United States vs Vietnam
United States vs Vietnam: Armed forces personnel
Armed forces personnel in 2020: 1.4 million people in United States and 522,000 people in Vietnam, by IISS estimates. In 2020 the value was higher in United States, by 873,000 people, or 2.67 times that in Vietnam.
people · IISS
What the numbers say
- United States has been higher in every year both have figures for since 1985.
- In 2020, United States ranked 5 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 | United States | Vietnam | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 1.4 million | 522,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2019 | 1.39 million | 522,000 | 27.7 million |
| 2018 | 1.38 million | 522,000 | 27.7 million |
| 2017 | 1.36 million | 522,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2016 | 1.35 million | 522,000 | 27.5 million |
| 2015 | 1.35 million | 522,000 | 27.4 million |
| 2014 | 1.38 million | 522,000 | 27.3 million |
| 2013 | 1.43 million | 522,000 | 27.2 million |
| 2012 | 1.49 million | 522,000 | 28.2 million |
| 2011 | 1.52 million | 522,000 | 28 million |
| 2010 | 1.57 million | 522,000 | 28.1 million |
| 2009 | 1.56 million | 495,000 | 27.9 million |
| 2008 | 1.54 million | 495,000 | 27.5 million |
| 2007 | 1.56 million | 495,000 | 27.3 million |
| 2006 | 1.5 million | 495,000 | 27 million |
| 2005 | 1.55 million | 495,000 | 28.5 million |
| 2004 | 1.47 million | – | 27.1 million |
| 2003 | 1.48 million | 524,000 | 28.2 million |
| 2002 | 1.47 million | 524,000 | 28.3 million |
| 2001 | 1.42 million | 524,000 | 28.2 million |
| 2000 | 1.46 million | 524,000 | 29.4 million |
| 1999 | 1.58 million | 524,000 | 29.6 million |
| 1998 | 1.59 million | 524,000 | 29.9 million |
| 1997 | 1.53 million | 557,000 | 29.9 million |
| 1996 | 1.57 million | 622,000 | 30.2 million |
| 1995 | 1.64 million | 622,000 | 30.2 million |
| 1994 | 1.72 million | 700,000 | 23.2 million |
| 1993 | 1.82 million | 857,000 | 23.7 million |
| 1992 | 1.92 million | 857,000 | 24.5 million |
| 1991 | 2.12 million | 1.04 million | 22.7 million |
| 1990 | 2.18 million | 1.05 million | 23.9 million |
| 1989 | 2.24 million | 1.25 million | 24.3 million |
| 1985 | 2.15 million | 1.03 million | 22.2 million |
| 1984 | 2.22 million | 1.23 million | – |
| 1983 | 2.2 million | 1.03 million | – |
| 1982 | 2.17 million | 1 million | – |
| 1981 | 2.1 million | 1 million | – |
| 1980 | 2.05 million | 900,000 | – |
| 1979 | 2.03 million | 650,000 | – |
| 1978 | 2.06 million | 660,000 | – |
| 1977 | 2.06 million | 615,000 | – |
| 1976 | 2.08 million | 637,000 | – |
| 1975 | 2.1 million | – | – |
| 1974 | 2.15 million | – | – |
| 1973 | 2.21 million | – | – |
| 1972 | 2.32 million | – | – |
| 1971 | 2.72 million | – | – |
| 1970 | 3.07 million | – | – |
| 1969 | 3.46 million | – | – |
| 1968 | 3.55 million | – | – |
| 1967 | 3.38 million | – | – |
| 1966 | 3.09 million | – | – |
| 1965 | 2.66 million | – | – |
| 1964 | 2.69 million | – | – |
| 1963 | 2.7 million | – | – |
| 1962 | 2.81 million | – | – |
| 1961 | 2.31 million | – | – |
| 1960 | 2.31 million | – | – |
| 1959 | 2.33 million | – | – |
| 1958 | 2.41 million | – | – |
| 1957 | 2.8 million | – | – |
| 1956 | 2.81 million | – | – |
| 1955 | 2.94 million | – | – |
| 1954 | 3.3 million | – | – |
| 1953 | 3.56 million | – | – |
| 1952 | 3.64 million | – | – |
| 1951 | 3.25 million | – | – |
| 1950 | 1.46 million | – | – |
| 1949 | 1.62 million | – | – |
| 1948 | 1.45 million | – | – |
| 1947 | 1.58 million | – | – |
| 1946 | 3.03 million | – | – |
| 1945 | 12.1 million | – | – |
| 1944 | 11.5 million | – | – |
