United States vs Vietnam
United States vs Vietnam: Military spending
Military spending in 2025: 3.12% of GDP in United States and 2.15% of GDP in Vietnam, by SIPRI estimates. In 2025 the value was higher in United States, by 0.96 percentage points, or 1.45 times that in Vietnam.
% of GDP · SIPRI
What the numbers say
- United States has been higher since 1992, when it overtook Vietnam.
- In 2025, United States ranked 23 and Vietnam ranked 49 of 151 countries, counting from the highest.
Every year
% of GDP · SIPRI
| Year | United States | Vietnam |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 3.12 | 2.15 |
| 2024 | 3.43 | 1.8 |
| 2023 | 3.29 | 1.83 |
| 2022 | 3.3 | 1.72 |
| 2021 | 3.4 | 2.05 |
| 2020 | 3.64 | 2.07 |
| 2019 | 3.41 | 2.17 |
| 2018 | 3.3 | 2.22 |
| 2017 | 3.3 | 2.28 |
| 2016 | 3.4 | 2.46 |
| 2015 | 3.46 | 2.56 |
| 2014 | 3.68 | 2.41 |
| 2013 | 4.02 | 2.58 |
| 2012 | 4.46 | 2.42 |
| 2011 | 4.82 | 1.76 |
| 2010 | 4.9 | 1.84 |
| 2009 | 4.88 | 2.73 |
| 2008 | 4.45 | 2.07 |
| 2007 | 4.07 | 2.31 |
| 2006 | 4.04 | 1.94 |
| 2005 | 4.09 | 1.78 |
| 2004 | 4.02 | 2.01 |
| 2003 | 3.83 | 2.13 |
| 2002 | 3.45 | – |
| 2001 | 3.12 | – |
| 2000 | 3.11 | – |
| 1999 | 3.09 | – |
| 1998 | 3.2 | – |
| 1997 | 3.41 | – |
| 1996 | 3.56 | – |
| 1995 | 3.86 | – |
| 1994 | 4.22 | 2.65 |
| 1993 | 4.6 | 2.26 |
| 1992 | 4.97 | 3.38 |
| 1991 | 4.88 | 5.6 |
| 1990 | 5.61 | 7.91 |
| 1989 | 5.87 | 7.29 |
| 1988 | 6.07 | 7.1 |
| 1987 | 6.42 | 3.95 |
| 1986 | 6.63 | – |
| 1985 | 6.45 | – |
| 1984 | 6.24 | – |
| 1983 | 6.32 | – |
| 1982 | 6.81 | – |
| 1981 | 5.65 | – |
| 1980 | 5.15 | – |
| 1979 | 4.95 | – |
| 1978 | 4.94 | – |
| 1977 | 5.16 | – |
| 1976 | 5.19 | – |
| 1975 | 5.62 | – |
| 1974 | 5.95 | – |
| 1973 | 5.89 | – |
| 1972 | 6.52 | – |
| 1971 | 6.94 | – |
| 1970 | 8.03 | – |
| 1969 | 8.63 | – |
| 1968 | 9.27 | – |
| 1967 | 9.42 | – |
| 1966 | 8.44 | – |
| 1965 | 7.59 | – |
| 1964 | 8.05 | – |
| 1963 | 8.83 | – |
| 1962 | 9.33 | – |
| 1961 | 9.16 | – |
| 1960 | 8.99 | – |
| 1959 | 9.44 | – |
| 1958 | 10.07 | – |
| 1957 | 9.99 | – |
| 1956 | 9.9 | – |
| 1955 | 10.16 | – |
| 1954 | 11.74 | – |
| 1953 | 13.58 | – |
| 1952 | 13.86 | – |
| 1951 | 10.17 | – |
| 1950 | 5.08 | – |
| 1949 | 5.27 | – |
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 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 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