Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Kenya is 79% bigger than Vietnam
Kenya: 591,970 km² (2024) · Vietnam: 331,338 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Vietnam’s coastline is 6.4 times as long as Kenya’s
Kenya: 536 km (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 3,444 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Kenya’s highest peak towers 2,055 m above Vietnam’s
Kenya: 5,199 m (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 3,144 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 50% of Kenya, versus 39% of Vietnam
Kenya: 50% (2024) · Vietnam: 39.2% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Vietnam has 77% more people than Kenya
Kenya: 57.5 million (2025) · Vietnam: 102 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Vietnam is 3.3 times as densely populated as Kenya
Kenya: 99 per km² (2025) · Vietnam: 324 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Kenya are 1.6 cm taller than in Vietnam
Kenya: 170.5 cm (2019) · Vietnam: 168.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Kenya are 1.0 cm taller than in Vietnam
Kenya: 159.4 cm (2019) · Vietnam: 158.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Vietnam is 13 years older than in Kenya
Kenya: 19.5 years (2023) · Vietnam: 32.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Kenya have 1.3 more children on average than in Vietnam
Kenya: 3.17 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 3.0% in Kenya
Kenya: 3% (2025) · Vietnam: 9.5% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Kenya hosts 83,830 times as many refugees per resident as Vietnam
Kenya: 10.7 per 1,000 (2025) · Vietnam: 0.00013 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Kenya has produced 0.2 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Vietnam 0.1
Kenya: 0.2 (2026) · Vietnam: 0.1 (2026)
How many official languages?
Kenya has 2 official languages, Vietnam 1
Kenya: 2 (2026) · Vietnam: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Vietnam’s economy is 3.8 times the size of Kenya’s
Kenya: $136 billion (2025) · Vietnam: $515 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Vietnam produces 2.6 times as much per person as Kenya
Kenya: Int$7,016 (2025) · Vietnam: Int$18,089 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Kenya than in Vietnam (Gini 2.4 points higher)
Kenya: 38.5 (2022) · Vietnam: 36.1 (2022)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
46% of people in Kenya live on less than $3 a day, versus 1.6% in Vietnam
Kenya: 45.5% (2022) · Vietnam: 1.6% (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 5.4% in Kenya, versus 1.5% in Vietnam
Kenya: 5.4% (2025) · Vietnam: 1.5% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Vietnam spends 2.2% of its GDP on the military, Kenya 1.1%
Kenya: 1.1% (2025) · Vietnam: 2.2% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Kenya: 14.1% (2023) · Vietnam: no data
How expensive is it?
Kenya’s price level (US = 100) is 1.2× Vietnam’s
Kenya: 34% (2025) · Vietnam: 28% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Vietnam spends 2.3 times as much on health per person as Kenya
Kenya: $85 (2023) · Vietnam: $197 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Vietnam live 11 years longer than in Kenya
Kenya: 63.8 years (2024) · Vietnam: 74.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Kenya is 2.9 times as likely to die before turning one as in Vietnam
Kenya: 34.2 per 1,000 (2024) · Vietnam: 12 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Vietnam has 3.8 times as many doctors per person as Kenya
Kenya: 0.3 per 1,000 (2023) · Vietnam: 1.1 per 1,000 (2021)
How many hospital beds are there?
Vietnam has 89% more hospital beds per person than Kenya
Kenya: 1.3 per 1,000 (2019) · Vietnam: 2.5 per 1,000 (2017)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Kenya is 91% higher than in Vietnam
Kenya: 19.1 per 100k (2023) · Vietnam: 10 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
10% of adults in Kenya are obese, versus 2.5% in Vietnam
Kenya: 10.4% (2024) · Vietnam: 2.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in Vietnam smoke, versus 9.6% in Kenya
Kenya: 9.6% (2024) · Vietnam: 21.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Vietnam rate their lives 1.75 points higher than in Kenya
Kenya: 4.67 (2025) · Vietnam: 6.43 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Vietnam drink 4.8 times as much alcohol as in Kenya
Kenya: 2.2 litres (2023) · Vietnam: 10.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Vietnam has 5.9 times as much meat per person as Kenya
Kenya: 10.2 kg (2023) · Vietnam: 60.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Vietnam has 940 kcal more food per person per day than Kenya
Kenya: 2,146 kcal (2023) · Vietnam: 3,086 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Vietnam put in 126 more hours a year than in Kenya
Kenya: 2,035 hours (2023) · Vietnam: 2,160 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Vietnam went to school 0.36 years longer than in Kenya
Kenya: 8.6 years (2023) · Vietnam: 9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Vietnam welcomed 2.9 times as many tourists per resident as Kenya (2019)
Kenya: 0.03 (2017) · Vietnam: 0.08 (2015)
How many World Heritage sites?
Vietnam has 1 more World Heritage site than Kenya (9 against 8)
Kenya: 8 (2026) · Vietnam: 9 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Kenya has won 124 Olympic medals, Vietnam 5
Kenya: 124 (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 5 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
84% of people in Vietnam are online, versus 35% in Kenya
Kenya: 35% (2024) · Vietnam: 84% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Vietnam is 5.9 times as fast as in Kenya
Kenya: 41 Mbps (2026) · Vietnam: 244 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Vietnam have electricity, versus 77% in Kenya
Kenya: 77% (2024) · Vietnam: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
39% of people in Vietnam live in cities, versus 32% in Kenya
Kenya: 32% (2025) · Vietnam: 39% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Vietnam has 128 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Kenya 126
Kenya: 126 (2024) · Vietnam: 128 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Kenya’s railway network is 21% longer than Vietnam’s
Kenya: 3,819 km (2018) · Vietnam: 3,159 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Vietnam fly 6.1 times as many passengers per resident as those from Kenya
Kenya: 0.09 (2023) · Vietnam: 0.54 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 47% of Vietnam, but only 6.6% of Kenya
Kenya: 6.6% (2024) · Vietnam: 47.1% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Vietnam emits 9.8 times as much CO₂ as someone in Kenya
Kenya: 0.4 t (2024) · Vietnam: 3.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
90% of Kenya’s electricity is renewable, versus 45% in Vietnam
Kenya: 90% (2025) · Vietnam: 45.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Vietnam carries 16% more fine dust than in Kenya
Kenya: 22 µg/m³ (2024) · Vietnam: 25.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Kenya: 4.9 per 100k (2022) · Vietnam: no data
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Kenya are 3 times as deadly as in Vietnam
Kenya: 55.3 per 100k (2023) · Vietnam: 18.4 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Kenya is on average 1.3 °C warmer than Vietnam
Kenya: 25.7°C (2016–2025 avg) · Vietnam: 24.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Vietnam gets 3.1 times as much rain as Kenya
Kenya: 696 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 Kenya bigger than Vietnam?
Kenya is larger. Kenya is 79% bigger than Vietnam.
Which has more people, Kenya or Vietnam?
Vietnam has 77% more people than Kenya (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Kenya or Vietnam?
People in Vietnam live 11 years longer than in Kenya. Life expectancy at birth is 63.8 years in Kenya and 74.7 in Vietnam.
Are people taller in Kenya or Vietnam?
Men in Kenya are 1.6 cm taller than in Vietnam (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
