Born in Viet Nam or in United States?
Two babies are born the same second, one in Viet Nam and one in United States. 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 United States, 79 years.
- A child in Viet Nam is 2.7 times as likely to die before the age of five as a child in United States.
- Income per person in United States buys 5 times as much as in Viet Nam.
- Each year about 1,363,757 babies are born in Viet Nam and 3,622,919 in United States.
Side by side
| Indicator | Viet Nam | United States | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health and survival | |||
| Life expectancy, women (years) | 79.4 | 81.4 | 75.9 |
| Life expectancy, men (years) | 70.1 | 76.5 | 71 |
| Babies who die before 1 (per 1,000) | 12 | 5.5 | 27.8 |
| Children who die before 5 (per 1,000) | 17.3 | 6.5 | 37.6 |
| Mothers who die in childbirth (per 100,000 births) | 48 | 17 | 189 |
| Adults living with HIV (%) | 0.4 | ≈ 0.1 | 0.7 |
| Adults who smoke (%) | 21 | 16 | 20 |
| Alcohol per adult (litres a year) | 8 | 9.9 | 4.6 |
| Road deaths (per 100,000) | 30.6 | 12.7 | 17 |
| Homicides (per 100,000) | 1.5 | 5.8 | 4.7 |
| Family and school | |||
| Children per woman | 1.9 | 1.63 | 2.85 |
| Women married before 18 (%) | 15 | ≈ 17 | 18 |
| Children in primary school (%) | 98 | 95 | 89 |
| Secondary school enrolment (%) | 93 | 97 | 81 |
| Higher education enrolment (%) | 38 | 79 | 48 |
| Children aged 7–14 who work (%) | 10.9 | ≈ 14.3 | 11.9 |
| Money and work | |||
| Income per person (PPP) | $15,457 | $76,931 | $21,797 |
| Income inequality (Gini, 0–100) | 36 | 42 | 34 |
| Living on under $3 a day (%) | 1.6 | 1.1 | 9.9 |
| Unemployment (%) | 1.5 | 4.2 | 5.1 |
| Jobs in farming (%) | 25 | 2 | 27 |
| Women in the workforce (%) | 69 | 56 | 48 |
| Health costs paid out of pocket (%) | 39 | 11 | 37 |
| Home and connection | |||
| Living in cities (%) | 39 | 80 | 58 |
| Access to electricity (%) | 100 | 100 | 92 |
| Safe drinking water (%) | 99 | 100 | 91 |
| Internet users (%) | 84 | 95 | 72 |
| Peace and wellbeing | |||
| Life satisfaction (0–10) | 6.43 | 6.82 | 5.4 |
| Deaths in armed conflict (per 100,000 a year) | 0 | 0 | 2.43 |
| Refugees abroad (% of population) | 0.02 | 0 | 0.34 |
≈ 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.
Viet Nam: 1960: 58.1 → 2026: 75.5 → 2050: 78.9United States: 1960: 69.9 → 2026: 79.1 → 2050: 83.3
Viet NamUnited StatesWorld
Viet Nam: 1960: 99 → 2026: 17 → 2050: 10United States: 1960: 30 → 2026: 6 → 2050: 5
Viet NamUnited StatesWorld
Viet Nam: 1960: 6.3 → 2026: 1.9 → 2050: 1.8United States: 1960: 3.7 → 2026: 1.6 → 2050: 1.6
Viet NamUnited StatesWorld
Viet Nam: 1960: 15 → 2026: 39 → 2050: 47United States: 1960: 70 → 2026: 80 → 2050: 86
Viet NamUnited StatesWorld
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All 178 countries →- Viet Nam vs Japan
- Viet Nam vs Korea, Rep.
- Viet Nam vs China
- Viet Nam vs Thailand
- Viet Nam vs France
- Viet Nam vs Cambodia
- Viet Nam vs Lao PDR
- Viet Nam vs Philippines
- Viet Nam vs Indonesia
- Viet Nam vs Malaysia
- Viet Nam vs Singapore
- Viet Nam vs India
- Viet Nam vs Australia
- Viet Nam vs Canada
- Viet Nam vs Germany
- Viet Nam vs United Kingdom
- Korea, Rep. vs United States
- Japan vs United States
- China vs United States
- Thailand vs United States
- France vs United States
- India vs United States
- Nigeria vs United States
- United States vs Mexico
- United States vs Canada
- United States vs United Kingdom
- United States vs Germany
- United States vs Brazil
Sources: World Bank (WDI), UN World Population Prospects, Our World in Data, World Happiness Report, UCDP and PRIO. Updated 2026-10-18.