Viet Nam vs Thailand: population pyramids in 1997
Viet NamThailand
Each bar is the share of the total population at that single year of age (men left, women right), so countries of different sizes can be compared.
Viet Nam and Thailand compared
In 1997, Viet Nam has a population of 73.7 million and Thailand 60.3 million; Viet Nam is about 1.2 times the size of Thailand.
The share aged 65 and over is 5.7% in Viet Nam and 5.1% in Thailand, 0.6 points higher in Viet Nam. The median age is 22.1 years in Viet Nam and 28.0 years in Thailand.
The total fertility rate is 2.27 in Viet Nam and 1.85 in Thailand, so only Thailand is below the replacement level of about 2.1. Life expectancy at birth is 71.7 years in Viet Nam and 70.4 years in Thailand.
By 2050, the population of Viet Nam is projected to grow by 49.3% and that of Thailand to grow by 10.2% compared with 1997.
GDP per person is $5,066 in Viet Nam (2025) and $8,057 in Thailand (2025).
Key figures (1997)
| Viet Nam | Thailand | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 73.7 million | 60.3 million |
| Aged 0–14 | 35.0% | 26.2% |
| Aged 15–64 | 59.4% | 68.7% |
| Aged 65+ | 5.7% | 5.1% |
| Median age | 22.1 yrs | 28.0 yrs |
| Old-age dependency | 9.5 | 7.4 |
| Total fertility rate | 2.27 | 1.85 |
| Life expectancy | 71.7 yrs | 70.4 yrs |
| Population growth | +1.46% | +1.31% |
| Net migration (per year) | +52,382 | +150,411 |
| GDP | $515B (2025) | $577B (2025) |
| GDP per person | $5,066 (2025) | $8,057 (2025) |
| Unemployment | 1.5% (2025) | 0.8% (2025) |
Economic figures are the latest year published for each country.