Viet Nam's military expenditure (current LCU) was 272.72 trillion in 2025, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 105.64% from 132.62 trillion in 2015 (7.48% a year on average, compounded).
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 272.72 trillion | 2025 |
| Five years earlier | 166.17 trillion | 2020 |
| Ten years earlier | 132.62 trillion | 2015 |
| Highest | 272.72 trillion | 2025 |
| Lowest | 103 billion | 1987 |
| Average since 2016 | 178.02 trillion | 2016–2025 |
| First recorded | 103 billion |
What the numbers say
In 2025, Viet Nam's military expenditure (current LCU) rose 31.4% on 2024 (from 207.59 trillion to 272.72 trillion).
Across the 28 yearly changes before that (1988 to 2024), the average change was +44.9% and a typical year strayed about 126.8% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations below 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 668.9% in 1988 and the biggest yearly fall was 15.1% in 1993. 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 upward, about 11.06 trillion a year. A straight line explains 74% 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 2nd highest value of the 150 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 2025 ranking
- Iran, Islamic Rep. — 1st of 150: 4,899.89 trillion
- Indonesia — 3rd of 150: 247.53 trillion
- Lebanon — 4th of 150: 74.02 trillion
- Korea, Rep. — 5th of 150: 67.92 trillion
What this measures
Military expenditure in local currency at current prices (by calendar year)
Limitations: SIPRI strives to compile reliable, consistent military expenditure data by assessing multiple sources, but accuracy depends on the quality and transparency of those sources. Challenges arise from two key issues: whether reported figures reflect actual spending and how closely they match SIPRI’s definition. While data is generally accurate in developed and many developing countries, weak governance, corruption, and secret transfers in others can lead to major discrepancies. SIPRI sometimes makes estimates, when sources conflict or lack coverage, introducing uncertainty, especially for countries like China or the UAE.
All 31 values
| Year | Military expenditure (current LCU) |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 272,716,000,000,000 |
| 2024 | 207,586,000,000,000 |
| 2023 | 189,271,000,000,000 |
| 2022 | 165,066,000,000,000 |
| 2021 | 174,309,000,000,000 |
| 2020 | 166,172,000,000,000 |
| 2019 | 167,255,000,000,000 |
| 2018 | 155,818,000,000,000 |
| 2017 | 143,272,000,000,000 |
| 2016 | 138,782,000,000,000 |
Military expenditure (current LCU) in nearby economies
- Australia — 54.81 billion (2025)
- Brunei Darussalam — 748.54 million (2024)
- Cambodia — 2.96 trillion (2025)
- China — 2.41 trillion (2025)
- Fiji — 184.81 million (2025)
- Indonesia — 247.53 trillion (2025)
- Japan — 9.3 trillion (2025)
- Korea, Dem. People's Rep. — 216.6 billion (2018)
- Korea, Rep. — 67.92 trillion (2025)
- Malaysia — 21.13 billion (2025)
- Mongolia
More public sector data for Viet Nam
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values) — 177 million (2025)
- Armed forces personnel, total — 522,000 (2020)
- Military expenditure (current USD) — 10.49 billion (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 military expenditure (current LCU)?
- 272.72 trillion in 2025, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1987?
- It is up 264,673% from 103 billion in 1987 (23.05% a year on average, compounded). The highest value was 272.72 trillion in 2025 and the lowest 103 billion in 1987.
- How does Viet Nam rank?
- 2nd highest of 150 economies with data for 2025.
- Is the latest change in military expenditure (current LCU) unusual for Viet Nam?
- In 2025, Viet Nam's military expenditure (current LCU) rose 31.4% on 2024 (from 207.59 trillion to 272.72 trillion). Across the 28 yearly changes before that (1988 to 2024), the average change was +44.9% and a typical year strayed about 126.8% from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.1 standard deviations below 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.XPND.CN, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), uri: https://www.sipri.org/databases 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.
Legal entity
Devansh Yadav
Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh
Governing law: Courts at Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh
Phone: +91 8433475698
Legal: legal@analyzeit.in