Military personnel as a share of total population in Viet Nam

Viet Nam: Military personnel as a share of total population was 0.5% in 2022. ◆ Volatile

Latest (2022)
0.5%
Change on year
down 0.7%
World rank
42nd
of 194 countries
All-time high
2.9%
in 1974
All-time low
0.5%
in 2022
Years of data
69
1954–2022

Military personnel as a share of total population in Viet Nam, 1954–2022

0.511.522.53195419882022

Source: Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Viet Nam recorded 0.5% for military personnel as a share of total population in 2022. That is the lowest value across all 69 years on record.

The figure is down 0.7% on the previous year and down 8.9% over ten years.

Over the whole period, military personnel as a share of total population in Viet Nam peaked at 2.9% in 1974 and was at its lowest, 0.5%, in 2022.

Viet Nam ranks 42nd of 194 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 personnel as a share of total population in Viet Nam, year by year

Annual values for Military personnel as a share of total population in Viet Nam, 1954 to 2022.
Year % Change
1954 1.4%
1955 1.4% +1.9%
1956 1.4% +1.6%
1957 1.4% +1.5%
1958 1.5% +1.3%
1959 1.5% +1.0%
1960 1.5% +0.8%
1961 1.5% +1.0%
1962 1.5% +0.4%
1963 1.4% -7.6%
1964 1.4% -0.9%
1965 1.3% -2.6%
1966 1.3% -2.2%
1967 2.1% +59.7%
1968 2.2% +4.7%
1969 2.3% +4.4%
1970 2.1% -7.2%
1971 2.1% -1.4%
1972 2.8% +34.6%
1973 2.8% -1.2%
1974 2.9% +2.1%
1975 2.7% -6.5%
1976 1.3% -51.6%
1977 1.2% -5.9%
1978 1.3% +5.2%
1979 1.2% -3.5%
1980 1.7% +35.2%
1981 1.8% +8.7%
1982 1.8% -2.2%
1983 1.8% +0.7%
1984 2.1% +16.6%
1985 1.7% -18.0%
1986 2.1% +20.2%
1987 2.0% -2.2%
1988 2.0% -2.8%
1989 1.9% -1.6%
1990 1.6% -17.9%
1991 1.5% -3.2%
1992 1.2% -19.5%
1993 1.2% -2.2%
1994 1.0% -20.0%
1995 0.9% -8.8%
1996 0.9% -1.8%
1997 0.8% -1.8%
1998 0.8% -2.8%
1999 0.6% -25.3%
2000 0.6% -1.6%
2001 0.6% +1.5%
2002 0.6% -4.7%
2003 0.6% -1.0%
2004 0.6% -0.9%
2005 0.6% -0.9%
2006 0.5% -6.9%
2007 0.5% -0.9%
2008 0.5% -0.9%
2009 0.5% -0.9%
2010 0.5% -1.0%
2011 0.5% -1.0%
2012 0.5% +4.9%
2013 0.5% -0.8%
2014 0.5% -1.1%
2015 0.5% -1.1%
2016 0.5% -1.1%
2017 0.5% -0.6%
2018 0.5% -1.1%
2019 0.5% -1.0%
2020 0.5% -0.9%
2021 0.5% -0.9%
2022 0.5% -0.7%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 1.4% 1.4% 1.5% 6
1960s 1.7% 1.3% 2.3% 10
1970s 2.0% 1.2% 2.9% 10
1980s 1.9% 1.7% 2.1% 10
1990s 1.1% 0.6% 1.6% 10
2000s 0.6% 0.5% 0.6% 10
2010s 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% 10
2020s 0.5% 0.5% 0.5% 3

Countries ranked near Viet Nam

  1. 39 Dominican Republic 0.5% compare
  2. 40 Belize 0.5% compare
  3. 41 Colombia 0.5% compare
  4. 43 South Sudan 0.5% compare
  5. 44 Norway 0.5% compare
  6. 45 Cuba 0.4% compare

See the full ranking of 194 places →

More population data for Viet Nam

All data for Viet Nam →

Frequently asked questions

What is military personnel as a share of total population in Viet Nam?
Military personnel as a share of total population in Viet Nam was 0.5% in 2022, according to Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest military personnel as a share of total population recorded in Viet Nam?
The highest recorded value was 2.9% in 1974.
What is the lowest military personnel as a share of total population recorded in Viet Nam?
The lowest recorded value was 0.5% in 2022.
How does Viet Nam rank for military personnel as a share of total population?
Viet Nam ranks 42nd out of 194 countries with data for 2022.
Is military personnel as a share of total population rising or falling in Viet Nam?
Over the last ten years it is down 8.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
Where does this Viet Nam data come from?
The figures come from Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Military personnel as a share of total population. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Military personnel as a share of total population in Viet Nam. Statizoid, drawing on Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 03 September 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/military-personnel-as-a-share-of-total-population/viet-nam/

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About this data

Indicator
Military personnel as a share of total population
Unit
%
Source
Correlates of War - National Material Capabilities Version 7.0 (2026) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
194 places, 15,765 data points, 1816–2022
Last refreshed

Ratio of military personnel to total population, expressed as a percentage.