Thailand vs Vietnam: Military spending
Thailand
7.79 billion constant 2022 US$
in 2023
Vietnam
6.74 billion constant 2022 US$
in 2020
Thailand rank
37th
Vietnam rank
40th
Military spending over time
- Thailand
- Vietnam
How they compare
Thailand currently reports 7.79 billion constant 2022 US$ against 6.74 billion constant 2022 US$ in Vietnam, a difference of 1.04 billion constant 2022 US$.
That makes Thailand's figure about 1.2 times Vietnam's.
The two have swapped places 6 times across 67 shared years of data; in 1954 it was Thailand ahead.
Thailand ranks 37th and Vietnam ranks 40th of 172 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Thailand averaged higher in 6 and Vietnam in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Thailand | Vietnam | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 483.32 million constant 2022 US$ | 766.45 million constant 2022 US$ | 283.13 million constant 2022 US$ | Vietnam |
| 1960s | 709.10 million constant 2022 US$ | 2.01 billion constant 2022 US$ | 1.30 billion constant 2022 US$ | Vietnam |
| 1970s | 1.93 billion constant 2022 US$ | 1.69 billion constant 2022 US$ | 233.87 million constant 2022 US$ | Thailand |
| 1980s | 3.63 billion constant 2022 US$ | 2.91 billion constant 2022 US$ | 721.24 million constant 2022 US$ | Thailand |
| 1990s | 4.96 billion constant 2022 US$ | 1.38 billion constant 2022 US$ | 3.59 billion constant 2022 US$ | Thailand |
| 2000s | 3.78 billion constant 2022 US$ | 3.23 billion constant 2022 US$ | 552.64 million constant 2022 US$ | Thailand |
| 2010s | 7.00 billion constant 2022 US$ | 4.80 billion constant 2022 US$ | 2.20 billion constant 2022 US$ | Thailand |
| 2020s | 8.57 billion constant 2022 US$ | 6.74 billion constant 2022 US$ | 1.83 billion constant 2022 US$ | Thailand |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military spending, Thailand or Vietnam?
- Thailand, at 7.79 billion constant 2022 US$ against 6.74 billion constant 2022 US$ in Vietnam as of 2023.
- What is the difference in military spending between Thailand and Vietnam?
- 1.04 billion constant 2022 US$, with Thailand ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Thailand and Vietnam?
- 67 years are reported by both, from 1954 to 2020.
- How do Thailand and Vietnam rank globally for military spending?
- Thailand ranks 37th and Vietnam ranks 40th of 172 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Military spending. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
This data is expressed in US dollars. It is adjusted for inflation but does not account for differences in the cost of living between countries.