Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Vietnam instead of Turkmenistan, you would:
Health
live 4.5 years longer
In Turkmenistan, the average life expectancy is 70 years (67 years for men, 73 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 89.2% less likely to be obese
In Turkmenistan, 22.2% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Vietnam, that number is 2.4% of people as of 2024.
see 45.4% less spent on your healthcare
Turkmenistan spends $1,264 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Vietnam spends $690 as of 2023.
have 42.6% fewer doctors per person
Turkmenistan has 19.3 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2023. Vietnam has 11.1 as of 2021.
Economy
be 64.4% less likely to be unemployed
In Turkmenistan, 4.3% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Vietnam, that number is 1.5% as of 2025.
make 22.5% less money
Turkmenistan has a GDP per capita of $6,540 as of 2025, while in Vietnam, the GDP per capita is $5,066 as of 2025.
Life
be 60.5% less likely to die during infancy
In Turkmenistan, approximately 30.4 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.
be 9.6 times more likely to die during childbirth
In Turkmenistan, approximately 5.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Vietnam, 48.0 women do as of 2023.
have 35.8% fewer children
In Turkmenistan, there are approximately 20.9 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 3.3 times more likely to have internet access
In Turkmenistan, approximately 25.3% of the population has internet access as of 2022. In Vietnam, about 84.2% do as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 32.6% less on education
Turkmenistan spends 4.3% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Vietnam spends 2.9% of total GDP on education as of 2022.
spend 17.1% less on healthcare
Turkmenistan spends 5.5% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Vietnam, that number is 4.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Safety
be 2.2 times more likely to die in a road accident
In Turkmenistan, road accidents kill 8.0 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Vietnam, they kill 17.7 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 4.5 times more home broadband
Turkmenistan has 5.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2022. Vietnam has 23.7 as of 2024.
live with 86.6% less strain on fresh water
Turkmenistan withdraws 135% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Vietnam withdraws 18% as of 2022.
Environment
be 40.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Turkmenistan, air pollution causes 87.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Vietnam, it causes 52.0 as of 2019.
emit 60.7% less CO2
Turkmenistan emits 10.9 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 (2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Turkmenistan vs. Vietnam
Vietnam: At a glance
How big is Vietnam compared to Turkmenistan? See an in-depth size comparison.