Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Vietnam instead of China, you would:
Health
be 74.2% less likely to be obese
In China, 9.3% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Vietnam, that number is 2.4% of people as of 2024.
be 18.4% less likely to die by suicide
China has a suicide rate of 8.9 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Vietnam, it is 7.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 3.3 years less
In China, the average life expectancy is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024. In Vietnam, that number is 75 years (70 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024.
see 53.6% less spent on your healthcare
China spends $1,487 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Vietnam spends $690 as of 2023.
have 64.4% fewer doctors per person
China has 31.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2022. Vietnam has 11.1 as of 2021.
have 16.0% less access to essential health services
China scores 81 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Vietnam scores 68 as of 2021.
Economy
be 67.1% less likely to be unemployed
In China, 4.6% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Vietnam, that number is 1.5% as of 2025.
make 63.5% less money
China has a GDP per capita of $13,862 as of 2025, while in Vietnam, the GDP per capita is $5,066 as of 2025.
Life
have 98.2% more children
In China, there are approximately 6.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Vietnam, there are 13.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.0 times more likely to die during childbirth
In China, approximately 16.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Vietnam, 48.0 women do as of 2023.
be 2.9 times more likely to die during infancy
In China, approximately 4.1 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Vietnam, on the other hand, 12.0 children do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 25.9% less on education
China spends 3.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Vietnam spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 23.2% less on healthcare
China spends 5.9% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Vietnam, that number is 4.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 76.2% less coastline
China has a total of 14,500 km of coastline. In Vietnam, that number is 3,444 km.
Infrastructure
live with 56.3% less strain on fresh water
China withdraws 42% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Vietnam withdraws 18% as of 2022.
find 49.8% less home broadband
China has 47.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Vietnam has 23.7 as of 2024.
use 60.4% less electricity
China uses 6,524 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Vietnam uses 2,585 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
be 18.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In China, air pollution causes 64.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Vietnam, it causes 52.0 as of 2019.
emit 54.2% less CO2
China emits 9.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Vietnam emits 4.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: China vs. Vietnam
Vietnam: At a glance
How big is Vietnam compared to China? See an in-depth size comparison.