East Asia & Pacific · Upper middle income
Vietnam: the economy in numbers
Per person: $5,066, or $18,088 at purchasing power parity. Population: 102 million (2025).
GDP in 2025, current US dollars: #32 of 204 economies. IMF forecast for 2026: +8.4%.
GDP
Adjusted for US inflation, in 2025 dollars: $42.2 billion in 1985, $515 billion in 2025.
GDP per capita
In 2025 dollars: $715 per person in 1985, $5,066 in 2025.
Real GDP growth
Average over 2016–2025: 6.2% a year. Years of falling GDP since 1980: 1 of 46.
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)
Inflation
Consumer prices rose 4.08 times from 2000 to 2025. Highest annual inflation: 453.5% in 1986. Years with inflation above 100%: 3. The chart cuts the scale at 100%; “Full scale” shows everything.
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)
Government debt, % of GDP
Highest since 2000: 47.9% of GDP in 2016. IMF forecast for 2031: 24.5%.
Stock market capitalization, % of GDP
In 2025 listed domestic companies were worth $316 billion, or 61.4% of GDP.
Population
1960: 32.5 million · 2025: 102 million.
Unemployment rate
1991: 2.1% · 2025: 1.5%.
Life expectancy at birth
1960: 58.0 years · 2024: 74.7 years.
Exports of goods and services
1986: 6.6% · 2025: 98.2%.
Data by year
Show the year-by-year table
| Year | GDP | GDP per capita | Per capita, PPP | Real growth | Inflation | Gov. debt, % GDP | Population | Unemployment | Stock market, % GDP | Life expectancy | Exports, % GDP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2031 | 5.7%f | 3.8%f | 24.5%f | ||||||||
| 2030 | 5.7%f | 4.2%f | 24.3%f | ||||||||
| 2029 | 5.9%f | 4.6%f | 24.6%f | ||||||||
| 2028 | 5.9%f | 4.7%f | 25.3%f | ||||||||
| 2027 | 7.5%f | 4.9%f | 26.2%f | ||||||||
| 2026 | 8.4%f | 4.7%f | 28.3%f | ||||||||
| 2025 | $515B | $5,066 | $18,088 | 8.0% | 3.3% | 30.5% | 102M | 1.5% | 61.4% | 98.2% | |
| 2024 | $476B | $4,717 | $16,388 | 7.0% | 3.6% | 31.2% | 101M | 1.6% | 43.0% | 74.7 | 90.2% |
| 2023 | $434B | $4,323 | $15,034 | 5.0% | 3.3% | 34.3% | 100M | 1.6% | 43.3% | 74.6 | 86.7% |
| 2022 | $413B | $4,148 | $13,903 | 8.5% | 3.2% | 34.9% | 99.7M | 1.6% | 41.2% | 74.5 | 93.4% |
| 2021 | $366B | $3,704 | $12,049 | 2.6% | 1.8% | 39.2% | 98.9M | 2.4% | 76.1% | 74.1 | 93.9% |
| 2020 | $347B | $3,534 | $11,609 | 2.9% | 3.2% | 41.3% | 98.1M | 2.1% | 53.7% | 75.4 | 84.4% |
| 2019 | $334B | $3,441 | $11,029 | 7.4% | 2.8% | 41.0% | 97.2M | 1.7% | 44.8% | 74.2 | 85.2% |
| 2018 | $310B | $3,222 | $10,010 | 7.5% | 3.5% | 43.8% | 96.2M | 1.2% | 42.8% | 74.1 | 84.4% |
| 2017 | $281B | $2,956 | $9,170 | 6.9% | 3.5% | 46.6% | 95.2M | 1.9% | 44.5% | 74.0 | 81.8% |
| 2016 | $257B | $2,735 | $8,375 | 6.7% | 2.7% | 47.9% | 94M | 1.8% | 28.5% | 74.0 | 74.1% |
| 2015 | $239B | $2,578 | $7,672 | 7.0% | 0.6% | 46.1% | 92.8M | 1.8% | 24.5% | 74.0 | 72.9% |
| 2014 | $233B | $2,546 | $7,297 | 6.4% | 4.1% | 43.4% | 91.7M | 1.3% | 22.5% | 73.9 | 69.6% |
| 2013 | $214B | $2,360 | $6,758 | 5.6% | 6.6% | 41.4% | 90.6M | 1.3% | 21.1% | 73.8 | 66.8% |
