By 2036: Vietnam will enter the "aging population" phase

It is expected that in 13 years, by 2036, Vietnam will transition to an aging population structure, meaning that for every 7 people, 1 person will be 65 years old or older...

Adjusting retirement age to adapt to aging population
Aging Population: Impact on Economic Growth

By 2036, Vietnam will enter the “aging population” phase. — In 2036, Vietnam will enter the "aging population" phase.

According to the General Statistics Office, Vietnam reached the 100 million population mark in April 2023. Vietnam is currently in the top 15 most populous countries, ranked 41st in population density, and ranked 121st in per capita income per year with 4,010 USD.

Currently, Vietnam is among the countries with the fastest aging population in the world. According to data from the General Department of Population - Ministry of Health , in 2020, the average life expectancy of Vietnamese people is 73.7 years old, of which men are 71 years old and women are 76.4 years old.

This life expectancy is higher than the world average and many countries in the region. In some localities such as Ho Chi Minh City, Dong Nai, Da Nang, Ba Ria - Vung Tau... the average life expectancy is still over 76 years old.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Lan, Deputy Director General of the General Department of Population (Ministry of Health) said that in 2009, 1 in 11 people was 60 years old or older, but by 2029, this ratio will be 6:1. The General Statistics Office forecasts that by 2036, the proportion of people aged 65 and older in our country will account for 14% of the population, meaning that Vietnam will enter the "aging population" phase from that time.

That figure shows that Vietnam has been aging very quickly compared to the level of economic development. Thus, we have less than 13 years to move into the “aging population” stage.

The worrying thing is that in the middle-income economic conditions, our country is facing the risk of getting old before getting rich. On the other hand, although people's life expectancy is higher than the world and regional average, healthy life expectancy is still low.

Aging Population: Impact on Economic Growth

Many people have only been over 60 for a few years but have long-term illnesses such as respiratory diseases, cirrhosis, pancreatitis...

Doctor Nguyen Trung Anh, Director of the Central Geriatric Hospital, said that currently, on average, each elderly person can suffer from more than 3 diseases, commonly diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoarthritis, Parkinson's, dementia, stroke, etc. These are all chronic diseases, long-term treatment, requiring regular medical care, even lifelong.

On the other hand, a survey on “Readiness for retirement of Vietnamese people” published in 2022 showed that most middle-aged people in our country have not yet proactively planned and prepared for their old age.

According to Professor Giang Thanh Long, senior expert on population and development at the National Economics University - Head of the research team, the above survey was conducted with more than 2,000 people, representing the population aged 30-44 nationwide. The survey results showed that about 67% of the interviewees wanted to be independent in old age, but the proportion who had planned for old age was only 28.38%.

That means two-thirds of people want to, but only one-quarter have planned for their old age. The proportion planning for retirement is even lower (just 17.3%)…

Therefore, experts predict that if Vietnam cannot take advantage of the remaining time of the golden population period, it will be more difficult for the country to grow rapidly and face many challenges in the "storm" of aging that will come in just over 10 years.

Hanoi deploys 136 models of elderly care in the community
The Hanoi Department of Population and Family Planning said that with the aim of implementing activities and proposing intervention solutions to improve the status of the elderly, communication and health care consultation activities for the elderly in the city are currently maintained regularly in the community in 579 communes, wards and towns.
In particular, the city has coordinated with the District, Town and City Health Centers to implement 41 models of elderly care in the community in the first year; 45 models in the second year and 40 elderly self-care clubs. Develop a training plan to improve the capacity of staff implementing the elderly health care plan.

Hoa Thanh (synthesis)

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