Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Norway is 88% bigger than Vietnam
Norway: 624,500 km² (2024) · Vietnam: 331,338 km² (2024)
How much coast is there?
Norway’s coastline is 7.3 times as long as Vietnam’s
Norway: 25,148 km (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 3,444 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Vietnam’s highest peak towers 675 m above Norway’s
Norway: 2,469 m (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 3,144 m (2026 edition)
How much of the land is farmed?
Farmland covers 39% of Vietnam, versus 2.7% of Norway
Norway: 2.7% (2024) · Vietnam: 39.2% (2024)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Vietnam has 18 times as many people as Norway
Norway: 5.61 million (2025) · Vietnam: 102 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Vietnam is 21 times as densely populated as Norway
Norway: 15 per km² (2025) · Vietnam: 324 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Norway are 11.6 cm taller than in Vietnam
Norway: 180.5 cm (2019) · Vietnam: 168.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Norway are 8.0 cm taller than in Vietnam
Norway: 166.5 cm (2019) · Vietnam: 158.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Norway is 7.1 years older than in Vietnam
Norway: 39.5 years (2023) · Vietnam: 32.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Vietnam have 0.4 more children on average than in Norway
Norway: 1.45 children per woman (2024) · Vietnam: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
19% of people in Norway are 65 or older, versus 9.5% in Vietnam
Norway: 19.1% (2025) · Vietnam: 9.5% (2025)
How many refugees does it host?
Norway hosts 172,725 times as many refugees per resident as Vietnam
Norway: 22.1 per 1,000 (2025) · Vietnam: 0.00013 per 1,000 (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Norway has produced 23.2 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Vietnam 0.1
Norway: 23.2 (2026) · Vietnam: 0.1 (2026)
How many official languages?
Norway has 3 official languages, Vietnam 1
Norway: 3 (2026) · Vietnam: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Norway’s economy is 3% larger than Vietnam’s
Norway: $531 billion (2025) · Vietnam: $515 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Norway produces 5.8 times as much per person as Vietnam
Norway: Int$104,044 (2025) · Vietnam: Int$18,089 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Vietnam than in Norway (Gini 9.6 points higher)
Norway: 26.5 (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 0.2% in Norway
Norway: 0.2% (2023) · Vietnam: 1.6% (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.6% in Norway, versus 1.5% in Vietnam
Norway: 4.6% (2025) · Vietnam: 1.5% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Norway spends 3.3% of its GDP on the military, Vietnam 2.2%
Norway: 3.3% (2025) · Vietnam: 2.2% (2025)
How much does the central government collect in tax?
Norway: 24.5% (2024) · Vietnam: no data
How expensive is it?
Norway’s price level (US = 100) is 3.2× Vietnam’s
Norway: 91% (2025) · Vietnam: 28% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Norway spends 42 times as much on health per person as Vietnam
Norway: $8,296 (2023) · Vietnam: $197 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Norway live 8.4 years longer than in Vietnam
Norway: 83.2 years (2024) · Vietnam: 74.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Vietnam is 6 times as likely to die before turning one as in Norway
Norway: 2 per 1,000 (2024) · Vietnam: 12 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Norway has 4.5 times as many doctors per person as Vietnam
Norway: 5 per 1,000 (2023) · Vietnam: 1.1 per 1,000 (2021)
How many hospital beds are there?
Norway has 31% more hospital beds per person than Vietnam
Norway: 3.3 per 1,000 (2023) · Vietnam: 2.5 per 1,000 (2017)
How common is suicide?
The suicide rate in Norway is 16% higher than in Vietnam
Norway: 11.6 per 100k (2023) · Vietnam: 10 per 100k (2023)
How common is obesity?
21% of adults in Norway are obese, versus 2.5% in Vietnam
Norway: 20.7% (2024) · Vietnam: 2.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in Vietnam smoke, versus 13% in Norway
Norway: 12.9% (2024) · Vietnam: 21.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Norway rate their lives 0.81 points higher than in Vietnam
Norway: 7.24 (2025) · Vietnam: 6.43 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Vietnam drink 54% more alcohol than in Norway
Norway: 7 litres (2023) · Vietnam: 10.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Norway has 16% more meat per person than Vietnam
Norway: 70.4 kg (2023) · Vietnam: 60.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Norway has 390 kcal more food per person per day than Vietnam
Norway: 3,476 kcal (2023) · Vietnam: 3,086 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Vietnam put in 748 more hours a year than in Norway
Norway: 1,412 hours (2023) · Vietnam: 2,160 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Norway went to school 4.1 years longer than in Vietnam
Norway: 13.1 years (2023) · Vietnam: 9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Norway welcomed 11 times as many tourists per resident as Vietnam (2019)
Norway: 0.91 (2022) · Vietnam: 0.08 (2015)
How many World Heritage sites?
Vietnam has 1 more World Heritage site than Norway (9 against 8)
Norway: 8 (2026) · Vietnam: 9 (2026)
How many Olympic medals has it won?
Norway has won 616 Olympic medals, Vietnam 5
Norway: 616 (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 5 (2026 edition)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
99% of people in Norway are online, versus 84% in Vietnam
Norway: 99% (2024) · Vietnam: 84% (2024)
How fast is home internet?
Home internet in Vietnam is 7% faster than in Norway
Norway: 228 Mbps (2026) · Vietnam: 244 Mbps (2026)
Who has electricity at home?
Norway and Vietnam are practically level
Norway: 100% (2024) · Vietnam: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
84% of people in Norway live in cities, versus 39% in Vietnam
Norway: 84% (2025) · Vietnam: 39% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Vietnam has 128 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Norway 109
Norway: 109 (2024) · Vietnam: 128 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Norway’s railway network is 23% longer than Vietnam’s
Norway: 3,885 km (2021) · Vietnam: 3,159 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Norway: no data · Vietnam: 0.54 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 47% of Vietnam, but only 33% of Norway
Norway: 33.2% (2024) · Vietnam: 47.1% (2024)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Norway emits 82% more CO₂ than someone in Vietnam
Norway: 6.7 t (2024) · Vietnam: 3.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
99% of Norway’s electricity is renewable, versus 45% in Vietnam
Norway: 99% (2025) · Vietnam: 45.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Vietnam carries 3.8 times as much fine dust as in Norway
Norway: 6.7 µg/m³ (2024) · Vietnam: 25.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Norway: 0.7 per 100k (2023) · Vietnam: no data
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Vietnam are 6.3 times as deadly as in Norway
Norway: 2.9 per 100k (2023) · Vietnam: 18.4 per 100k (2023)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Vietnam is on average 22.8 °C warmer than Norway
Norway: 1.6°C (2016–2025 avg) · Vietnam: 24.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Vietnam gets 69% more rain than Norway
Norway: 1,259 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 Norway bigger than Vietnam?
Norway is larger. Norway is 88% bigger than Vietnam.
Which has more people, Norway or Vietnam?
Vietnam has 18 times as many people as Norway (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Norway or Vietnam?
People in Norway live 8.4 years longer than in Vietnam. Life expectancy at birth is 83.2 years in Norway and 74.7 in Vietnam.
Are people taller in Norway or Vietnam?
Men in Norway are 11.6 cm taller than in Vietnam (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