| 2012 | $196B | $2,185 | $6,377 | 5.5% | 9.1% | 38.3% | 89.5M | 1.0% | 18.8% | 73.8 | 63.5% |
| 2011 | $173B | $1,951 | $5,786 | 6.4% | 18.7% | 36.2% | 88.5M | 1.0% | 15.0% | 73.7 | 61.2% |
| 2010 | $147B | $1,683 | $5,389 | 6.4% | 9.2% | 37.3% | 87.5M | 1.1% | 25.0% | 73.6 | 54.2% |
| 2009 | $106B | $1,226 | $5,061 | 5.4% | 6.7% | 36.2% | 86.5M | 1.7% | 31.4% | 73.5 | 62.6% |
| 2008 | $99.1B | $1,164 | $4,844 | 5.7% | 23.1% | 31.0% | 85.2M | 1.9% | 12.5% | 73.5 | 70.3% |
| 2007 | $77.4B | $926 | $4,581 | 7.1% | 8.3% | 32.2% | 83.6M | 2.0% | 73.4 | 70.5% | |
| 2006 | $66.4B | $808 | $4,237 | 7.0% | 7.4% | 30.2% | 82.2M | 2.0% | 73.3 | 67.7% | |
| 2005 | $57.6B | $711 | $3,894 | 7.5% | 8.3% | 28.7% | 81.1M | 2.1% | 73.2 | 63.7% | |
| 2004 | $45.4B | $565 | $3,543 | 7.5% | 7.8% | 29.4% | 80.3M | 2.1% | 73.1 | 59.7% | |
| 2003 | $39.6B | $497 | $3,240 | 6.9% | 3.2% | 29.8% | 79.6M | 2.2% | 73.2 | 56.7% | |
| 2002 | $35.1B | $445 | $3,002 | 6.3% | 3.8% | 27.7% | 78.8M | 2.1% | 73.1 | 54.7% | |
| 2001 | $32.7B | $419 | $2,809 | 6.2% | −0.4% | 25.4% | 78M | 2.8% | 73.0 | 55.1% | |
| 2000 | $31.2B | $404 | $2,614 | 6.8% | −1.7% | 24.8% | 77.2M | 2.3% | 72.7 | 53.9% | |
| 1999 | $28.7B | $376 | $2,421 | 4.8% | 4.1% | 76.3M | 2.3% | 72.6 | 50.0% | ||
| 1998 | $27.2B | $361 | $2,308 | 5.8% | 7.3% | 75.3M | 2.3% | 72.3 | 44.8% | ||
| 1997 | $26.8B | $362 | $2,189 | 8.2% | 3.2% | 74.2M | 2.9% | 71.7 | 43.1% | ||
| 1996 | $24.7B | $337 | $2,019 | 9.3% | 5.7% | 73.2M | 1.9% | 71.3 | 40.9% | ||
| 1995 | $20.7B | $288 | $1,841 | 9.5% | 16.9% | 72M | 2.0% | 70.9 | 32.8% | ||
| 1994 | $16.3B | $230 | $1,674 | 8.8% | 10.4% | 70.9M | 2.0% | 70.4 | 34.0% | ||
| 1993 | $13.2B | $189 | $1,534 | 8.1% | 8.4% | 69.6M | 2.0% | 70.0 | 28.7% | ||
| 1992 | $9.87B | $145 | $1,413 | 8.6% | 37.7% | 68.3M | 2.1% | 69.6 | 34.7% | ||
| 1991 | $9.61B | $144 | $1,298 | 6.0% | 81.8% | 66.9M | 2.1% | 69.3 | 30.9% | ||
| 1990 | $6.47B | $99 | $1,210 | 5.1% | 36.0% | 65.5M | 69.0 | 36.0% | |||
| 1989 | $6.29B | $98 | 7.4% | 95.8% | 64.1M | 68.8 | 23.8% | ||||
| 1988 | $25.4B | $405 | 5.1% | 374.4% | 62.8M | 68.6 | 3.9% | ||||
| 1987 | $36.7B | $595 | 3.6% | 360.4% | 61.6M | 68.0 | 6.0% | ||||
| 1986 | $26.3B | $436 | 2.8% | 453.5% | 60.3M | 67.5 | 6.6% | ||||
| 1985 | $14.1B | $239 | 3.8% | 91.6% | 59.1M | 67.2 | |||||
| 1984 | 8.4% | 64.9% | 57.7M | 66.9 | |||||||
| 1983 | 7.1% | 49.5% | 56.3M | 66.5 | |||||||
| 1982 | 8.2% | 95.4% | 55M | 66.2 | |||||||
| 1981 | 5.8% | 69.6% | 53.7M | 65.8 | |||||||
| 1980 | −3.5% | 25.2% | 52.5M | 65.3 | |||||||
| 1979 | 51.4M | 65.0 | |||||||||
| 1978 | 50.2M | 64.5 | |||||||||
| 1977 | 49M | 64.1 | |||||||||
| 1976 | 47.7M | 63.7 | |||||||||
| 1975 | 46.5M | 61.9 | |||||||||
| 1974 | 45.4M | 54.8 | |||||||||
| 1973 | 44.4M | 55.7 | |||||||||
| 1972 | 43.4M | 51.9 | |||||||||
| 1971 | 42.4M | 55.6 | |||||||||
| 1970 | 41.5M | 54.9 | |||||||||
| 1969 | 40.6M | 54.8 | |||||||||
| 1968 | 39.7M | 52.7 | |||||||||
