Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan said this at a rally to celebrate World Population Day on July 11, adding that these challenges affect the country's sustainable development.
Ms. Lan said that the total fertility rate has dropped to its lowest level in history and is expected to continue to decline in the coming years. Citing the results of the population change survey in April 2024, Minister Lan pointed out that the total fertility rate decreased from 2.01 children/woman in 2022 to 1.96 in 2023 and 1.91 in 2024. This is the lowest level in Vietnam's demographic history.
In addition to the low birth rate, the population is aging rapidly. In 2024, the average life expectancy of Vietnamese people will reach 74.7 years, higher than many countries with the same income level. However, the number of healthy years is only about 65 years, showing that Vietnamese people live more than 10 years in illness.
In addition, the stature, physical strength and quality of life of people in remote areas and ethnic minority areas are still limited. Pregnancy and childbirth among underage women still occur, especially early marriage and consanguineous marriage in the Central Highlands and the Northern Midlands and Mountains.
Despite being brought under control, the gender imbalance at birth remains serious. Specifically, the ratio was 110.5 boys/100 girls in 2009, increased to 111.5 boys/100 girls in 2019, and is currently at 111.4 boys/100 girls in 2024.
This imbalance has a negative impact on the future population structure, leading to a surplus of men. The General Statistics Office predicts that if the gender imbalance at birth remains high, Vietnam will have a surplus of 1.5 million men aged 15 to 49 by 2034, and this number could reach 1.8 million by 2059.
In terms of Human Development Index (HDI), Vietnam is currently in the low group compared to other countries in the world , ranked 93 out of 193 countries and territories.
In this context, the Ministry of Health is focusing on developing the Population Law and the Target Program on Health Care, Population and Development for the period 2026 - 2035.
In the draft Population Law, the Ministry of Health proposes many key priorities to promote birth, reduce gender imbalance at birth, and adapt to an aging population, such as increasing maternity leave, providing cash support or gifts when giving birth. Pregnant mothers are supported with prenatal and newborn screening to ensure healthy births. In particular, these families are given priority access to social housing and many other supports depending on the socio-economic development situation of each period.
A special highlight is the proposal for financial incentives, cash or in-kind support for families who have two daughters. At the same time, there will be specific measures to reduce gender imbalance at birth, applied flexibly to each locality and nationwide.
In addition, the Ministry of Health is building and developing facilities to support and care for the elderly, and training more human resources specializing in elderly care. For example, there will be scholarships and tuition support for students majoring in geriatrics at public medical schools.
The draft Population Law will be appraised by the Ministry of Justice today and is expected to be submitted to the Government for comments and approval by the National Assembly at the 10th Session (October 2025).
TH (according to VnExpress)Source: https://baohaiphongplus.vn/ty-suat-sinh-o-viet-nam-giam-xuong-muc-thap-nhat-lich-su-416140.html
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