World Bank Group reclassifies Viet Nam as an upper-middle-income country
19 October 2026
The World Bank Group reclassified Viet Nam as an upper-middle-income country in July 2026, according to the Bank's Viet Nam country overview. The overview records that Viet Nam's GDP grew 8 per cent in 2025, driven by a rebound in manufacturing exports and a recovery in domestic demand. GDP per capita rose from under US$500 in 1986 to US$5,066 in 2025 in current US dollars. The extreme poverty rate, measured at living on less than US$4.20 a day, fell from 14 per cent in 2010 to under 4 per cent in 2025. Viet Nam aims to reach high-income status by 2045, which the Bank says would require tripling per capita income, or about 6 per cent average annual growth over two decades. A Country Partnership Framework for FY2027-2032 is open for consultation.
In plain words
Upper-middle-income country A World Bank income classification — One of the World Bank's four income groups, assigned each year on the basis of gross national income per capita.