| 1967 | 38.9M | 56.7 | |||||||||
| 1966 | 38M | 56.9 | |||||||||
| 1965 | 37.1M | 57.0 | |||||||||
| 1964 | 36.2M | 57.5 | |||||||||
| 1963 | 35.2M | 56.9 | |||||||||
| 1962 | 34.3M | 58.2 | |||||||||
| 1961 | 33.4M | 58.5 | |||||||||
| 1960 | 32.5M | 58.0 |
e: IMF estimate; f: IMF forecast. Real growth: IMF data for 1980–1984, World Bank for the other years. Inflation: IMF data for 1980–1995, World Bank for the other years.
Nearby economies in East Asia & Pacific
Nearest by distance between capitals, with GDP per capita.
American Samoa · Australia · Brunei · Cambodia · China · Fiji · French Polynesia · Guam · Hong Kong · Indonesia · Japan · Kiribati · Laos · Macao · Malaysia · Marshall Islands · Micronesia · Mongolia · Myanmar · Nauru · New Caledonia · New Zealand · North Korea · Northern Mariana Islands · Palau · Papua New Guinea · Philippines · Samoa · Singapore · Solomon Islands · South Korea · Thailand · Timor-Leste · Tonga · Tuvalu · Vanuatu · Vietnam
Rankings
GDP by country · GDP per capita · Real GDP growth · Inflation by country · Government debt to GDP · Stock market to GDP · Population by country · Unemployment by country
Data and methods
- GDP: gross domestic product in current US dollars, converted from the local currency at market exchange rates (World Bank); not adjusted for inflation.
- Purchasing power parity (PPP): GDP per person in international dollars, which buy the same basket of goods and services in every country. It compares living standards across countries in the same year; it is not adjusted for inflation over time.
- In 2025 dollars: the charts can remove US inflation (US consumer price index, annual average) so that dollar amounts from different years compare in today's money. Exchange rate swings still show.
- Growth and inflation: World Bank data (calendar years). Years the World Bank does not cover yet, and the estimates and forecasts, come from the IMF World Economic Outlook (October 2026): its forecasts start in 2026, and the years after a country's last actual year are IMF estimates.
- Government debt: gross debt of the general government (central, state and local government and social security funds) as a percentage of GDP, IMF. The World Bank's central government debt is narrower and covers fewer countries.
- Stock market capitalization: the end-of-year value of domestic companies listed on the country's exchanges (World Federation of Exchanges via the World Bank; before 2016, Standard & Poor's), as a percentage of GDP: the “Buffett indicator”. Investment funds are excluded, and so are companies listed only abroad; companies from elsewhere that list on an exchange count for its country (Hong Kong lists many mainland Chinese companies).
- Unemployment: ILO modeled estimates (share of the labor force); comparable across countries, but they may differ from national figures.
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)
Source: International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook (October 2026)