Military spending in Vietnam

Vietnam: Military spending was 6.74 billion constant 2022 US$ in 2020. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2020)
6.74 billion constant 2022 US$
Change on year
up 2.2%
World rank
40th
of 172 countries
All-time high
6.74 billion constant 2022 US$
in 2020
All-time low
395.85 million constant 2022 US$
in 1954
Years of data
67
1954–2020

Military spending in Vietnam, 1954–2020

02.0B4.0B6.0B195419872020

Source: Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in constant 2022 US$.

Analysis

In 2020, military spending in Vietnam stood at 6.74 billion constant 2022 US$. That is the highest value across all 67 years on record.

The figure is up 2.2% on the previous year and up 127.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military spending in Vietnam peaked at 6.74 billion constant 2022 US$ in 2020 and was at its lowest, 395.85 million constant 2022 US$, in 1954.

Vietnam ranks 40th of 172 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.

The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 766.45 million constant 2022 US$ 395.85 million constant 2022 US$ 1.15 billion constant 2022 US$ 6
1960s 2.01 billion constant 2022 US$ 1.34 billion constant 2022 US$ 2.68 billion constant 2022 US$ 10
1970s 1.69 billion constant 2022 US$ 1.29 billion constant 2022 US$ 2.16 billion constant 2022 US$ 10
1980s 2.91 billion constant 2022 US$ 2.11 billion constant 2022 US$ 4.58 billion constant 2022 US$ 10
1990s 1.38 billion constant 2022 US$ 943.35 million constant 2022 US$ 1.78 billion constant 2022 US$ 10
2000s 3.23 billion constant 2022 US$ 2.75 billion constant 2022 US$ 3.42 billion constant 2022 US$ 10
2010s 4.80 billion constant 2022 US$ 2.96 billion constant 2022 US$ 6.60 billion constant 2022 US$ 10
2020s 6.74 billion constant 2022 US$ 6.74 billion constant 2022 US$ 6.74 billion constant 2022 US$ 1

Countries ranked near Vietnam

  1. 37 Thailand 7.79 billion constant 2022 US$ compare
  2. 38 Oman 7.65 billion constant 2022 US$ compare
  3. 39 Switzerland 7.40 billion constant 2022 US$ compare
  4. 41 Finland 6.73 billion constant 2022 US$ compare
  5. 42 Romania 6.50 billion constant 2022 US$ compare
  6. 43 Iraq 6.46 billion constant 2022 US$ compare

See the full ranking of 172 places →

More reference data data for Vietnam

All data for Vietnam →

Frequently asked questions

What is military spending in Vietnam?
Military spending in Vietnam was 6.74 billion constant 2022 US$ in 2020, according to Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest military spending recorded in Vietnam?
The highest recorded value was 6.74 billion constant 2022 US$ in 2020.
What is the lowest military spending recorded in Vietnam?
The lowest recorded value was 395.85 million constant 2022 US$ in 1954.
How does Vietnam rank for military spending?
Vietnam ranks 40th out of 172 countries with data for 2020.
Is military spending rising or falling in Vietnam?
Over the last ten years it is up 127.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Vietnam data come from?
The figures come from Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military spending. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

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About this data

Indicator
Military spending
Unit
constant 2022 US$
Source
Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
172 places, 15,402 data points, 1816–2023
Last refreshed

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.