Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Bangladesh fits inside Vietnam 2.2 times
Bangladesh: 147,570 km² (2024) · Vietnam: 331,338 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Vietnam’s coastline is 5.9 times as long as Bangladesh’s
Bangladesh: 580 km (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 3,444 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Vietnam’s highest peak towers 2,084 m above Bangladesh’s
Bangladesh: 1,060 m (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 3,144 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 72% of Bangladesh, versus 39% of Vietnam
Bangladesh: 72.2% (2024) · Vietnam: 39.2% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Bangladesh has 73% more people than Vietnam
Bangladesh: 176 million (2025) · Vietnam: 102 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Bangladesh is 4.2 times as densely populated as Vietnam
Bangladesh: 1,350 per km² (2025) · Vietnam: 324 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Vietnam are 3.8 cm taller than in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 165.1 cm (2019) · Vietnam: 168.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Vietnam are 6.1 cm taller than in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 152.4 cm (2019) · Vietnam: 158.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Vietnam is 7.1 years older than in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 25.3 years (2023) · Vietnam: 32.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Bangladesh have 0.2 more children on average than in Vietnam
Bangladesh: 2.14 children per woman (2024) · Vietnam: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
9.5% of people in Vietnam are 65 or older, versus 6.7% in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 6.7% (2025) · Vietnam: 9.5% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Bangladesh hosts 52,404 times as many refugees per resident as Vietnam
Bangladesh: 6.7 per 1,000 (2025) · Vietnam: 0.00013 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Vietnam has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Bangladesh 0.1
Bangladesh: 0.1 (2026) · Vietnam: 0.1 (2026)
How many official languages?
Bangladesh and Vietnam are practically level
Bangladesh: 1 (2026) · Vietnam: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Vietnam’s economy is 13% larger than Bangladesh’s
Bangladesh: $456 billion (2025) · Vietnam: $515 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Vietnam produces 78% more per person than Bangladesh
Bangladesh: Int$10,154 (2025) · Vietnam: Int$18,089 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Vietnam than in Bangladesh (Gini 5.2 points higher)
Bangladesh: 30.9 (2022) · Vietnam: 36.1 (2022)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
5.9% of people in Bangladesh live on less than $3 a day, versus 1.6% in Vietnam
Bangladesh: 5.9% (2022) · Vietnam: 1.6% (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.8% in Bangladesh, versus 1.5% in Vietnam
Bangladesh: 3.8% (2025) · Vietnam: 1.5% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Vietnam spends 2.2% of its GDP on the military, Bangladesh 0.8%
Bangladesh: 0.8% (2025) · Vietnam: 2.2% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Bangladesh: 7.6% (2021) · Vietnam: no data
How expensive is it?
Vietnam’s price level (US = 100) is 1.1× Bangladesh’s
Bangladesh: 26% (2025) · Vietnam: 28% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Vietnam spends 3.7 times as much on health per person as Bangladesh
Bangladesh: $53 (2023) · Vietnam: $197 (2023)
How long do people live?
Bangladesh and Vietnam are practically level
Bangladesh: 74.9 years (2024) · Vietnam: 74.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Bangladesh is 2 times as likely to die before turning one as in Vietnam
Bangladesh: 24.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Vietnam: 12 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Vietnam has 53% more doctors per person than Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 0.7 per 1,000 (2023) · Vietnam: 1.1 per 1,000 (2021)
How many hospital beds are there?
Vietnam has 2.7 times as many hospital beds per person as Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 0.9 per 1,000 (2023) · Vietnam: 2.5 per 1,000 (2017)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Vietnam is 2.2 times that in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 4.5 per 100k (2023) · Vietnam: 10 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
5.7% of adults in Bangladesh are obese, versus 2.5% in Vietnam
Bangladesh: 5.7% (2024) · Vietnam: 2.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
32% of adults in Bangladesh smoke, versus 21% in Vietnam
Bangladesh: 32% (2024) · Vietnam: 21.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Vietnam rate their lives 2.11 points higher than in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 4.32 (2025) · Vietnam: 6.43 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Vietnam drink 3,679 times as much alcohol as in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 0.0029 litres (2023) · Vietnam: 10.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Vietnam has 13 times as much meat per person as Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 4.5 kg (2023) · Vietnam: 60.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Vietnam has 498 kcal more food per person per day than Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 2,588 kcal (2023) · Vietnam: 3,086 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Bangladesh put in 223 more hours a year than in Vietnam
Bangladesh: 2,383 hours (2023) · Vietnam: 2,160 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Vietnam went to school 2.2 years longer than in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 6.8 years (2023) · Vietnam: 9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Vietnam welcomed 42 times as many tourists per resident as Bangladesh (2019)
Bangladesh: 0.002 (2019) · Vietnam: 0.08 (2015)
How many World Heritage sites?
Vietnam has 6 more World Heritage sites than Bangladesh (9 against 3)
Bangladesh: 3 (2026) · Vietnam: 9 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Vietnam has won 5 Olympic medals, Bangladesh none
Bangladesh: 0 (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 5 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
84% of people in Vietnam are online, versus 53% in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 53% (2024) · Vietnam: 84% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Vietnam is 2.8 times as fast as in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 86 Mbps (2026) · Vietnam: 244 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Vietnam have electricity, versus 100% in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 99.5% (2024) · Vietnam: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
39% of people in Vietnam live in cities, versus 33% in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 33% (2025) · Vietnam: 39% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Vietnam has 128 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Bangladesh 108
Bangladesh: 108 (2024) · Vietnam: 128 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Vietnam’s railway network is 10% longer than Bangladesh’s
Bangladesh: 2,877 km (2019) · Vietnam: 3,159 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Vietnam fly 14 times as many passengers per resident as those from Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 0.04 (2023) · Vietnam: 0.54 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 47% of Vietnam, but only 14% of Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 14.4% (2024) · Vietnam: 47.1% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Vietnam emits 5.9 times as much CO₂ as someone in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 0.6 t (2024) · Vietnam: 3.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
45% of Vietnam’s electricity is renewable, versus 2.1% in Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 2.1% (2025) · Vietnam: 45.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Bangladesh carries 2.5 times as much fine dust as in Vietnam
Bangladesh: 65 µg/m³ (2024) · Vietnam: 25.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Bangladesh: 2.3 per 100k (2018) · Vietnam: no data
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Bangladesh are 88% deadlier than in Vietnam
Bangladesh: 34.5 per 100k (2023) · Vietnam: 18.4 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Bangladesh is on average 1.4 °C warmer than Vietnam
Bangladesh: 25.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Vietnam: 24.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Vietnam gets 2% more rain than Bangladesh
Bangladesh: 2,096 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Vietnam: 2,132 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Between them
People, goods and passports that cross from one to the other
Quick answers
Is Bangladesh bigger than Vietnam?
Vietnam is larger. Bangladesh fits inside Vietnam 2.2 times.
Which has more people, Bangladesh or Vietnam?
Bangladesh has 73% more people than Vietnam (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Bangladesh or Vietnam?
Bangladesh and Vietnam are practically level. Life expectancy at birth is 74.9 years in Bangladesh and 74.7 in Vietnam.
Are people taller in Bangladesh or Vietnam?
Men in Vietnam are 3.8 cm taller than in Bangladesh (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).