Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Vietnam instead of Colombia, you would:
Health
be 90.4% less likely to be obese
In Colombia, 24.9% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Vietnam, that number is 2.4% of people as of 2024.
live 3.2 years less
In Colombia, 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 60.8% less spent on your healthcare
Colombia spends $1,758 per person on healthcare as of 2024 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Vietnam spends $690 as of 2023.
have 56.3% fewer doctors per person
Colombia has 25.4 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Vietnam has 11.1 as of 2021.
have 15.0% less access to essential health services
Colombia scores 80 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Vietnam scores 68 as of 2021.
be 47.2% more likely to die by suicide
Colombia has a suicide rate of 5.0 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Vietnam, it is 7.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 81.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Colombia, 8.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Vietnam, that number is 1.5% as of 2025.
be 86.8% less likely to live below the poverty line
In Colombia, 31.8% live below the poverty line as of 2024. In Vietnam, however, that number is 4.2% as of 2022.
make 40.8% less money
Colombia has a GDP per capita of $8,562 as of 2025, while in Vietnam, the GDP per capita is $5,066 as of 2025.
Life
be 18.6% less likely to die during childbirth
In Colombia, approximately 59.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Vietnam, 48.0 women do as of 2023.
be 14.3% more likely to die during infancy
In Colombia, approximately 10.5 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 45.1% less on education
Colombia spends 5.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Vietnam spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 44.0% less on healthcare
Colombia spends 8.1% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2024. In Vietnam, that number is 4.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Infrastructure
find 37.7% more home broadband
Colombia has 17.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Vietnam has 23.7 as of 2024.
use 66.7% more electricity
Colombia uses 1,551 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Vietnam uses 2,585 kWh as of 2023.
live with 5.0 times more strain on fresh water
Colombia withdraws 4% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Vietnam withdraws 18% as of 2022.
Environment
be 2.2 times more likely to die from air pollution
In Colombia, air pollution causes 24.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Vietnam, it causes 52.0 as of 2019.
emit 2.4 times more CO2
Colombia emits 1.8 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Vietnam emits 4.3 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Colombia vs. Vietnam
Vietnam: At a glance
How big is Vietnam compared to Colombia? See an in-depth size comparison.