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Military Strength: Flag of Singapore Singapore vs Flag of Vietnam Vietnam

Vietnam (ranked #20 globally) holds a stronger overall military position than Singapore (#29) on the ATLAS Index. Vietnam fields 450,000 active troops — 8.8:1 Singapore's 51,000, backed by 5,000,000 reserves and 40,000 paramilitary. Singapore allocates $16B to defense compared to $8.6B for Vietnam.

ATLAS (Aggregate Total of Land, Air and Sea strength) Index face-off Full ranking →
Flag of Singapore SingaporeWorld #29 38.3
ATLAS Index / 100

Vietnam leads on 4 of 6 pillars

Flag of Vietnam VietnamWorld #20 43.2
  • 49.851K active troops Manpower10 % 99.5450K active troops
  • 47.3170 battle tanks Ground forces20 % 49.71,379 battle tanks
  • 41.552 warships Naval power20 % 44.886 warships
  • 37.6103 combat aircraft Air power25 % 31.470 combat aircraft
  • 0.00 warheads Nuclear deterrent10 % 0.00 warheads
  • 38.3$16B budget Defense budget15 % 39.8$8.6B budget
Singapore Vietnam Pillar scores 0–100 (weight under each label) over a headline figure from that domain · each conventional pillar read after its branch's availability proxy · Methodology
Key figures
Singapore Vietnam Ratio
Defense budget $16B $8.6B 🇸🇬 1.9×
– share of GDP 3.0% 1.8% 🇸🇬 1.7×
Active personnel 51,000 450,000 🇻🇳 8.8×
Combat aircraft 103 70 🇸🇬 1.5×
Warships 52 86 🇻🇳 1.7×
– submarines 4 6 🇻🇳 1.5×
Main battle tanks 170 1,379 🇻🇳 8.1×
Nuclear warheads 0 0 —
Show full breakdown · 11 more rowsHide the 11 extra rows
Reserve troops 252,500 5,000,000 🇻🇳 20×
Paramilitary forces 7,400 40,000 🇻🇳 5.4×
Military aircraft (all types) 234 216 🇸🇬 1.1×
– helicopters 71 42 🇸🇬 1.7×
Budget share of govt spending — — —
Budget per capita $2,687 $84 🇸🇬 32×
Population 6.1M 101.6M 🇻🇳 17×
GDP $604B $515B 🇸🇬 1.2×
GDP per capita $98,814 $5,066 🇸🇬 20×
Land area 716 km² 310,070 km² 🇻🇳 433×
Coastline 193 km 3,444 km 🇻🇳 18×
Backbone systems most numerous in service
🇸🇬 SingaporeF-16 Fighting Falcon ×59Leopard 2 ×170Invincible-class ×2
🇻🇳 VietnamSu-30 Flanker-C ×35T-54 / T-55 / TM-800 ×1,200Improved Kilo-class ×6
Defense budget history
Military personnel history
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Frequently Asked Questions

Who has more military personnel, Singapore or Vietnam?
Vietnam has approximately 450,000 active military personnel compared to Singapore's 51,000, giving Vietnam a 8.8:1 numerical advantage.
Which country has more combat aircraft, Singapore or Vietnam?
Singapore operates 103 combat aircraft compared to Vietnam's 70. This includes fighters, strike aircraft, and multirole combat jets.
Who has the larger navy, Singapore or Vietnam?
Vietnam has a larger navy with 86 warships compared to Singapore's 52. Singapore operates 4 submarines while Vietnam has 6.
Which country spends more on defense, Singapore or Vietnam?
Singapore has a larger defense budget at $16.4 billion (1.9:1 more) compared to Vietnam's $8.6 billion annually.
Do Singapore and Vietnam have nuclear weapons?
Neither Singapore nor Vietnam currently possesses nuclear weapons.
How do the tank forces of Singapore and Vietnam compare?
Vietnam operates 1,379 main battle tanks compared to Singapore's 170. Tank numbers reflect both active inventory and reserves.