| 1943 | 9.05 million | – | – |
| 1942 | 3.86 million | – | – |
| 1941 | 1.8 million | – | – |
| 1940 | 458,000 | – | – |
| 1939 | 334,000 | – | – |
| 1938 | 323,000 | – | – |
| 1937 | 312,000 | – | – |
| 1936 | 291,000 | – | – |
| 1935 | 252,000 | – | – |
| 1934 | 247,000 | – | – |
| 1933 | 244,000 | – | – |
| 1932 | 245,000 | – | – |
| 1931 | 253,000 | – | – |
| 1930 | 256,000 | – | – |
| 1929 | 255,000 | – | – |
| 1928 | 251,000 | – | – |
| 1927 | 249,000 | – | – |
| 1926 | 247,000 | – | – |
| 1925 | 252,000 | – | – |
| 1924 | 261,000 | – | – |
| 1923 | 247,000 | – | – |
| 1922 | 270,000 | – | – |
| 1921 | 387,000 | – | – |
| 1920 | 343,000 | – | – |
| 1919 | 1.17 million | – | – |
| 1918 | 2.9 million | – | – |
| 1917 | 644,000 | – | – |
| 1916 | 179,000 | – | – |
| 1915 | 174,000 | – | – |
| 1914 | 166,000 | – | – |
| 1913 | 155,000 | – | – |
| 1912 | 153,000 | – | – |
| 1911 | 145,000 | – | – |
| 1910 | 139,000 | – | – |
| 1909 | 142,000 | – | – |
| 1908 | 129,000 | – | – |
| 1907 | 108,000 | – | – |
| 1906 | 112,000 | – | – |
| 1905 | 108,000 | – | – |
| 1904 | 110,000 | – | – |
| 1903 | 106,000 | – | – |
| 1902 | 111,000 | – | – |
| 1901 | 112,000 | – | – |
| 1900 | 126,000 | – | – |
| 1899 | 100,000 | – | – |
| 1898 | 236,000 | – | – |
| 1897 | 44,000 | – | – |
| 1896 | 42,000 | – | – |
| 1895 | 42,000 | – | – |
| 1894 | 42,000 | – | – |
| 1893 | 39,000 | – | – |
| 1892 | 39,000 | – | – |
| 1891 | 38,000 | – | – |
| 1890 | 39,000 | – | – |
| 1889 | 39,000 | – | – |
| 1888 | 39,000 | – | – |
| 1887 | 39,000 | – | – |
| 1886 | 39,000 | – | – |
| 1885 | 39,000 | – | – |
| 1884 | 39,000 | – | – |
| 1883 | 37,000 | – | – |
| 1882 | 38,000 | – | – |
| 1881 | 38,000 | – | – |
| 1880 | 38,000 | – | – |
| 1879 | 38,000 | – | – |
| 1878 | 36,000 | – | – |
| 1877 | 34,000 | – | – |
| 1876 | 41,000 | – | – |
| 1875 | 38,000 | – | – |
| 1874 | 44,000 | – | – |
| 1873 | 43,000 | – | – |
| 1872 | 42,000 | – | – |
| 1871 | 42,000 | – | – |
| 1870 | 50,000 | – | – |
| 1869 | 52,000 | – | – |
| 1868 | 66,000 | – | – |
| 1867 | 75,000 | – | – |
| 1866 | 77,000 | – | – |
| 1865 | 1.06 million | – | – |
| 1864 | 1.03 million | – | – |
| 1863 | 960,000 | – | – |
| 1862 | 673,000 | – | – |
| 1861 | 217,000 | – | – |
| 1860 | 28,000 | – | – |
| 1859 | 29,000 | – | – |
| 1858 | 29,000 | – | – |
| 1857 | 27,000 | – | – |
| 1856 | 26,000 | – | – |
| 1855 | 26,000 | – | – |
| 1854 | 21,000 | – | – |
| 1853 | 21,000 | – | – |
| 1852 | 21,000 | – | – |
| 1851 | 21,000 | – | – |
| 1850 | 21,000 | – | – |
| 1849 | 23,000 | – | – |
| 1848 | 60,000 | – | – |
| 1847 | 58,000 | – | – |
| 1846 | 39,000 | – | – |
| 1845 | 21,000 | – | – |
| 1844 | 21,000 | – | – |
| 1843 | 21,000 | – | – |
| 1842 | 23,000 | – | – |
| 1841 | 21,000 | – | – |
| 1840 | 22,000 | – | – |
| 1839 | 19,000 | – | – |
| 1838 | 18,000 | – | – |
| 1837 | 22,000 | – | – |
| 1836 | 17,000 | – | – |
| 1835 | 14,000 | – | – |
| 1834 | 13,000 | – | – |
| 1833 | 13,000 | – | – |
| 1832 | 12,000 | – | – |
| 1831 | 11,000 | – | – |
| 1830 | 12,000 | – | – |
| 1829 | 12,000 | – | – |
| 1828 | 11,000 | – | – |
| 1827 | 12,000 | – | – |
| 1826 | 12,000 | – | – |
| 1825 | 11,000 | – | – |
| 1824 | 11,000 | – | – |
| 1823 | 11,000 | – | – |
| 1822 | 10,000 | – | – |
| 1821 | 11,000 | – | – |
| 1820 | 15,000 | – | – |
| 1819 | 13,000 | – | – |
| 1818 | 14,000 | – | – |
| 1817 | 15,000 | – | – |
| 1816 | 17,000 | – | – |
- 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
United States vs Vietnam
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
- 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