Vietnam’s total fertility rate has dropped to 1.93 children per woman in 2025. Photo for illustration.
The information was released by leaders of the Ministry of Health at a Wednesday ceremony marking Vietnam Population Day (December 26).
Addressing the ceremony, Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen said 2025 marked several important results in population work. Average life expectancy is estimated at 74.7 years, exceeding targets, while the sex ratio at birth stood at 111 boys per 100 girls, meeting targets but remaining high compared with the natural balance.
Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen speaks at the event.
Low fertility, however, remains the biggest challenge. The nationwide total fertility rate in 2025 reached only 1.93 children per woman, falling short of the replacement level and showing that delayed childbirth and having fewer children continue to increase.
Late marriage, late childbirth, having few or no children are becoming more common, especially in urban areas. Policies to support and encourage couples to have two children remain limited in many localities and are mostly at the drafting or pilot stage, not yet strong enough to create clear and sustainable change.
Vietnam is also facing rapid population ageing, while elderly care services have not kept pace. Investment resources for population work remain limited, and population data analysis capacity is still insufficient for long-term policymaking.
Do Xuan Tuyen said it was urgent to implement the population law, ensuring guiding documents are issued in a timely and coordinated manner when the law takes effect on July 1, 2026.
The Population Department said that in 2026 the top priority will be encouraging couples to have two children, gradually bringing fertility back to replacement level in line with regional and demographic characteristics.
Policies to support childbirth, especially in low-fertility areas, will be expanded and linked to housing, healthcare, education, employment and social security to ease socio-economic pressures on young couples.
At the same time, reducing the gender imbalance at birth will remain a key task through stronger regulation, behaviour change communication, tighter control of technology misuse for sex selection, and promoting gender equality and the status of women and girls.
Efforts to improve population quality will be stepped up through expanded premarital counselling and health checks, prenatal and newborn screening and early treatment, and improved family planning services to strengthen the future workforce.