The overview of the meeting.
The census shows that in the past 30 years, the fertility rate in Vietnam has nearly halved from 3.8 children per woman in 1989 to 2.09 children per woman in 2019. Most families still have two children and the population and family planning programme has succeeded.
However, it has faced gender imbalance issues. The sex ratio at birth increased sharply in Vietnam from 2004 and slowed down in 2010. In 2019, the sex ratio at birth was 111.5 boys per 100 girls compared to the standard ratio of 104-106 boys per 100 girls. That means Vietnam lacked 45,900 girls.
The gender imbalance issues were found in all social classes. In the past decade, the sex ratio at birth of the poorest households increased from 105.2 to 108.2 boys per 100 girls. This ratio among the richest was 112.9 boys per 100 girls in 2019.
Vietnam's preference for boys is still strongly present. The likelihood that families with two daughters will try to have a son again is twice as high as other families that already have a son. This issue is especially common among the population with high education and better living standards.
Nguyen Thi Huong, head of the General Statistics Office of Vietnam said, "Gender imbalance issues will affect the future population structure and cause a surplus of men."
According to the census, at this rate, in 2034, 1.5 million Vietnamese men aged from 15 to 49 will be redundant. This figure in 2059 will be 2.5 million. If the issues are dealt with, this figure will be 1.5 million in 2039 and 1.8 million in 2059.
The forecast for the 2019-2069 period shows that the population in Vietnam will reach 104.5 million in 2029, 110.8 million people in 2039 and 116.9 million people in 2069.
