Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Vietnam instead of Timor-Leste, you would:
Health
live 6.8 years longer
In Timor-Leste, the average life expectancy is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024. In Vietnam, that number is 75 years (70 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024.
be 33.5% less likely to be obese
In Timor-Leste, 3.6% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Vietnam, that number is 2.4% of people as of 2024.
see 49.5% more spent on your healthcare
Timor-Leste spends $461 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Vietnam spends $690 as of 2023.
have 47.2% more doctors per person
Timor-Leste has 7.5 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2020. Vietnam has 11.1 as of 2021.
have 30.8% more access to essential health services
Timor-Leste scores 52 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Vietnam scores 68 as of 2021.
be 2.1 times more likely to die by suicide
Timor-Leste has a suicide rate of 3.6 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Vietnam, it is 7.3 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
make 3.8 times more money
Timor-Leste has a GDP per capita of $1,341 as of 2025, while in Vietnam, the GDP per capita is $5,066 as of 2025.
Life
be 75.0% less likely to die during childbirth
In Timor-Leste, approximately 192.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Vietnam, 48.0 women do as of 2023.
be 38.5% more likely to be literate
In Timor-Leste, the literacy rate is 69.4% as of 2022. In Vietnam, it is 96.1% as of 2022.
be 65.3% less likely to die during infancy
In Timor-Leste, approximately 34.6 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.
have 38.4% fewer children
In Timor-Leste, there are approximately 21.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Vietnam, there are 13.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 2.1 times more likely to have internet access
In Timor-Leste, approximately 40.8% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Vietnam, about 84.2% do as of 2024.
be 13.1% more likely to have access to drinking water
In Timor-Leste, approximately 87% of people have access to drinking water (98% in urban areas, and 82% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Vietnam, that number is 99% of people on average (99% in urban areas, and 98% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 44.8% less on education
Timor-Leste spends 5.2% of its total GDP on education as of 2023. Vietnam spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 52.5% less on healthcare
Timor-Leste spends 9.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Vietnam, that number is 4.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 4.9 times more coastline
Timor-Leste has a total of 706 km of coastline. In Vietnam, that number is 3,444 km.
Safety
be 47.5% more likely to die in a road accident
In Timor-Leste, road accidents kill 12.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Vietnam, they kill 17.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 2371.0 times more home broadband
Timor-Leste has 0.0 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Vietnam has 23.7 as of 2024.
live with 35.9% less strain on fresh water
Timor-Leste withdraws 28% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Vietnam withdraws 18% as of 2022.
Environment
be 14.8% less likely to die from air pollution
In Timor-Leste, air pollution causes 61.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Vietnam, it causes 52.0 as of 2019.
emit 8.5 times more CO2
Timor-Leste emits 0.5 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 (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Timor-Leste vs. Vietnam
Vietnam: At a glance
How big is Vietnam compared to Timor-Leste? See an in-depth size comparison.