Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Vietnam is 36% bigger than the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom: 243,610 km² (2023) · Vietnam: 331,338 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The United Kingdom’s coastline is 3.6 times as long as Vietnam’s.
United Kingdom: 12,429 km (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 3,444 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
Vietnam’s highest peak towers 1,799 m above the United Kingdom’s.
United Kingdom: 1,345 m (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 3,144 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
Vietnam has 46% more people than the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom: 69.5 million (2025) · Vietnam: 102 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Vietnam is 13% more densely populated than the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom: 287 per km² (2025) · Vietnam: 324 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United Kingdom are 9.3 cm taller than in Vietnam.
United Kingdom: 178.2 cm (2019) · Vietnam: 168.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United Kingdom are 5.5 cm taller than in Vietnam.
United Kingdom: 163.9 cm (2019) · Vietnam: 158.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United Kingdom is 7.4 years older than in Vietnam.
United Kingdom: 39.8 years (2023) · Vietnam: 32.4 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in Vietnam have 0.3 more children on average than in the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom: 1.55 children per woman (2024) · Vietnam: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
20% of people in the United Kingdom are 65 or older, versus 9.5% in Vietnam.
United Kingdom: 19.7% (2025) · Vietnam: 9.5% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United Kingdom has produced 15.8 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Vietnam 0.1.
United Kingdom: 15.8 (2025) · Vietnam: 0.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
The United Kingdom and Vietnam are practically level.
United Kingdom: 1 (2026) · Vietnam: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United Kingdom’s economy is 7.8 times the size of Vietnam’s.
United Kingdom: $4 trillion (2025) · Vietnam: $515 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United Kingdom produces 3.6 times as much per person as Vietnam.
United Kingdom: Int$64,607 (2025) · Vietnam: Int$18,089 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in Vietnam than in the United Kingdom (Gini 3.7 points higher).
United Kingdom: 32.4 (2021) · Vietnam: 36.1 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.7% in the United Kingdom, versus 1.5% in Vietnam.
United Kingdom: 4.7% (2025) · Vietnam: 1.5% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United Kingdom and Vietnam are practically level.
United Kingdom: 2.3% (2024) · Vietnam: 1.8% (2018)
How expensive is it?
The United Kingdom’s price level (US = 100) is 3.2× Vietnam’s.
United Kingdom: 89% (2025) · Vietnam: 28% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United Kingdom spends 30 times as much on health per person as Vietnam.
United Kingdom: $5,860 (2024) · Vietnam: $197 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United Kingdom live 6.7 years longer than in Vietnam.
United Kingdom: 81.4 years (2024) · Vietnam: 74.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Vietnam is 2.9 times as likely to die before turning one as in the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Vietnam: 12 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United Kingdom has 3 times as many doctors per person as Vietnam.
United Kingdom: 3.3 per 1,000 (2023) · Vietnam: 1.1 per 1,000 (2021)
How common is obesity?
29% of adults in the United Kingdom are obese, versus 2.5% in Vietnam.
United Kingdom: 29.2% (2024) · Vietnam: 2.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in Vietnam smoke, versus 13% in the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom: 12.8% (2024) · Vietnam: 21.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the United Kingdom rate their lives 0.27 points higher than in Vietnam.
United Kingdom: 6.69 (2025) · Vietnam: 6.43 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Vietnam drink 3% more alcohol than in the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom: 10.4 litres (2023) · Vietnam: 10.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United Kingdom has 40% more meat per person than Vietnam.
United Kingdom: 84.4 kg (2023) · Vietnam: 60.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United Kingdom has 349 kcal more food per person per day than Vietnam.
United Kingdom: 3,435 kcal (2023) · Vietnam: 3,086 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Vietnam put in 638 more hours a year than in the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom: 1,523 hours (2023) · Vietnam: 2,160 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United Kingdom went to school 4.5 years longer than in Vietnam.
United Kingdom: 13.5 years (2023) · Vietnam: 9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United Kingdom welcomed 6.8 times as many tourists per resident as Vietnam (2019).
United Kingdom: 0.55 (2024) · Vietnam: 0.08 (2015)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
95% of people in the United Kingdom are online, versus 84% in Vietnam.
United Kingdom: 95% (2024) · Vietnam: 84% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
The United Kingdom and Vietnam are practically level.
United Kingdom: 100% (2024) · Vietnam: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
83% of people in the United Kingdom live in cities, versus 39% in Vietnam.
United Kingdom: 83% (2025) · Vietnam: 39% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Vietnam has 128 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the United Kingdom 122.
United Kingdom: 122 (2024) · Vietnam: 128 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United Kingdom’s railway network is 5.1 times as long as Vietnam’s.
United Kingdom: 16,179 km (2021) · Vietnam: 3,159 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United Kingdom fly 3.2 times as many passengers per resident as those from Vietnam.
United Kingdom: 1.71 (2023) · Vietnam: 0.54 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 47% of Vietnam, but only 13% of the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom: 13.3% (2023) · Vietnam: 47.4% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United Kingdom emits 23% more CO₂ than someone in Vietnam.
United Kingdom: 4.5 t (2024) · Vietnam: 3.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
52% of the United Kingdom’s electricity is renewable, versus 45% in Vietnam.
United Kingdom: 52% (2025) · Vietnam: 45.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Vietnam carries 2.9 times as much fine dust as in the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom: 8.8 µg/m³ (2024) · Vietnam: 25.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
United Kingdom: 1.1 per 100k (2021) · Vietnam: no data
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Vietnam are 7.4 times as deadly as in the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom: 2.4 per 100k (2021) · Vietnam: 17.7 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Vietnam is on average 14.4 °C warmer than the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom: 9.9°C (2016–2025 avg) · Vietnam: 24.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Vietnam gets 2 times as much rain as the United Kingdom.
United Kingdom: 1,070 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Vietnam: 2,132 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the United Kingdom bigger than Vietnam?
Vietnam is larger. Vietnam is 36% bigger than the United Kingdom.
Which has more people, the United Kingdom or Vietnam?
Vietnam has 46% more people than the United Kingdom (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the United Kingdom or Vietnam?
People in the United Kingdom live 6.7 years longer than in Vietnam. Life expectancy at birth is 81.4 years in the United Kingdom and 74.7 in Vietnam.
Are people taller in the United Kingdom or Vietnam?
Men in the United Kingdom are 9.3 cm taller than in Vietnam (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
