Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Vietnam fits inside the United States 30 times.
United States: 9,831,510 km² (2023) · Vietnam: 331,338 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
The United States’ coastline is 5.8 times as long as Vietnam’s.
United States: 19,924 km (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 3,444 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The United States’ highest peak towers 3,046 m above Vietnam’s.
United States: 6,190 m (2026 edition) · Vietnam: 3,144 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The United States has 3.4 times as many people as Vietnam.
United States: 342 million (2025) · Vietnam: 102 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Vietnam is 8.7 times as densely populated as the United States.
United States: 37 per km² (2025) · Vietnam: 324 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in the United States are 8.1 cm taller than in Vietnam.
United States: 176.9 cm (2019) · Vietnam: 168.9 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in the United States are 4.9 cm taller than in Vietnam.
United States: 163.3 cm (2019) · Vietnam: 158.4 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in the United States is 5.6 years older than in Vietnam.
United States: 38 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 States.
United States: 1.63 children per woman (2024) · Vietnam: 1.9 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
18% of people in the United States are 65 or older, versus 9.5% in Vietnam.
United States: 18.4% (2025) · Vietnam: 9.5% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
The United States has produced 8.7 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Vietnam 0.1.
United States: 8.7 (2025) · Vietnam: 0.1 (2025)
How many official languages?
The United States and Vietnam are practically level.
United States: 1 (2026) · Vietnam: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
The United States’ economy is 60 times the size of Vietnam’s.
United States: $30.8 trillion (2025) · Vietnam: $515 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
The United States produces 5 times as much per person as Vietnam.
United States: Int$90,027 (2025) · Vietnam: Int$18,089 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the United States than in Vietnam (Gini 5.7 points higher).
United States: 41.8 (2024) · Vietnam: 36.1 (2022)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.2% in the United States, versus 1.5% in Vietnam.
United States: 4.2% (2025) · Vietnam: 1.5% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
The United States spends 3.4% of its GDP on the military, Vietnam 1.8%.
United States: 3.4% (2024) · Vietnam: 1.8% (2018)
How expensive is it?
The United States’ price level (US = 100) is 3.6× Vietnam’s.
United States: 100% (2025) · Vietnam: 28% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
The United States spends 68 times as much on health per person as Vietnam.
United States: $13,473 (2023) · Vietnam: $197 (2023)
How long do people live?
People in the United States live 4.2 years longer than in Vietnam.
United States: 78.9 years (2024) · Vietnam: 74.7 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in Vietnam is 2.2 times as likely to die before turning one as in the United States.
United States: 5.5 per 1,000 (2024) · Vietnam: 12 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
The United States has 3.3 times as many doctors per person as Vietnam.
United States: 3.7 per 1,000 (2022) · Vietnam: 1.1 per 1,000 (2021)
How common is obesity?
42% of adults in the United States are obese, versus 2.5% in Vietnam.
United States: 41.8% (2024) · Vietnam: 2.5% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
21% of adults in Vietnam smoke, versus 16% in the United States.
United States: 15.8% (2024) · Vietnam: 21.1% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in the United States rate their lives 0.39 points higher than in Vietnam.
United States: 6.82 (2025) · Vietnam: 6.43 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Vietnam drink 12% more alcohol than in the United States.
United States: 9.6 litres (2023) · Vietnam: 10.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
The United States has 2 times as much meat per person as Vietnam.
United States: 122.1 kg (2023) · Vietnam: 60.5 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
The United States has 861 kcal more food per person per day than Vietnam.
United States: 3,947 kcal (2023) · Vietnam: 3,086 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in Vietnam put in 372 more hours a year than in the United States.
United States: 1,789 hours (2023) · Vietnam: 2,160 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in the United States went to school 4.9 years longer than in Vietnam.
United States: 13.9 years (2023) · Vietnam: 9 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
The United States welcomed 2.6 times as many tourists per resident as Vietnam (2019).
United States: 0.21 (2024) · Vietnam: 0.08 (2015)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
95% of people in the United States are online, versus 84% in Vietnam.
United States: 95% (2024) · Vietnam: 84% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
The United States and Vietnam are practically level.
United States: 100% (2024) · Vietnam: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
80% of people in the United States live in cities, versus 39% in Vietnam.
United States: 80% (2025) · Vietnam: 39% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Vietnam has 128 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the United States 113.
United States: 113 (2024) · Vietnam: 128 (2024)
How much railway is there?
The United States’ railway network is 47 times as long as Vietnam’s.
United States: 148,553 km (2021) · Vietnam: 3,159 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from the United States fly 5.1 times as many passengers per resident as those from Vietnam.
United States: 2.75 (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 the United States.
United States: 33.9% (2023) · Vietnam: 47.4% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in the United States emits 3.9 times as much CO₂ as someone in Vietnam.
United States: 14.2 t (2024) · Vietnam: 3.7 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
45% of Vietnam’s electricity is renewable, versus 26% in the United States.
United States: 25.6% (2025) · Vietnam: 45.4% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in Vietnam carries 3.4 times as much fine dust as in the United States.
United States: 7.5 µg/m³ (2024) · Vietnam: 25.6 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
United States: 5.8 per 100k (2023) · Vietnam: no data
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in Vietnam are 25% deadlier than in the United States.
United States: 14.2 per 100k (2021) · Vietnam: 17.7 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Vietnam is on average 14.1 °C warmer than the United States.
United States: 10.3°C (2016–2025 avg) · Vietnam: 24.4°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Vietnam gets 2.5 times as much rain as the United States.
United States: 849 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Vietnam: 2,132 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the United States bigger than Vietnam?
The United States is larger. Vietnam fits inside the United States 30 times.
Which has more people, the United States or Vietnam?
The United States has 3.4 times as many people as Vietnam (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the United States or Vietnam?
People in the United States live 4.2 years longer than in Vietnam. Life expectancy at birth is 78.9 years in the United States and 74.7 in Vietnam.
Are people taller in the United States or Vietnam?
Men in the United States are 8.1 cm taller than in Vietnam (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
