Viet Nam's arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) was 177 million in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is down 79.63% from 869 million in 2015 (14.71% a year on average, compounded).
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 177 million | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | 38 million | 2020 |
| Ten years earlier | 869 million | 2015 |
| Highest | 1.32 billion | 1972 |
| Lowest | 8 million | 2007 |
| Average since 2016 | 311.6 million | 2016–2025 |
| First recorded | 103 million |
What the numbers say
In 2025, Viet Nam's arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) rose 205.2% on 2024 (from 58 million to 177 million).
Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2024), the average change was +163% and a typical year strayed about 493.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 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 2,225% in 2008 and the biggest yearly fall was 95% in 1985. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2016 to 2025 the straight-line trend is downward, about 88.7 million a year. A straight line explains 66% of the movement over 10 observed years.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
How it compares
In 2025, Viet Nam had the 38th highest value of the 105 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.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Viet Nam | 177 million | 2025 |
| World | 33.33 billion | 2025 |
| East Asia & Pacific | 5.83 billion | 2025 |
| Upper middle income | 7.32 billion | 2025 |
Closest to Viet Nam in the 2025 ranking
What this measures
Arms transfers (imports) cover the volume of transfers of major arms through sales and gifts, and those made through manufacturing licenses. Data cover major conventional weapons such as aircraft, armored vehicles, artillery, radar systems, missiles, and ships. Figures are SIPRI Trend Indicator Values (TIVs). A '0' indicates that the volume of deliveries is between 0 and 0.5 million SIPRI TIV.
Limitations: SIPRI calculates the volume of transfers to, from and between all parties using the TIV and the number of weapon systems or subsystems delivered in a given year. This data is intended to provide a common unit to allow the measurement if trends in the flow of arms to particular countries and regions over time. Therefore, the main priority is to ensure that the TIV system remains consistent over time, and that any changes introduced are backdated. SIPRI TIV figures do not represent sales prices for arms transfers.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a sum.
All 62 values
| Year | Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 177,000,000 |
| 2024 | 58,000,000 |
| 2023 | 45,000,000 |
| 2022 | 86,000,000 |
| 2021 | 235,000,000 |
| 2020 | 38,000,000 |
| 2019 | 166,000,000 |
| 2018 | 604,000,000 |
| 2017 | 783,000,000 |
| 2016 | 924,000,000 |
| 2015 |
Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) in nearby economies
- Australia — 826 million (2025)
- Brunei Darussalam — 28 million (2024)
- Cambodia — 56 million (2023)
- China — 207 million (2025)
- Indonesia — 1.28 billion (2025)
- Japan — 1.72 billion (2025)
- Korea, Rep. — 222 million (2025)
- Lao PDR — 7 million (2024)
- Malaysia — 7 million (2024)
- Mongolia — 3 million (2022)
More public sector data for Viet Nam
- Armed forces personnel, total — 522,000 (2020)
- 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
Questions people ask
- What is Viet Nam's arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values)?
- 177 million in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1960?
- It is up 71.84% from 103 million in 1960 (0.84% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 1.32 billion in 1972 and the lowest 8 million in 2007.
- How does Viet Nam rank?
- 38th highest of 105 economies with data for 2025.
- Is the latest change in arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) unusual for Viet Nam?
- In 2025, Viet Nam's arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) rose 205.2% on 2024 (from 58 million to 177 million). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1990 to 2024), the average change was +163% and a typical year strayed about 493.2% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 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.MPRT.KD, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Arms Transfers Programme, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), uri: https://armstransfers.sipri.org/ArmsTransfer/ 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.
Want to ask your own questions of data like this? Try AnalyzeIt: upload a file or ask about public data in plain words, and every figure comes with its working.
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