Vietnam may have a "surplus" of millions of men: Where is the "surplus" the most?

According to the General Department of Population ( Ministry of Health ), the gender imbalance at birth in Vietnam appeared later than in other countries but is increasing rapidly and spreading.

The latest data in 2022 from the General Statistics Office shows that the sex ratio at birth is 112.1 boys/100 girls. Currently, there are 21 provinces and cities nationwide with a sex ratio at birth higher than the national average, such as Son La (117), Nghe An (116.6), Hanoi (112)... Meanwhile, many provinces in the Southwest have a ratio below 108.

Scientists have predicted that if this situation is not resolved, compared to the number of women available for marriage, our country will have a "surplus" of 2.3-4.3 million men by 2050. This will have a direct and profound impact on our country's population structure and lead to far-reaching and long-term consequences for social issues.

According to experts, the remarkable reality is that the gender imbalance at birth in Vietnam is high right from the first birth, and much higher in subsequent births. The main reason for this situation is still due to gender prejudice and the "male superiority" ideology that is deeply rooted in every Vietnamese person.

Besides, the abuse of science and technology to choose the sex of the fetus is also the main cause.

The General Department of Population and Family Planning said international and Vietnamese studies have pointed out the future consequences of the current gender imbalance at birth.

The observed shortage of girls in many countries will lead to a shortage of women in all age groups in the future. According to social scientists, the main impact of the imbalance in the sex ratio at birth will be related to the formation and structure of families, especially the marriage system.

Young men will be outnumbered by women due to the declining female population within the same generation and as a result they may face serious difficulties in finding a partner. Men may delay marriage or increase their rate of singlehood due to the shortage of women of marriageable age.

Bringing the sex ratio to balance by 2030?

In 2017, Vietnam set a target of bringing the sex ratio at birth to a natural balance by 2030, below 109 boys/100 girls. According to the General Department of Population, to achieve this target, each subsequent year must decrease by 0.4 percentage points. While in the previous 8 years, each year it only decreased by 0.1 percentage points.

To achieve the set goal, the General Department of Population believes that it will be very difficult and many solutions need to be implemented such as continuing to educate the people; improving the professional ethics of medical staff. At the same time, there must be strong enough sanctions to handle the abuse of science and technology in diagnosing the gender of the fetus and intervening in gender selection before birth.

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