Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Thailand instead of Vietnam, you would:
Health
live 1.8 years longer
In Vietnam, the average life expectancy is 75 years (70 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Thailand, that number is 77 years (72 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.
see 54.7% more spent on your healthcare
Vietnam spends $690 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Thailand spends $1,067 as of 2023.
have 20.6% more access to essential health services
Vietnam scores 68 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Thailand scores 82 as of 2021.
be 6.8 times more likely to be obese
In Vietnam, 2.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Thailand, that number is 16.4% of people as of 2024.
have 51.1% fewer doctors per person
Vietnam has 11.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Thailand has 5.4 as of 2021.
be 2.3 times more likely to die by suicide
Vietnam has a suicide rate of 7.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Thailand, it is 16.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Economy
be 48.7% less likely to be unemployed
In Vietnam, 1.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Thailand, that number is 0.8% as of 2025.
make 59.0% more money
Vietnam has a GDP per capita of $5,066 as of 2025, while in Thailand, the GDP per capita is $8,057 as of 2025.
be 28.6% more likely to live below the poverty line
In Vietnam, 4.2% live below the poverty line as of 2022. In Thailand, however, that number is 5.4% as of 2022.
Life
be 29.2% less likely to die during childbirth
In Vietnam, approximately 48.0 women die from pregnancy or childbirth per 100,000 live births as of 2023. In Thailand, 34.0 women do as of 2023.
be 35.8% less likely to die during infancy
In Vietnam, approximately 12.0 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Thailand, on the other hand, 7.7 children do as of 2024.
have 39.5% fewer children
In Vietnam, there are approximately 13.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Thailand, there are 8.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 12.8% less on education
Vietnam spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Thailand spends 2.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
Safety
be 3.2 times more likely to be murdered
Vietnam has a homicide rate of 1.5 per 100,000 people as of 2011. In Thailand, that number is 4.8 per 100,000 as of 2011.
be 43.5% more likely to die in a road accident
In Vietnam, road accidents kill 17.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Thailand, they kill 25.4 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
use 14.7% more electricity
Vietnam uses 2,585 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Thailand uses 2,965 kWh as of 2023.
find 37.2% less home broadband
Vietnam has 23.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Thailand has 14.9 as of 2024.
live with 26.9% more strain on fresh water
Vietnam withdraws 18% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Thailand withdraws 23% as of 2022.
Environment
be 44.2% less likely to die from air pollution
In Vietnam, air pollution causes 52.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Thailand, it causes 29.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2011–2021), World Health Organization (2024). How we calculate this
Compare further: Vietnam vs. Thailand
Thailand: At a glance
How big is Thailand compared to Vietnam? See an in-depth size comparison.