military share of state spendingUnited States: 8.3% of government spending in 2025Vietnam: 9.9% of government spending in 2025
- Armed forces personnelUnited States: 1.4 million people in 2020Vietnam: 522,000 people in 2020
- National powerUnited States: 12.36% of world capability in 2022Vietnam: 1.11% of world capability in 2022
- Armed forces, share of workersUnited States: 0.84% of the labour force in 2020Vietnam: 0.95% of the labour force in 2020
- Arms importsUnited States: 745 million TIV in 2025Vietnam: 177 million TIV in 2025
- Arms exportsUnited States: 14 billion TIV in 2025Vietnam: 10 million TIV in 2018
Climate
Technology and environment
Each country on its own
Good to know
- Sources: UN, Gapminder and UN IGME, WHO/UNICEF, IHME, World Bank, IMF, V-Dem, UCDP, SIPRI, IISS, Correlates of War, ERA5, CMIP6, EDGAR, ITU and FAO. Each measure’s page names its own and what it counts.
- Values are drawn on today’s borders. Years without a published value are left empty, never filled in.
How the layers work, where their data comes from and what they can’t tell you: Countries through time