Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Vietnam fits inside Colombia 3.4 times
Colombia: 1,140,620 km² (2024) · Vietnam: 331,338 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Vietnam’s coastline is 7% longer than Colombia’s
Colombia: 3,208 km (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 3,444 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Colombia’s highest peak towers 2,586 m above Vietnam’s
Colombia: 5,730 m (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 3,144 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 39% of Vietnam, versus 37% of Colombia
Colombia: 36.5% (2024) · Vietnam: 39.2% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Vietnam has 90% more people than Colombia
Colombia: 53.4 million (2025) · Vietnam: 102 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Vietnam is 6.7 times as densely populated as Colombia
Colombia: 48 per km² (2025) · Vietnam: 324 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Colombia are 3.0 cm taller than in Vietnam
Colombia: 171.9 cm (2019) · Vietnam: 168.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Vietnam and Colombia are practically level
Colombia: 158 cm (2019) · Vietnam: 158.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Vietnam is 0.82 years older than in Colombia
Colombia: 31.6 years (2023) · Vietnam: 32.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Vietnam have 0.3 more children on average than in Colombia
Colombia: 1.63 children per woman (2024) · Vietnam: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
10% of people in Colombia are 65 or older, versus 9.5% in Vietnam
Colombia: 10.2% (2025) · Vietnam: 9.5% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Colombia hosts 214 times as many refugees per resident as Vietnam
Colombia: 0.027 per 1,000 (2025) · Vietnam: 0.00013 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Colombia has produced 0.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Vietnam 0.1
Colombia: 0.4 (2026) · Vietnam: 0.1 (2026)
How many official languages?
Colombia and Vietnam are practically level
Colombia: 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 Colombia’s
Colombia: $457 billion (2025) · Vietnam: $515 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Colombia produces 25% more per person than Vietnam
Colombia: Int$22,640 (2025) · Vietnam: Int$18,089 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Colombia than in Vietnam (Gini 18.3 points higher)
Colombia: 54.4 (2024) · Vietnam: 36.1 (2022)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
8.5% of people in Colombia live on less than $3 a day, versus 1.6% in Vietnam
Colombia: 8.5% (2024) · Vietnam: 1.6% (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.3% in Colombia, versus 1.5% in Vietnam
Colombia: 8.3% (2025) · Vietnam: 1.5% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Colombia spends 3.2% of its GDP on the military, Vietnam 2.2%
Colombia: 3.2% (2025) · Vietnam: 2.2% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Colombia: 15.2% (2024) · Vietnam: no data
How expensive is it?
Colombia’s price level (US = 100) is 1.4× Vietnam’s
Colombia: 38% (2025) · Vietnam: 28% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Colombia spends 3.3 times as much on health per person as Vietnam
Colombia: $644 (2024) · Vietnam: $197 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Colombia live 3.2 years longer than in Vietnam
Colombia: 77.9 years (2024) · Vietnam: 74.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Vietnam is 14% more likely to die before turning one than in Colombia
Colombia: 10.5 per 1,000 (2024) · Vietnam: 12 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Colombia has 2.3 times as many doctors per person as Vietnam
Colombia: 2.5 per 1,000 (2023) · Vietnam: 1.1 per 1,000 (2021)
How many hospital beds are there?
Vietnam has 48% more hospital beds per person than Colombia
Colombia: 1.7 per 1,000 (2020) · Vietnam: 2.5 per 1,000 (2017)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Vietnam is 47% higher than in Colombia
Colombia: 6.8 per 100k (2023) · Vietnam: 10 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
25% of adults in Colombia are obese, versus 2.5% in Vietnam
Colombia: 25.3% (2024) · Vietnam: 2.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in Vietnam smoke, versus 8.0% in Colombia
Colombia: 8% (2024) · Vietnam: 21.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Vietnam rate their lives 0.39 points higher than in Colombia
Colombia: 6.04 (2025) · Vietnam: 6.43 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Vietnam drink 2.2 times as much alcohol as in Colombia
Colombia: 4.9 litres (2023) · Vietnam: 10.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Colombia has 3% more meat per person than Vietnam
Colombia: 62.6 kg (2023) · Vietnam: 60.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Colombia has 40 kcal more food per person per day than Vietnam
Colombia: 3,126 kcal (2023) · Vietnam: 3,086 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Colombia put in 310 more hours a year than in Vietnam
Colombia: 2,471 hours (2023) · Vietnam: 2,160 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Colombia went to school 0.05 years longer than in Vietnam
Colombia: 9 years (2023) · Vietnam: 9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Colombia welcomed 7% more tourists per resident than Vietnam (2019)
Colombia: 0.09 (2022) · Vietnam: 0.08 (2015)
How many World Heritage sites?
Colombia and Vietnam are practically level
Colombia: 9 (2026) · Vietnam: 9 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Colombia has won 38 Olympic medals, Vietnam 5
Colombia: 38 (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 5 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
84% of people in Vietnam are online, versus 79% in Colombia
Colombia: 79% (2024) · Vietnam: 84% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Colombia and Vietnam are nearly identical here
Colombia: 246 Mbps (2026) · Vietnam: 244 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Vietnam have electricity, versus 99% in Colombia
Colombia: 98.9% (2024) · Vietnam: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
79% of people in Colombia live in cities, versus 39% in Vietnam
Colombia: 79% (2025) · Vietnam: 39% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Colombia has 174 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Vietnam 128
Colombia: 174 (2024) · Vietnam: 128 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Vietnam’s railway network is 48% longer than Colombia’s
Colombia: 2,141 km (2019) · Vietnam: 3,159 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Colombia fly 46% more passengers per resident than those from Vietnam
Colombia: 0.79 (2023) · Vietnam: 0.54 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 54% of Colombia, but only 47% of Vietnam
Colombia: 53.7% (2024) · Vietnam: 47.1% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Vietnam emits 2.1 times as much CO₂ as someone in Colombia
Colombia: 1.8 t (2024) · Vietnam: 3.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
77% of Colombia’s electricity is renewable, versus 45% in Vietnam
Colombia: 77% (2025) · Vietnam: 45.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Vietnam carries 70% more fine dust than in Colombia
Colombia: 15.1 µg/m³ (2024) · Vietnam: 25.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Colombia: 24.9 per 100k (2023) · Vietnam: no data
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Colombia are 45% deadlier than in Vietnam
Colombia: 26.7 per 100k (2023) · Vietnam: 18.4 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Colombia and Vietnam are practically level
Colombia: 24.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · Vietnam: 24.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Colombia gets 48% more rain than Vietnam
Colombia: 3,155 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 Colombia bigger than Vietnam?
Colombia is larger. Vietnam fits inside Colombia 3.4 times.
Which has more people, Colombia or Vietnam?
Vietnam has 90% more people than Colombia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Colombia or Vietnam?
People in Colombia live 3.2 years longer than in Vietnam. Life expectancy at birth is 77.9 years in Colombia and 74.7 in Vietnam.
Are people taller in Colombia or Vietnam?
Men in Colombia are 3.0 cm taller than in Vietnam (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
