Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Vietnam fits inside Saudi Arabia 6.5 times.
Saudi Arabia: 2,149,690 km² (2023) · Vietnam: 331,338 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Vietnam’s coastline is 30% longer than Saudi Arabia’s.
Saudi Arabia: 2,640 km (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 3,444 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Vietnam’s highest peak towers 144 m above Saudi Arabia’s.
Saudi Arabia: 3,000 m (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 3,144 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Vietnam has 2.7 times as many people as Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: 37 million (2025) · Vietnam: 102 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Vietnam is 19 times as densely populated as Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: 17 per km² (2025) · Vietnam: 324 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Saudi Arabia are 1.8 cm taller than in Vietnam.
Saudi Arabia: 170.7 cm (2019) · Vietnam: 168.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Saudi Arabia and Vietnam are practically level.
Saudi Arabia: 158.8 cm (2019) · Vietnam: 158.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Vietnam is 3.2 years older than in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: 29.2 years (2023) · Vietnam: 32.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Saudi Arabia have 0.4 more children on average than in Vietnam.
Saudi Arabia: 2.31 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 3.1% in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: 3.1% (2025) · Vietnam: 9.5% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Vietnam has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Saudi Arabia none.
Saudi Arabia: 0 (2025) · Vietnam: 0.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
Saudi Arabia and Vietnam are practically level.
Saudi Arabia: 1 (2026) · Vietnam: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Saudi Arabia’s economy is 2.5 times the size of Vietnam’s.
Saudi Arabia: $1.28 trillion (2025) · Vietnam: $515 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Saudi Arabia produces 4.1 times as much per person as Vietnam.
Saudi Arabia: Int$73,784 (2025) · Vietnam: Int$18,089 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Saudi Arabia: no data · Vietnam: 36.1 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 3.0% in Saudi Arabia, versus 1.5% in Vietnam.
Saudi Arabia: 3% (2025) · Vietnam: 1.5% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Saudi Arabia spends 7.3% of its GDP on the military, Vietnam 1.8%.
Saudi Arabia: 7.3% (2024) · Vietnam: 1.8% (2018)
How expensive is it?
Saudi Arabia’s price level (US = 100) is 1.7× Vietnam’s.
Saudi Arabia: 47% (2025) · Vietnam: 28% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Saudi Arabia spends 9.3 times as much on health per person as Vietnam.
Saudi Arabia: $1,825 (2023) · Vietnam: $197 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in Saudi Arabia live 4.2 years longer than in Vietnam.
Saudi Arabia: 79 years (2024) · Vietnam: 74.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Vietnam is 2.6 times as likely to die before turning one as in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: 4.7 per 1,000 (2024) · Vietnam: 12 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Saudi Arabia has 3.1 times as many doctors per person as Vietnam.
Saudi Arabia: 3.4 per 1,000 (2023) · Vietnam: 1.1 per 1,000 (2021)
How common is obesity?
39% of adults in Saudi Arabia are obese, versus 2.5% in Vietnam.
Saudi Arabia: 39.2% (2024) · Vietnam: 2.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in Vietnam smoke, versus 15% in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: 14.7% (2024) · Vietnam: 21.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Saudi Arabia rate their lives 0.39 points higher than in Vietnam.
Saudi Arabia: 6.82 (2025) · Vietnam: 6.43 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Saudi Arabia: no data · Vietnam: 10.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Vietnam has 4% more meat per person than Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: 58.1 kg (2023) · Vietnam: 60.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Saudi Arabia has 574 kcal more food per person per day than Vietnam.
Saudi Arabia: 3,660 kcal (2023) · Vietnam: 3,086 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Vietnam put in 36 more hours a year than in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: 2,125 hours (2023) · Vietnam: 2,160 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Saudi Arabia went to school 2.6 years longer than in Vietnam.
Saudi Arabia: 11.6 years (2023) · Vietnam: 9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Saudi Arabia welcomed 10 times as many tourists per resident as Vietnam (2019).
Saudi Arabia: 0.84 (2024) · Vietnam: 0.08 (2015)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
100% of people in Saudi Arabia are online, versus 84% in Vietnam.
Saudi Arabia: 100% (2024) · Vietnam: 84% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
Saudi Arabia and Vietnam are practically level.
Saudi Arabia: 100% (2024) · Vietnam: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
85% of people in Saudi Arabia live in cities, versus 39% in Vietnam.
Saudi Arabia: 85% (2025) · Vietnam: 39% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Saudi Arabia has 160 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, Vietnam 128.
Saudi Arabia: 160 (2024) · Vietnam: 128 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Vietnam’s railway network is 7% longer than Saudi Arabia’s.
Saudi Arabia: 2,939 km (2018) · Vietnam: 3,159 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Saudi Arabia fly 2.4 times as many passengers per resident as those from Vietnam.
Saudi Arabia: 1.3 (2023) · Vietnam: 0.54 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 47% of Vietnam, but only 0.5% of Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: 0.5% (2023) · Vietnam: 47.4% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Saudi Arabia emits 5.5 times as much CO₂ as someone in Vietnam.
Saudi Arabia: 20.4 t (2024) · Vietnam: 3.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
45% of Vietnam’s electricity is renewable, versus 2.2% in Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: 2.2% (2024) · Vietnam: 45.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Saudi Arabia carries 2 times as much fine dust as in Vietnam.
Saudi Arabia: 50.4 µg/m³ (2024) · Vietnam: 25.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
Saudi Arabia: 0.9 per 100k (2019) · Vietnam: no data
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Saudi Arabia are 5% deadlier than in Vietnam.
Saudi Arabia: 18.5 per 100k (2021) · Vietnam: 17.7 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Saudi Arabia is on average 2.5 °C warmer than Vietnam.
Saudi Arabia: 26.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Vietnam: 24.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Vietnam gets 35 times as much rain as Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia: 61 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Vietnam: 2,132 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is Saudi Arabia bigger than Vietnam?
Saudi Arabia is larger. Vietnam fits inside Saudi Arabia 6.5 times.
Which has more people, Saudi Arabia or Vietnam?
Vietnam has 2.7 times as many people as Saudi Arabia (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, Saudi Arabia or Vietnam?
People in Saudi Arabia live 4.2 years longer than in Vietnam. Life expectancy at birth is 79.0 years in Saudi Arabia and 74.7 in Vietnam.
Are people taller in Saudi Arabia or Vietnam?
Men in Saudi Arabia are 1.8 cm taller than in Vietnam (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).