Viet Nam: Armed forces personnel, total

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2020, Viet Nam's armed forces personnel, total did not change 0% on 2019 (from 522,000 to 522,000).

Across the 28 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2019), the average change was −2.7% and a typical year strayed about 6.1% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 5.5% in 2010 and the biggest yearly fall was 18.3% in 1994. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2011 to 2020 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains less than 1% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

In 2020, Viet Nam had the 12th highest value of the 170 economies reporting that year. Higher is not always better: for some indicators the lowest value is the one to aim for. See the full ranking.

Closest to Viet Nam in the 2020 ranking

• Indonesia — 9th of 170: 676,000
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 10th of 170: 650,000
• Korea, Rep. — 11th of 170: 569,000
• Türkiye — 13th of 170: 512,000
• Myanmar — 14th of 170: 463,000
• Iraq — 15th of 170: 459,000

What this measures

Armed forces personnel are active duty military personnel, including paramilitary forces if the training, organization, equipment, and control suggest they may be used to support or replace regular military forces.

Limitations: Data excludes personnel not on active duty, therefore it underestimates the share of the labor force working for the defense establishment. The cooperation of governments of all countries listed in “The Military Balance” has been sought by IISS and, in many cases, received. However, some data in “The Military Balance” is estimated.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.

All 32 values

Armed forces personnel, total in nearby economies

• Australia — 60,000 (2020)
• Brunei Darussalam — 8,000 (2020)
• Cambodia — 191,000 (2020)
• China — 2.54 million (2020)
• Fiji — 4,000 (2020)
• Indonesia — 676,000 (2020)
• Japan — 261,000 (2020)
• Korea, Dem. People's Rep. — 1.47 million (2020)
• Korea, Rep. — 569,000 (2020)
• Lao PDR — 129,000 (2020)
• Malaysia — 136,000 (2020)

More public sector data for Viet Nam

• Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 177 million (2025)
• Military expenditure (current USD) — 10.49 billion (2025)
• Military expenditure (current LCU) — 272.72 trillion (2025)
• Military expenditure (% of GDP) — 2.15% (2025)
• Armed forces personnel (% of total labor force) — 0.95% (2020)
• Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) — 9.93% (2025)
• Statistical performance indicators (SPI): Pillar 1 data use score (scale 0-100) — 100 (2024)
• Statistical performance indicators (SPI): Pillar 3 data products score (scale 0-100) — 80.3 (2024)
• Primary government expenditures as a proportion of original approved budget (%)

Reading data like this

• Where to find free public data, and how to check it before you trust it — 2 min read
• Data analysis examples: 6 worked from one dataset — 3 min read
• Real change or random noise? A plain guide to reading your numbers — 2 min read

Questions people ask

What is Viet Nam's armed forces personnel, total?

522,000 in 2020, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1985?

It is down 49.17% from 1.03 million in 1985 (1.91% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 1.25 million in 1989 and the lowest 495,000 in 2005.

How does Viet Nam rank?

12th highest of 170 economies with data for 2020.

Is the latest change in armed forces personnel, total unusual for Viet Nam?

In 2020, Viet Nam's armed forces personnel, total did not change 0% on 2019 (from 522,000 to 522,000). Across the 28 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2019), the average change was −2.7% and a typical year strayed about 6.1% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.4 standard deviations above that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator MS.MIL.TOTL.P1, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: The Military Balance, International Institute for Strategic Studies Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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