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Vietnam vs Thailand

Vietnam and Thailand side by side: live population, demographics, economy, environment and digital indicators from the UN and the World Bank, plus charts that overlay the full history of both countries. Change either country to compare any pair.

At a glance

Live population · UN WPP
Flag of Viet Nam

Vietnam

Asia · #16 of 238 by population
Live population
102,345,375
+0.6% a year · full profile · atlas
vs
Flag of Thailand

Thailand

Asia · #20 of 238 by population
Live population
71,542,263
-0.1% a year · full profile · atlas
Vietnam has 1.4× the population of Thailand (58.9% vs 41.1% of the two combined).

Vietnam vs Thailand: 28 indicators side by side

Latest available figures · October 2026
IndicatorVietnamThailandDifference
👥 Population
Population
people
102,345,37571,542,263Vietnam 1.4×
Population growth rate
% per year
+0.6-0.1+0.6 pts
Population density
people per km²
308.92026139.42026+169.5
Surface area
km²
331,3382023513,1152023Thailand 1.5×
Birth rate
births per 1,000 people
13.420248.12024+5.3
Death rate
deaths per 1,000 people
6.6202492024-2.4
Net migration rate
per 1,000 people per year
-0.5+0.4-0.9
Urban population
% of population
38.8202562.82025-24 pts
Sex ratio
males per 100 females
9694.5+1.5
❤️ Demographics & Health
Life expectancy
years
74.7202476.62024-1.8
Fertility rate
births per woman
1.920241.22024+0.69
Median age
years
33.941-7.1
Infant mortality
deaths per 1,000 live births
147.6+6.4
Population under 15
% of population
22.9202514.42025+8.4 pts
Population aged 65+
% of population
9.52025162025-6.5 pts
💰 Economy
GDP
current US$
$514.70B2025$577.01B2025Thailand 1.1×
GDP per capita
current US$
$5,0662025$8,0572025Thailand 1.6×
Unemployment rate
% of labor force
1.520250.82025+0.7 pts
Inflation rate
% annual, consumer prices
3.32025-0.12025+3.4 pts
🌱 Environment & Energy
CO₂ emissions
Mt CO₂ per year
430.82024283.82024Vietnam 1.5×
CO₂ emissions per capita
tonnes per person
4.2720243.962024+0.31
Energy use per capita
kg of oil equivalent per person
1,01820231,8512023Thailand 1.8×
Renewable energy share
% of final energy
24.22021192021+5.2 pts
Forest area
% of land area
47.4202338.72023+8.8 pts
Freshwater resources per capita
m³ per person per year
3,60620223,1302022Vietnam 1.2×
Water stress
% of resources withdrawn
22.8202225.52022-2.7 pts
📶 Digital
Internet users
% of population
84.2202490.92024-6.7 pts
Mobile subscriptions
per 100 people
127.62024160.62024-33

▲ marks the higher value (for death rate, infant mortality, unemployment, inflation, CO₂ and water stress: the lower value). "Difference" is the ratio for absolute measures and Vietnam minus Thailand for rates and shares. Years in grey are the latest available for that country.

Vietnam compared with Thailand

Updated October 2026

Vietnam has a live population of about 102,345,375 (#16 in the world) and Thailand about 71,542,263 (#20), so Vietnam has 1.4 times as many people as Thailand. Vietnam is growing at 0.6% a year and Thailand at -0.1%.

By area Thailand is larger: 513,115 km² against 331,338 km², which gives population densities of 308.9 people per km² in Vietnam and 139.4 in Thailand.

Vietnam's economy is worth $514.70B (2025) and Thailand's $577.01B (2025); per person that is $5,066 in Vietnam versus $8,057 in Thailand, so the average Thailand resident produces 1.6 times as much.

Life expectancy is 74.7 years in Vietnam and 76.6 in Thailand; women have 1.9 children on average in Vietnam compared with 1.2 in Thailand; the median age is 33.9 versus 41 years.

38.8% of Vietnam's people live in cities against 62.8% in Thailand; 84.2% use the internet in Vietnam and 90.9% in Thailand; CO₂ emissions per person are 4.3 t in Vietnam and 4 t in Thailand.

Population over time

Vietnam vs Thailand
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Life expectancy & fertility

Vietnam vs Thailand
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Birth & death rates

Vietnam vs Thailand
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Age structure

Vietnam vs Thailand
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CO₂ emissions

Vietnam vs Thailand
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Energy use & renewables

Vietnam vs Thailand
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Forest area

Vietnam vs Thailand
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Urban population

Vietnam vs Thailand
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Water resources & stress

Vietnam vs Thailand
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Economy

Vietnam vs Thailand
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Unemployment & inflation

Vietnam vs Thailand
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Internet & mobile

Vietnam vs Thailand
VietnamThailand

Frequently asked questions

Which is bigger, Vietnam or Thailand?

By population Vietnam is bigger: 102,345,375 people versus 71,542,263 (live estimates, October 2026). By area Thailand is larger (513,115 km² vs 331,338 km²).

Which has the larger economy, Vietnam or Thailand?

Thailand: GDP of $577,009,981,112 versus $514,697,215,165 in current US dollars (World Bank, 2025/2025).

Where do people live longer, Vietnam or Thailand?

Life expectancy at birth is 74.7 years in Vietnam and 76.6 years in Thailand, a difference of 1.8 years in favour of Thailand.

How are these comparisons calculated?

Live populations extrapolate the UN World Population Prospects baseline with each country's growth rate; every other figure is the latest value published by World Bank Open Data (or the UN for median age, infant mortality and migration). Each row shows the year of the figure, and the charts below overlay the full historical series of both countries.

Explore more

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Sources & method: live populations are linear extrapolations of the UN World Population Prospects estimates; all other indicators are the latest values from World Bank Open Data (UN WPP for median age, infant mortality, sex ratio and net migration). Figures are statistical estimates, not census counts. Page generated 2026-10-19. More about our data.