1 in 8 Billion

Born in Viet Nam or in Germany?

Two babies are born the same second, one in Viet Nam and one in Germany. This is what the numbers say about the two lives ahead of them.

  • A baby born in Viet Nam can expect to live 74.7 years; in Germany, 80.9 years.
  • A child in Viet Nam is 4.7 times as likely to die before the age of five as a child in Germany.
  • Income per person in Germany buys 4.1 times as much as in Viet Nam.
  • Each year about 1,363,757 babies are born in Viet Nam and 676,279 in Germany.

Side by side

IndicatorViet NamGermanyWorld
Health and survival
Life expectancy, women (years)79.483.275.9
Life expectancy, men (years)70.178.571
Babies who die before 1 (per 1,000)123.127.8
Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)17.33.737.6
Mothers who die in childbirth (per 100,000 births)484189
Adults living with HIV (%)0.40.20.7
Adults who smoke (%)212220
Alcohol per adult (litres a year)811.84.6
Road deaths (per 100,000)30.63.817
Homicides (per 100,000)1.50.914.7
Family and school
Children per woman1.91.362.85
Women married before 18 (%)15≈ 618
Children in primary school (%)989089
Secondary school enrolment (%)9310081
Higher education enrolment (%)387748
Children aged 7–14 who work (%)10.9≈ 5.511.9
Money and work
Income per person (PPP)$15,457$62,824$21,797
Income inequality (Gini, 0–100)363434
Living on under $3 a day (%)1.60.79.9
Unemployment (%)1.53.75.1
Jobs in farming (%)25127
Women in the workforce (%)695548
Health costs paid out of pocket (%)391137
Home and connection
Living in cities (%)398258
Access to electricity (%)10010092
Safe drinking water (%)9910091
Internet users (%)849472
Peace and wellbeing
Life satisfaction (0–10)6.436.885.4
Deaths in armed conflict (per 100,000 a year)002.43
Refugees abroad (% of population)0.0200.34

≈ Estimated from the region

From 1960 to 2050

How life here has changed, and where UN projections expect it to go. The dashed part is a projection.

Life expectancy
406590196020002050

Viet Nam: 1960: 58.1 → 2026: 75.5 → 2050: 78.9Germany: 1960: 69.1 → 2026: 81.9 → 2050: 85.2

Viet NamGermanyWorld

Children who die before 5 (per 1,000)
0100200196020002050

Viet Nam: 1960: 99 → 2026: 17 → 2050: 10Germany: 1960: 39 → 2026: 4 → 2050: 3

Viet NamGermanyWorld

Children per woman
048196020002050

Viet Nam: 1960: 6.3 → 2026: 1.9 → 2050: 1.8Germany: 1960: 2.4 → 2026: 1.5 → 2050: 1.5

Viet NamGermanyWorld

Living in cities (%)
050100196020002050

Viet Nam: 1960: 15 → 2026: 39 → 2050: 47Germany: 1960: 76 → 2026: 82 → 2050: 85

Viet NamGermanyWorld

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Sources: World Bank (WDI), UN World Population Prospects, Our World in Data, World Happiness Report, UCDP and PRIO. Updated 2026-10-18.