Armed forces personnel in Vietnam
Vietnam: Armed forces personnel was 522,000 in 2020. ▼ Falling
Armed forces personnel in Vietnam, 1985–2020
Source: The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
Analysis
Vietnam recorded 522,000 for armed forces personnel in 2020.
That represents a change of unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, armed forces personnel in Vietnam peaked at 1.25 million in 1989 and was at its lowest, 495,000, in 2005.
That places Vietnam 12th out of 173 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 32 years of available data.
Armed forces personnel in Vietnam, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 1.03 million | — |
| 1989 | 1.25 million | +21.7% |
| 1990 | 1.05 million | -16.0% |
| 1991 | 1.04 million | -1.0% |
| 1992 | 857,000 | -17.6% |
| 1993 | 857,000 | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 700,000 | -18.3% |
| 1995 | 622,000 | -11.1% |
| 1996 | 622,000 | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 557,000 | -10.5% |
| 1998 | 524,000 | -5.9% |
| 1999 | 524,000 | +0.0% |
| 2000 | 524,000 | +0.0% |
| 2001 | 524,000 | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 524,000 | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 524,000 | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 495,000 | -5.5% |
| 2006 | 495,000 | +0.0% |
| 2007 | 495,000 | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 495,000 | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 495,000 | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 522,000 | +5.5% |
| 2011 | 522,000 | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 522,000 | +0.0% |
| 2013 | 522,000 | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 522,000 | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 522,000 | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 522,000 | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 522,000 | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 522,000 | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 522,000 | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 522,000 | +0.0% |
Vietnam compared with similar countries
- Vietnam's 522,000 is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 64,000, 8.2× the median. (48 countries reporting)
- Vietnam's 522,000 is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 146,500, 3.6× the median. (20 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980s | 1.14 million | 1.03 million | 1.25 million | 2 |
| 1990s | 735,300 | 524,000 | 1.05 million | 10 |
| 2000s | 507,889 | 495,000 | 524,000 | 9 |
| 2010s | 522,000 | 522,000 | 522,000 | 10 |
| 2020s | 522,000 | 522,000 | 522,000 | 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 in Vietnam?
- Armed forces personnel in Vietnam was 522,000 in 2020, according to The Military Balance - International Institute for Strategic Studies, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest armed forces personnel recorded in Vietnam?
- The highest recorded value was 1.25 million in 1989.
- What is the lowest armed forces personnel recorded in Vietnam?
- The lowest recorded value was 495,000 in 2005.
- How does Vietnam rank for armed forces personnel?
- Vietnam ranks 12th out of 173 countries with data for 2020.
- Is armed forces personnel rising or falling in Vietnam?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. 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) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Armed forces personnel. 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.