Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Vietnam
Vietnam: Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) was 9.9% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Military expenditure in Vietnam, 2003–2025
Source: SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). Measured in % of general government expenditure.
Analysis
In 2025, military expenditure in Vietnam stood at 9.9%.
Compared with earlier readings it is up 5.2% on the previous year and down 6.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, military expenditure in Vietnam peaked at 11.1% in 2016 and was at its lowest, 6.8%, in 2005.
That places Vietnam 36th out of 164 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 23 years of available data.
Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure) in Vietnam, year by year
| Year | % of general government expenditure | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 7.6% | — |
| 2004 | 7.5% | -0.8% |
| 2005 | 6.8% | -9.2% |
| 2006 | 7.4% | +9.3% |
| 2007 | 8.1% | +9.5% |
| 2008 | 7.6% | -6.3% |
| 2009 | 8.6% | +12.8% |
| 2010 | 7.8% | -9.9% |
| 2011 | 8.3% | +6.7% |
| 2012 | 10.3% | +24.8% |
| 2013 | 10.6% | +2.3% |
| 2014 | 10.6% | +0.3% |
| 2015 | 10.6% | -0.3% |
| 2016 | 11.1% | +4.8% |
| 2017 | 10.6% | -4.5% |
| 2018 | 10.9% | +2.7% |
| 2019 | 11.0% | +0.9% |
| 2020 | 9.7% | -11.3% |
| 2021 | 10.2% | +5.0% |
| 2022 | 9.4% | -7.6% |
| 2023 | 9.8% | +3.6% |
| 2024 | 9.4% | -3.4% |
| 2025 | 9.9% | +5.2% |
Vietnam compared with similar countries
- Vietnam's 9.9% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 4.9%, 2.0× the median. (46 countries reporting)
- Vietnam's 9.9% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 4.9%, 2.0× the median. (19 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 7.7% | 6.8% | 8.6% | 7 |
| 2010s | 10.2% | 7.8% | 11.1% | 10 |
| 2020s | 9.7% | 9.4% | 10.2% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Vietnam
More public sector data for Vietnam
- Democracy, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Chief executive of the government is elected, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Elected parliament, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Men's universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Universal right to vote in practice, annual growth rate 0 % change on previous year (2025)
- Arms imports 177.00 million SIPRI trend indicator values (2025)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per capita 0.5743 SIPRI trend indicator values per person (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), per unit of GDP 0.0001 SIPRI trend indicator values per US$ of GDP (2024)
- Arms imports (SIPRI trend indicator values), annual growth rate 5.45 % change on previous year (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is military expenditure in Vietnam?
- Military expenditure in Vietnam was 9.9% in 2025, according to SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).
- What is the highest military expenditure recorded in Vietnam?
- The highest recorded value was 11.1% in 2016.
- What is the lowest military expenditure recorded in Vietnam?
- The lowest recorded value was 6.8% in 2005.
- How does Vietnam rank for military expenditure?
- Vietnam ranks 36th out of 164 countries with data for 2025.
- Is military expenditure rising or falling in Vietnam?
- Over the last ten years it is down 6.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Vietnam data come from?
- The figures come from SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), published as part of Military expenditure (% of general government expenditure). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
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About this data
Military expenditure expressed as a percentage of general government expenditure