Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Timor-Leste instead of Vietnam, you would:
Health
be 51.2% less likely to die by suicide
Vietnam has a suicide rate of 7.3 per 100,000 people as of 2021. In Timor-Leste, it is 3.6 per 100,000 as of 2021.
live 6.8 years less
In Vietnam, the average life expectancy is 75 years (70 years for men, 79 years for women) as of 2024. In Timor-Leste, that number is 68 years (66 years for men, 70 years for women) as of 2024.
be 50.4% more likely to be obese
In Vietnam, 2.4% of adults are obese as of 2024. In Timor-Leste, that number is 3.6% of people as of 2024.
see 33.1% less spent on your healthcare
Vietnam spends $690 per person on healthcare as of 2023 (international dollars, adjusted for prices). Timor-Leste spends $461 as of 2023.
have 32.1% fewer doctors per person
Vietnam has 11.1 doctors per 10,000 people as of 2021. Timor-Leste has 7.5 as of 2020.
have 23.5% less access to essential health services
Vietnam scores 68 out of 100 on the universal health coverage index as of 2021. Timor-Leste scores 52 as of 2021.
Economy
make 73.5% less money
Vietnam has a GDP per capita of $5,066 as of 2025, while in Timor-Leste, the GDP per capita is $1,341 as of 2025.
Life
have 62.2% more children
In Vietnam, there are approximately 13.4 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Timor-Leste, there are 21.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 4.0 times more 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 Timor-Leste, 192.0 women do as of 2023.
be 27.8% less likely to be literate
In Vietnam, the literacy rate is 96.1% as of 2022. In Timor-Leste, it is 69.4% as of 2022.
be 2.9 times more 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 Timor-Leste, on the other hand, 34.6 children do as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 51.6% less likely to have internet access
In Vietnam, approximately 84.2% of the population has internet access as of 2024. In Timor-Leste, about 40.8% do as of 2022.
be 11.6% less likely to have access to drinking water
In Vietnam, approximately 99% of people have access to drinking water (99% in urban areas, and 98% in rural areas) as of 2024. In Timor-Leste, that number is 87% of people on average (98% in urban areas, and 82% in rural areas) as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 81.3% more on education
Vietnam spends 2.9% of its total GDP on education as of 2022. Timor-Leste spends 5.2% of total GDP on education as of 2023.
spend 2.1 times more on healthcare
Vietnam spends 4.6% of its total GDP on healthcare as of 2023. In Timor-Leste, that number is 9.6% of GDP as of 2023.
Geography
see 79.5% less coastline
Vietnam has a total of 3,444 km of coastline. In Timor-Leste, that number is 706 km.
Safety
be 32.2% less likely to die in a road accident
In Vietnam, road accidents kill 17.7 people per 100,000 as of 2021. In Timor-Leste, they kill 12.0 per 100,000 as of 2021.
Infrastructure
find 100.0% less home broadband
Vietnam has 23.7 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Timor-Leste has 0.0 as of 2024.
live with 55.9% more strain on fresh water
Vietnam withdraws 18% of its available fresh water each year as of 2022. Timor-Leste withdraws 28% as of 2022.
Environment
emit 88.3% less CO2
Vietnam emits 4.3 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Timor-Leste emits 0.5 tonnes as of 2024.
be 17.3% more likely to die from air pollution
In Vietnam, air pollution causes 52.0 deaths per 100,000 people as of 2019. In Timor-Leste, it causes 61.0 as of 2019.
Sources: World Bank (2020–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2022), World Health Organization (2024), The World Factbook. How we calculate this
Compare further: Vietnam vs. Timor-Leste
Timor-Leste: At a glance
How big is Timor-Leste compared to Vietnam? See an in-depth size comparison.