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Military Strength: Flag of North Korea North Korea vs Flag of Vietnam Vietnam

Vietnam (ranked #26 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than North Korea (#27) on the ARMS Index. North Korea fields 1,469,000 active troops — 2.8:1 Vietnam's 522,000, backed by 600,000 reserves and 5,000,000 paramilitary. Vietnam's $10B defense budget is 6.5:1 that of North Korea ($1.6B).

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Flag of North Korea North KoreaWorld #27 48.3
ARMS Index / 100

Vietnam leads overall, ahead on 1 of 6 pillars

Flag of Vietnam VietnamWorld #26 48.7
  • 100.01.5M active troops Manpower15 % 99.6522K active troops
  • 74.63,500 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 70.91,374 battle tanks
  • 65.0392 warships Naval power20 % 53.7112 warships
  • 67.3571 combat aircraft Air power25 % 44.671 combat aircraft
  • 27.660 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 46.2$1.6B budget Defense budget10 % 62.6$10B budget
North Korea Vietnam Pillar scores 0–100 (weight under each label) over a headline figure from that domain · readiness modifier ×0.80 vs ×0.97 · Methodology
Key figures
North Korea Vietnam Ratio
Defense budget $1.6B $10B 🇻🇳 6.5×
– share of GDP — 2.2% 🇻🇳
Active personnel 1,469,000 522,000 🇰🇵 2.8×
Combat aircraft 571 71 🇰🇵 8.0×
Warships 392 112 🇰🇵 3.5×
– submarines 22 6 🇰🇵 3.7×
Main battle tanks 3,500 1,374 🇰🇵 2.5×
Nuclear warheads 60 0 🇰🇵
Show full breakdown · 12 more rowsHide the 12 extra rows
Reserve troops 600,000 5,000,000 🇻🇳 8.3×
Paramilitary forces 5,000,000 40,000 🇰🇵 125×
Military aircraft (all types) 1,131 205 🇰🇵 5.5×
– helicopters 205 42 🇰🇵 4.9×
– bombers 80 0 🇰🇵
Budget share of govt spending — 9.9% 🇻🇳
Budget per capita $62 $104 🇻🇳 1.7×
Population 26.5M 101M 🇻🇳 3.8×
GDP — $476B 🇻🇳
GDP per capita — $4,717 🇻🇳
Land area 120,538 km² 310,070 km² 🇻🇳 2.6×
Coastline 2,495 km 3,444 km 🇻🇳 1.4×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇰🇵 North KoreaJ-5 Fresco ×241T-54 / T-55 / TM-800 ×1,600Romeo-class ×20
🇻🇳 VietnamSu-27 Flanker ×46T-54 / T-55 / TM-800 ×1,200Kilo-class ×6
Defense budget history North Korea ×1.8 · Vietnam ×1.2 since 2015
Military personnel history

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, North Korea or Vietnam?
North Korea has approximately 1,469,000 active military personnel compared to Vietnam's 522,000, giving North Korea a 2.8:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, North Korea or Vietnam?
North Korea operates 571 combat aircraft compared to Vietnam's 71. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, North Korea or Vietnam?
North Korea has a larger navy with 392 vessels compared to Vietnam's 112 ships. North Korea operates 22 submarines while Vietnam has 6.
Which country spends more on defense, North Korea or Vietnam?
Vietnam has a larger defense budget at $10.5 billion (6.5:1 more) compared to North Korea's $1.6 billion annually.
Do North Korea and Vietnam have nuclear weapons?
North Korea possesses nuclear weapons with approximately 60 warheads, while Vietnam does not have nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of North Korea and Vietnam compare?
North Korea operates 3,500 main battle tanks compared to Vietnam's 1,374. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.