On average, each Vietnamese woman gives birth to fewer than two children.

(Dan Tri Newspaper) - In 2025, the population sector set a target of 2.1 children per woman for the birth rate. However, the total fertility rate has only reached 1.93 children per woman, failing to reach the replacement level, indicating a continued increase in the trend of having fewer children.

This information was provided by leaders of the Ministry of Health at the ceremony commemorating Vietnam's Population Day (December 26).

Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen said that the National Assembly recently passed the Law on Population and the National Target Program on healthcare, population and development for the period 2026-2035.

Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen speaks at the conference (Photo: Organizing Committee).

In addition, Resolution No. 72-NQ/TW of the Politburo on strengthening the protection, care, and improvement of people's health has also created an important political and legal basis for population work in the next phase.

According to the report of the Population Department, Ministry of Health, 2025 marks many important achievements in population work.

The average life expectancy of Vietnamese people is estimated at 74.7 years, exceeding the set target. The sex ratio at birth remains at 111 boys per 100 girls, meeting the target but still high compared to the natural balance.

According to the head of the Population Department, low birth rates continue to be the biggest challenge in current population work. The national total fertility rate in 2025 is projected to reach 1.93 children per woman, falling short of replacement level, indicating a continued increase in the trend of having fewer children and having children later in life.

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Late marriage, late childbirth, having few children, or not wanting to have children at all are becoming increasingly common, especially in urban areas and regions with low birth rates. Policies supporting and encouraging two-child births in many localities are limited, mostly in the development or pilot phase, and not strong enough to create significant and sustainable change.

Furthermore, the population is aging rapidly while the elderly care system has not kept pace. Investment resources for population work are limited; the capacity to exploit and analyze population data does not meet the requirements for long-term policy planning.

Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen emphasized the need to urgently implement the Population Law, ensuring that guiding documents are issued promptly, synchronously, and take effect at the same time as the Law comes into force on July 1, 2026.

Accordingly, the Ministry of Health is tasked with promptly submitting to the Government a plan for implementing the Population Law; and simultaneously leading the development of government decrees and guiding circulars for its implementation. The Ministry of Health leadership requires that all sub-laws be completed no later than May 15, 2026, in accordance with regulations on effective dates.

Ms. Hoang Thi Thom, Deputy Director of the Population Department (Photo: Organizing Committee).

According to the Population Department, the top priority of population work in 2026 will be to encourage families to have two children, gradually bringing the birth rate back to the replacement level, in accordance with the characteristics of each region and population group.

The population sector will continue to refine and implement policies to support and encourage childbirth, especially in localities with low birth rates, in conjunction with solutions related to housing, healthcare, education, employment, and social security, in order to reduce socio-economic pressure on young couples.

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Simultaneously, reducing the gender imbalance at birth remains a central task, through improving institutions, strengthening communication to change behavior, strictly controlling the misuse of science and technology to select the sex of the fetus, and promoting gender equality, enhancing the status of women and girls in the family and community.

Efforts to improve the quality of the population will be intensified through expanding pre-marital counseling and health check-ups; screening, diagnosis, and early treatment of prenatal and neonatal diseases; and strengthening the quality of family planning services, contributing to improving the quality of future human resources.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/trung-binh-moi-phu-nu-viet-sinh-chua-den-2-con-20251217214843183.htm