Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Vietnam fits inside Mexico 5.9 times
Mexico: 1,957,190 km² (2024) · Vietnam: 331,338 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Mexico’s coastline is 2.7 times as long as Vietnam’s
Mexico: 9,330 km (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 3,444 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Mexico’s highest peak towers 2,492 m above Vietnam’s
Mexico: 5,636 m (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 3,144 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 51% of Mexico, versus 39% of Vietnam
Mexico: 50.6% (2024) · Vietnam: 39.2% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Mexico has 30% more people than Vietnam
Mexico: 132 million (2025) · Vietnam: 102 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Vietnam is 4.8 times as densely populated as Mexico
Mexico: 68 per km² (2025) · Vietnam: 324 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Mexico are 1.4 cm taller than in Vietnam
Mexico: 170.3 cm (2019) · Vietnam: 168.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Vietnam and Mexico are practically level
Mexico: 157.9 cm (2019) · Vietnam: 158.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Vietnam is 3.5 years older than in Mexico
Mexico: 28.9 years (2023) · Vietnam: 32.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Vietnam and Mexico are practically level
Mexico: 1.89 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 8.5% in Mexico
Mexico: 8.5% (2025) · Vietnam: 9.5% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Mexico hosts 9,003 times as many refugees per resident as Vietnam
Mexico: 1.2 per 1,000 (2025) · Vietnam: 0.00013 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Mexico has produced 0.2 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Vietnam 0.1
Mexico: 0.2 (2026) · Vietnam: 0.1 (2026)
How many official languages?
Mexico and Vietnam are practically level
Mexico: 1 (2026) · Vietnam: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Mexico’s economy is 3.6 times the size of Vietnam’s
Mexico: $1.83 trillion (2025) · Vietnam: $515 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Mexico produces 43% more per person than Vietnam
Mexico: Int$25,869 (2025) · Vietnam: Int$18,089 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Mexico than in Vietnam (Gini 6.5 points higher)
Mexico: 42.6 (2024) · Vietnam: 36.1 (2022)
How many live on less than $3 a day?
Mexico and Vietnam are practically level
Mexico: 1.6% (2024) · Vietnam: 1.6% (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 2.7% in Mexico, versus 1.5% in Vietnam
Mexico: 2.7% (2025) · Vietnam: 1.5% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Vietnam spends 2.2% of its GDP on the military, Mexico 0.7%
Mexico: 0.7% (2025) · Vietnam: 2.2% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Mexico: 14.8% (2024) · Vietnam: no data
How expensive is it?
Mexico’s price level (US = 100) is 1.9× Vietnam’s
Mexico: 54% (2025) · Vietnam: 28% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Mexico spends 3.9 times as much on health per person as Vietnam
Mexico: $761 (2023) · Vietnam: $197 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Mexico live 0.53 years longer than in Vietnam
Mexico: 75.3 years (2024) · Vietnam: 74.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
Mexico and Vietnam are nearly identical here
Mexico: 12.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Vietnam: 12 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Mexico has 2.3 times as many doctors per person as Vietnam
Mexico: 2.6 per 1,000 (2022) · Vietnam: 1.1 per 1,000 (2021)
How many hospital beds are there?
Vietnam has 2.5 times as many hospital beds per person as Mexico
Mexico: 1 per 1,000 (2022) · Vietnam: 2.5 per 1,000 (2017)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Vietnam is 15% higher than in Mexico
Mexico: 8.7 per 100k (2023) · Vietnam: 10 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
37% of adults in Mexico are obese, versus 2.5% in Vietnam
Mexico: 37.4% (2024) · Vietnam: 2.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in Vietnam smoke, versus 16% in Mexico
Mexico: 15.7% (2024) · Vietnam: 21.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Mexico rate their lives 0.54 points higher than in Vietnam
Mexico: 6.97 (2025) · Vietnam: 6.43 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Vietnam drink 60% more alcohol than in Mexico
Mexico: 6.7 litres (2023) · Vietnam: 10.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Mexico has 29% more meat per person than Vietnam
Mexico: 78.2 kg (2023) · Vietnam: 60.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Mexico has 219 kcal more food per person per day than Vietnam
Mexico: 3,305 kcal (2023) · Vietnam: 3,086 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Vietnam put in 532 more hours a year than in Mexico
Mexico: 1,629 hours (2023) · Vietnam: 2,160 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Mexico went to school 0.37 years longer than in Vietnam
Mexico: 9.3 years (2023) · Vietnam: 9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Mexico welcomed 4.2 times as many tourists per resident as Vietnam (2019)
Mexico: 0.34 (2024) · Vietnam: 0.08 (2015)
How many World Heritage sites?
Mexico has 27 more World Heritage sites than Vietnam (36 against 9)
Mexico: 36 (2026) · Vietnam: 9 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Mexico has won 77 Olympic medals, Vietnam 5
Mexico: 77 (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 5 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
84% of people in Vietnam are online, versus 83% in Mexico
Mexico: 83% (2024) · Vietnam: 84% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Vietnam is 60% faster than in Mexico
Mexico: 152 Mbps (2026) · Vietnam: 244 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Vietnam and Mexico are practically level
Mexico: 99.8% (2024) · Vietnam: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
80% of people in Mexico live in cities, versus 39% in Vietnam
Mexico: 80% (2025) · Vietnam: 39% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Vietnam has 128 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Mexico 116
Mexico: 116 (2024) · Vietnam: 128 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Mexico’s railway network is 7.4 times as long as Vietnam’s
Mexico: 23,389 km (2017) · Vietnam: 3,159 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Mexico fly 10% more passengers per resident than those from Vietnam
Mexico: 0.6 (2023) · Vietnam: 0.54 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 47% of Vietnam, but only 34% of Mexico
Mexico: 34.2% (2024) · Vietnam: 47.1% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Vietnam emits 4% more CO₂ than someone in Mexico
Mexico: 3.5 t (2024) · Vietnam: 3.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
45% of Vietnam’s electricity is renewable, versus 23% in Mexico
Mexico: 23.1% (2025) · Vietnam: 45.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Vietnam carries 40% more fine dust than in Mexico
Mexico: 18.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Vietnam: 25.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Mexico: 24.9 per 100k (2023) · Vietnam: no data
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Mexico are 4% deadlier than in Vietnam
Mexico: 19.1 per 100k (2023) · Vietnam: 18.4 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Vietnam is on average 3.0 °C warmer than Mexico
Mexico: 21.4°C (2016–2025 avg) · Vietnam: 24.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Vietnam gets 2.7 times as much rain as Mexico
Mexico: 788 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 Mexico bigger than Vietnam?
Mexico is larger. Vietnam fits inside Mexico 5.9 times.
Which has more people, Mexico or Vietnam?
Mexico has 30% more people than Vietnam (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Mexico or Vietnam?
People in Mexico live 0.53 years longer than in Vietnam. Life expectancy at birth is 75.3 years in Mexico and 74.7 in Vietnam.
Are people taller in Mexico or Vietnam?
Men in Mexico are 1.4 cm taller than in Vietnam (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
