Military spending as a share of GDP in Viet Nam
Viet Nam: Military spending as a share of GDP was 2.3% in 2019. ◆ Volatile
Latest (2019)
2.3%
Change on year
up 2.9%
World rank
33rd
of 172 countries
All-time high
15.0%
in 1965
All-time low
1.8%
in 2010
Years of data
66
1954–2019
Military spending as a share of GDP in Viet Nam, 1954–2019
Source: Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in % of GDP.
Analysis
In 2019, military spending as a share of gdp in Viet Nam stood at 2.3%.
That represents a change of up 2.9% on the previous year and up 21.3% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military spending as a share of gdp in Viet Nam peaked at 15.0% in 1965 and was at its lowest, 1.8%, in 2010.
Viet Nam ranks 33rd 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.
Military spending as a share of GDP in Viet Nam, year by year
| Year | % of GDP | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1954 | 4.1% | — |
| 1955 | 5.2% | +26.5% |
| 1956 | 6.5% | +26.4% |
| 1957 | 7.9% | +21.8% |
| 1958 | 8.9% | +12.3% |
| 1959 | 9.0% | +0.8% |
| 1960 | 8.7% | -3.2% |
| 1961 | 9.1% | +4.3% |
| 1962 | 9.9% | +8.8% |
| 1963 | 10.2% | +3.7% |
| 1964 | 10.8% | +5.9% |
| 1965 | 15.0% | +38.5% |
| 1966 | 12.3% | -17.9% |
| 1967 | 13.6% | +10.3% |
| 1968 | 14.3% | +4.8% |
| 1969 | 13.4% | -6.1% |
| 1970 | 11.9% | -11.1% |
| 1971 | 8.5% | -28.3% |
| 1972 | 8.7% | +1.5% |
| 1973 | 7.1% | -18.5% |
| 1974 | 6.3% | -10.3% |
| 1975 | 6.6% | +4.5% |
| 1976 | 7.1% | +6.7% |
| 1977 | 7.4% | +4.8% |
| 1978 | 7.4% | +0.2% |
| 1979 | 8.0% | +7.9% |
| 1980 | 8.4% | +4.2% |
| 1981 | 8.8% | +5.0% |
| 1982 | 9.5% | +7.8% |
| 1983 | 9.8% | +4.1% |
| 1984 | 11.1% | +12.7% |
| 1985 | 12.2% | +10.3% |
| 1986 | 13.0% | +6.1% |
| 1987 | 6.7% | -48.5% |
| 1988 | 6.9% | +2.8% |
| 1989 | 5.7% | -17.5% |
| 1990 | 3.9% | -30.8% |
| 1991 | 3.5% | -11.3% |
| 1992 | 2.5% | -27.4% |
| 1993 | 1.9% | -23.7% |
| 1994 | 2.1% | +8.7% |
| 1995 | 2.2% | +5.1% |
| 1996 | 2.2% | -1.1% |
| 1997 | 2.2% | -0.8% |
| 1998 | 2.1% | -2.2% |
| 1999 | 2.3% | +6.9% |
| 2000 | 3.3% | +45.3% |
| 2001 | 3.7% | +12.7% |
| 2002 | 3.6% | -3.4% |
| 2003 | 3.1% | -13.0% |
| 2004 | 3.1% | -1.0% |
| 2005 | 2.8% | -10.4% |
| 2006 | 2.6% | -7.0% |
| 2007 | 2.5% | -3.1% |
| 2008 | 2.3% | -9.3% |
| 2009 | 1.9% | -15.3% |
| 2010 | 1.8% | -7.9% |
| 2011 | 1.9% | +7.0% |
| 2012 | 1.9% | +2.8% |
| 2013 | 2.1% | +9.4% |
| 2014 | 2.2% | +5.5% |
| 2015 | 2.3% | +3.0% |
| 2016 | 2.2% | -5.2% |
| 2017 | 2.3% | +4.7% |
| 2018 | 2.3% | -1.4% |
| 2019 | 2.3% | +2.9% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 6.9% | 4.1% | 9.0% | 6 |
| 1960s | 11.7% | 8.7% | 15.0% | 10 |
| 1970s | 7.9% | 6.3% | 11.9% | 10 |
| 1980s | 9.2% | 5.7% | 13.0% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.5% | 1.9% | 3.9% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.9% | 1.9% | 3.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.1% | 1.8% | 2.3% | 10 |
Countries ranked near Viet Nam
More economy & growth data for Viet Nam
- Manufacturing, value added (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.2453 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current US$), per capita 1,243 current US$ per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current LCU), per unit of GDP 6,123 current LCU per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (current LCU), per capita 31.02 million current LCU per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant 2015 US$), per unit of GDP 0.2232 constant 2015 US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant 2015 US$), per capita 1,131 constant 2015 US$ per person (2025)
- Manufacturing, value added (constant LCU), per capita 15.99 million constant LCU per person (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), annual 8.44 % change on previous year (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 0.3765 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Industry (including construction), value added (current US$), per 1,907 current US$ per person (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military spending as a share of gdp in Viet Nam?
- Military spending as a share of gdp in Viet Nam was 2.3% in 2019, according to Barnum et al. - Global Military Spending Dataset (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Viet Nam?
- The highest recorded value was 15.0% in 1965.
- What is the lowest military spending as a share of gdp recorded in Viet Nam?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.8% in 2010.
- How does Viet Nam rank for military spending as a share of gdp?
- Viet Nam ranks 33rd out of 172 countries with data for 2019.
- Is military spending as a share of gdp rising or falling in Viet Nam?
- Over the last ten years it is up 21.3%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Viet Nam 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 as a share of GDP. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Military spending measured as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP).