Military personnel in Vietnam
Vietnam: Military personnel was 482,000 people in 2022. ▲ Rising
Latest (2022)
482,000 people
Change on year
unchanged
World rank
11th
of 194 countries
All-time high
1.26 million people
in 1986
All-time low
180,000 people
in 1954
Years of data
69
1954–2022
Military personnel in Vietnam, 1954–2022
Source: Correlates of War – National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in people.
Analysis
Vietnam recorded 482,000 people for military personnel in 2022.
Compared with earlier readings it is unchanged over ten years.
Over the whole period, military personnel in Vietnam peaked at 1.26 million people in 1986 and was at its lowest, 180,000 people, in 1954.
That places Vietnam 11th out of 194 countries with data for 2022, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 69 years of available data.
Military personnel in Vietnam, year by year
| Year | people | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1954 | 180,000 people | — |
| 1955 | 190,000 people | +5.6% |
| 1956 | 200,000 people | +5.3% |
| 1957 | 210,000 people | +5.0% |
| 1958 | 220,000 people | +4.8% |
| 1959 | 230,000 people | +4.5% |
| 1960 | 240,000 people | +4.3% |
| 1961 | 250,000 people | +4.2% |
| 1962 | 260,000 people | +4.0% |
| 1963 | 250,000 people | -3.8% |
| 1964 | 256,000 people | +2.4% |
| 1965 | 256,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1966 | 256,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1967 | 418,000 people | +63.3% |
| 1968 | 447,000 people | +6.9% |
| 1969 | 477,000 people | +6.7% |
| 1970 | 452,000 people | -5.2% |
| 1971 | 455,000 people | +0.7% |
| 1972 | 625,000 people | +37.4% |
| 1973 | 630,000 people | +0.8% |
| 1974 | 665,000 people | +5.6% |
| 1975 | 643,000 people | -3.3% |
| 1976 | 637,000 people | -0.9% |
| 1977 | 615,000 people | -3.5% |
| 1978 | 660,000 people | +7.3% |
| 1979 | 650,000 people | -1.5% |
| 1980 | 900,000 people | +38.5% |
| 1981 | 1.00 million people | +11.1% |
| 1982 | 1.00 million people | +0.0% |
| 1983 | 1.03 million people | +2.9% |
| 1984 | 1.23 million people | +19.2% |
| 1985 | 1.03 million people | -16.3% |
| 1986 | 1.26 million people | +22.7% |
| 1987 | 1.26 million people | +0.0% |
| 1988 | 1.25 million people | -0.8% |
| 1989 | 1.25 million people | +0.0% |
| 1990 | 1.05 million people | -16.0% |
| 1991 | 1.04 million people | -1.0% |
| 1992 | 857,000 people | -17.6% |
| 1993 | 857,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1994 | 700,000 people | -18.3% |
| 1995 | 650,000 people | -7.1% |
| 1996 | 650,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1997 | 650,000 people | +0.0% |
| 1998 | 640,000 people | -1.5% |
| 1999 | 485,000 people | -24.2% |
| 2000 | 484,000 people | -0.2% |
| 2001 | 484,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2002 | 484,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2003 | 484,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 484,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2005 | 484,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2006 | 455,000 people | -6.0% |
| 2007 | 455,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2008 | 455,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2009 | 455,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2010 | 455,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2011 | 455,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2012 | 482,000 people | +5.9% |
| 2013 | 482,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2014 | 482,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2015 | 482,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2016 | 482,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2017 | 482,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2018 | 482,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2019 | 482,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2020 | 482,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2021 | 482,000 people | +0.0% |
| 2022 | 482,000 people | +0.0% |
Vietnam compared with similar countries
- Vietnam's 482,000 people is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 23,000 people, 21.0× the median. (58 countries reporting)
- Vietnam's 482,000 people is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 9,500 people, 50.7× the median. (30 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Military personnel in Vietnam changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | +63.3% | 256,000 people | 418,000 people |
| 1980 | +38.5% | 650,000 people | 900,000 people |
| 1972 | +37.4% | 455,000 people | 625,000 people |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 205,000 people | 180,000 people | 230,000 people | 6 |
| 1960s | 311,000 people | 240,000 people | 477,000 people | 10 |
| 1970s | 603,200 people | 452,000 people | 665,000 people | 10 |
| 1980s | 1.12 million people | 900,000 people | 1.26 million people | 10 |
| 1990s | 757,900 people | 485,000 people | 1.05 million people | 10 |
| 2000s | 472,400 people | 455,000 people | 484,000 people | 10 |
| 2010s | 476,600 people | 455,000 people | 482,000 people | 10 |
| 2020s | 482,000 people | 482,000 people | 482,000 people | 3 |
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 military personnel in Vietnam?
- Military personnel in Vietnam was 482,000 people in 2022, according to Correlates of War – National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military personnel recorded in Vietnam?
- The highest recorded value was 1.26 million people in 1986.
- What is the lowest military personnel recorded in Vietnam?
- The lowest recorded value was 180,000 people in 1954.
- How does Vietnam rank for military personnel?
- Vietnam ranks 11th out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
- Is military personnel rising or falling in Vietnam?
- Over the last ten years it is unchanged. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Vietnam data come from?
- The figures come from Correlates of War – National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military personnel. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Troops under the command of the national government, intended for use against foreign adversaries, and held ready for combat as of January 1 of the given year.