Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Vietnam is 10% bigger than Italy
Italy: 302,070 km² (2024) · Vietnam: 331,338 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Italy’s coastline is 2.2 times as long as Vietnam’s
Italy: 7,600 km (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 3,444 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Italy’s highest peak towers 1,604 m above Vietnam’s
Italy: 4,748 m (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 3,144 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 44% of Italy, versus 39% of Vietnam
Italy: 43.6% (2024) · Vietnam: 39.2% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Vietnam has 72% more people than Italy
Italy: 58.9 million (2025) · Vietnam: 102 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Vietnam is 63% more densely populated than Italy
Italy: 199 per km² (2025) · Vietnam: 324 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Italy are 5.5 cm taller than in Vietnam
Italy: 174.4 cm (2019) · Vietnam: 168.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Italy are 3.4 cm taller than in Vietnam
Italy: 161.8 cm (2019) · Vietnam: 158.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Italy is 15 years older than in Vietnam
Italy: 47.5 years (2023) · Vietnam: 32.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Vietnam have 0.7 more children on average than in Italy
Italy: 1.18 children per woman (2024) · Vietnam: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
25% of people in Italy are 65 or older, versus 9.5% in Vietnam
Italy: 25.1% (2025) · Vietnam: 9.5% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Italy hosts 25,590 times as many refugees per resident as Vietnam
Italy: 3.3 per 1,000 (2025) · Vietnam: 0.00013 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Italy has produced 3.4 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Vietnam 0.1
Italy: 3.4 (2026) · Vietnam: 0.1 (2026)
How many official languages?
Italy and Vietnam are practically level
Italy: 1 (2026) · Vietnam: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Italy’s economy is 5 times the size of Vietnam’s
Italy: $2.55 trillion (2025) · Vietnam: $515 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Italy produces 3.5 times as much per person as Vietnam
Italy: Int$62,803 (2025) · Vietnam: Int$18,089 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Vietnam than in Italy (Gini 1.8 points higher)
Italy: 34.3 (2023) · Vietnam: 36.1 (2022)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
1.6% of people in Vietnam live on less than $3 a day, versus 0.9% in Italy
Italy: 0.9% (2023) · Vietnam: 1.6% (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 6.4% in Italy, versus 1.5% in Vietnam
Italy: 6.4% (2025) · Vietnam: 1.5% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Vietnam and Italy are practically level
Italy: 1.9% (2025) · Vietnam: 2.2% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Italy: 25.6% (2024) · Vietnam: no data
How expensive is it?
Italy’s price level (US = 100) is 2.5× Vietnam’s
Italy: 69% (2025) · Vietnam: 28% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Italy spends 17 times as much on health per person as Vietnam
Italy: $3,398 (2024) · Vietnam: $197 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Italy live 9.2 years longer than in Vietnam
Italy: 84 years (2024) · Vietnam: 74.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Vietnam is 5.2 times as likely to die before turning one as in Italy
Italy: 2.3 per 1,000 (2024) · Vietnam: 12 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Italy has 3.8 times as many doctors per person as Vietnam
Italy: 4.2 per 1,000 (2022) · Vietnam: 1.1 per 1,000 (2021)
How many hospital beds are there?
Italy has 21% more hospital beds per person than Vietnam
Italy: 3.1 per 1,000 (2022) · Vietnam: 2.5 per 1,000 (2017)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Vietnam is 75% higher than in Italy
Italy: 5.7 per 100k (2023) · Vietnam: 10 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
18% of adults in Italy are obese, versus 2.5% in Vietnam
Italy: 17.9% (2024) · Vietnam: 2.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
22% of adults in Italy smoke, versus 21% in Vietnam
Italy: 22.4% (2024) · Vietnam: 21.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Italy rate their lives 0.15 points higher than in Vietnam
Italy: 6.57 (2025) · Vietnam: 6.43 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Vietnam drink 27% more alcohol than in Italy
Italy: 8.4 litres (2023) · Vietnam: 10.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Italy has 18% more meat per person than Vietnam
Italy: 71.2 kg (2023) · Vietnam: 60.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Italy has 667 kcal more food per person per day than Vietnam
Italy: 3,753 kcal (2023) · Vietnam: 3,086 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Vietnam put in 459 more hours a year than in Italy
Italy: 1,701 hours (2023) · Vietnam: 2,160 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Italy went to school 1.8 years longer than in Vietnam
Italy: 10.8 years (2023) · Vietnam: 9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Italy welcomed 12 times as many tourists per resident as Vietnam (2019)
Italy: 0.98 (2024) · Vietnam: 0.08 (2015)
How many World Heritage sites?
Italy has 53 more World Heritage sites than Vietnam (62 against 9)
Italy: 62 (2026) · Vietnam: 9 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Italy has won 829 Olympic medals, Vietnam 5
Italy: 829 (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 5 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
89% of people in Italy are online, versus 84% in Vietnam
Italy: 89% (2024) · Vietnam: 84% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Italy is 12% faster than in Vietnam
Italy: 274 Mbps (2026) · Vietnam: 244 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Italy and Vietnam are practically level
Italy: 100% (2024) · Vietnam: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
70% of people in Italy live in cities, versus 39% in Vietnam
Italy: 70% (2025) · Vietnam: 39% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Italy has 133 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Vietnam 128
Italy: 133 (2024) · Vietnam: 128 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Italy’s railway network is 5.5 times as long as Vietnam’s
Italy: 17,305 km (2021) · Vietnam: 3,159 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Vietnam fly 58% more passengers per resident than those from Italy
Italy: 0.34 (2023) · Vietnam: 0.54 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 47% of Vietnam, but only 32% of Italy
Italy: 31.8% (2024) · Vietnam: 47.1% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Italy emits 39% more CO₂ than someone in Vietnam
Italy: 5.1 t (2024) · Vietnam: 3.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
49% of Italy’s electricity is renewable, versus 45% in Vietnam
Italy: 48.8% (2025) · Vietnam: 45.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Vietnam carries 68% more fine dust than in Italy
Italy: 15.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Vietnam: 25.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Italy: 0.6 per 100k (2023) · Vietnam: no data
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Vietnam are 2.2 times as deadly as in Italy
Italy: 8.5 per 100k (2023) · Vietnam: 18.4 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Vietnam is on average 10.5 °C warmer than Italy
Italy: 13.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Vietnam: 24.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Vietnam gets 2.1 times as much rain as Italy
Italy: 1,030 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 Italy bigger than Vietnam?
Vietnam is larger. Vietnam is 10% bigger than Italy.
Which has more people, Italy or Vietnam?
Vietnam has 72% more people than Italy (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Italy or Vietnam?
People in Italy live 9.2 years longer than in Vietnam. Life expectancy at birth is 84.0 years in Italy and 74.7 in Vietnam.
Are people taller in Italy or Vietnam?
Men in Italy are 5.5 cm taller than in Vietnam (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
