Vietnam now has joined other countries with aging populations, with the sharp rise in the rate of elderly people, according to reports from a conference held in Danang City on December 03.
The conference was on the gender imbalance, increasing societal roles of the elderly and family violence which was co-chaired by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Vietnam Women Union and the Vietnam Farmers’ Association.
Vietnam is witnessing an increase in the aging of its population, which is up from 17% in 1989 to 38% in 2010 and the rate is forecast to surpass 100% by 2034.
More than 70% of elderly Vietnamese still work to earn their living; 30% of elderly people do not have any health insurance and 50% are unable to pay medical fees.
The first national survey on the elderly in Vietnam, released on May 4, said that the elderly remain the most vulnerable and poorest group, with 7% of them living in temporary housing and more than half in rural areas have to work to support themselves with unsteady incomes.
Reports from the conference also show that Vietnam’s gender imbalance has been on the rise over the past five years. In 2011, the rate for first-born children there were 100 girls to every 109.7 boys. For second-borns boys accounted for 111.9, and 119.9 for the third-born children.
The major reason for the gender imbalance has been attributed to the cultural concept that having a boy is better for maintaining the family and society. Antepartum gender identification technology has added to the problem.
It has been estimated that 2.3-4.3 million Vietnamese men will be unable to find wives in the next ten years due to the country’s gender imbalance.