Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Vietnam
Vietnam: Armed forces personnel as a share of total population was 0.5% in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Vietnam, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
Vietnam recorded 0.5% for armed forces personnel as a share of total population in 2020. That is the lowest value across all 32 years on record.
The figure is down 0.9% on the previous year and down 10.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Vietnam peaked at 1.9% in 1989 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 2020.
Vietnam ranks 56th of 173 countries on this measure, in the middle of the range.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 32 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Vietnam, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 1.7% | — |
| 1989 | 1.9% | +12.1% |
| 1990 | 1.6% | -17.7% |
| 1991 | 1.6% | -3.0% |
| 1992 | 1.3% | -19.2% |
| 1993 | 1.2% | -1.9% |
| 1994 | 1.0% | -19.8% |
| 1995 | 0.9% | -12.6% |
| 1996 | 0.9% | -1.5% |
| 1997 | 0.8% | -11.7% |
| 1998 | 0.7% | -7.3% |
| 1999 | 0.7% | -1.3% |
| 2000 | 0.7% | -1.1% |
| 2001 | 0.7% | -1.0% |
| 2002 | 0.7% | -1.0% |
| 2003 | 0.7% | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 0.6% | -7.3% |
| 2006 | 0.6% | -1.3% |
| 2007 | 0.6% | -1.8% |
| 2008 | 0.6% | -1.8% |
| 2009 | 0.6% | -1.5% |
| 2010 | 0.6% | +4.3% |
| 2011 | 0.6% | -1.1% |
| 2012 | 0.6% | -1.2% |
| 2013 | 0.6% | -1.2% |
| 2014 | 0.6% | -1.2% |
| 2015 | 0.6% | -1.2% |
| 2016 | 0.6% | -1.3% |
| 2017 | 0.5% | -1.2% |
| 2018 | 0.5% | -1.1% |
| 2019 | 0.5% | -1.0% |
| 2020 | 0.5% | -0.9% |
Vietnam compared with similar countries
- Vietnam's 0.5% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 0.5%, 1.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Vietnam's 0.5% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.5%, 1.1× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.8% | 1.7% | 1.9% | 2 |
| 1990s | 1.0% | 0.7% | 1.6% | 10 |
| 2000s | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.7% | 9 |
| 2010s | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.6% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 1 |
Countries ranked near Vietnam
More reference data data for Vietnam
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 3.68 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 4.24 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 16.73 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 1.89 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Indirect emissions (N2O) - Agricultural Soils 16.73 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure applied to Soils 12.35 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure Management 18.98 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Manure left on Pasture 23.56 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - IPCC Agriculture 93.83 (2050)
- Emission Totals - Emissions (N2O) - Crop Residues 10.27 (2050)
Frequently asked questions
- What is armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Vietnam?
- Armed forces personnel as a share of total population in Vietnam was 0.5% in 2020, according to The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in Vietnam?
- The highest recorded value was 1.9% in 1989.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel as a share of total population recorded in Vietnam?
- The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 2020.
- How does Vietnam rank for armed forces personnel as a share of total population?
- Vietnam ranks 56th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Vietnam?
- Over the last ten years it is down 10.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Vietnam data come from?
- The figures come from The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026); Population based on various sources (2024) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Armed forces personnel as a share of total population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if their training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces.