Prof. Dr. Tran Van Thuan, Deputy Minister of Health, shared information at the launching ceremony of the National Action Month on Population on December 10. According to the leader of the Ministry of Health, population work is currently facing many difficulties and challenges, many practical population issues have arisen and are directly affecting the lives, society and sustainable development of Vietnam in the present and future. "Maintaining the replacement fertility rate nationwide is not really sustainable," said Mr. Thuan. Specifically, our country is showing a trend of low fertility. In 2023, it is estimated to be 1.96 children/woman, the lowest in history and is forecast to continue to decrease in the following years. Vietnamese people live longer According to the Deputy Minister of Health, the rate of population aging in our country is happening rapidly and will soon pass the "golden population" period (meaning each dependent is supported by two people of working age). Mr. Matt Jackson, Chief Representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Vietnam, assessed that Vietnamese people are now living longer, which is a positive sign of development. According to the announcement of the General Statistics Office, in 2023, the life expectancy of Vietnamese people will increase sharply to 74.5 years, of which, women have an average life expectancy of 77.2 years, higher than men (72.1 years).

Vietnamese life expectancy will increase sharply to 74.5 years in 2023. Photo: Hoang Ha

Mr. Matt Jackson said that Vietnam's population began aging in 2011 and is aging at a much faster rate than other countries. "It is forecasted that Vietnam will become a country with an aging population by 2036 and a super-aged society by 2049," said Mr. Matt Jackson. In which, an aging population is a concept that refers to the situation where the proportion of people aged 60 and over accounts for 20% of the total population (equivalent to 14% for people aged 65 and over); and a super-aged society is when the proportion of people aged 60 and over accounts for over 25% (equivalent to the proportion of people aged 65 and over accounting for 20%). Mr. Matt Jackson said that the transition from a young society to an aging society has many far-reaching impacts and we need to start preparing for these population changes right now. Solutions include increasing labor productivity combined with policies to create sustainable jobs, as well as increasing labor participation rates, especially for the elderly population, supporting women to maintain their participation in the labor market, and investing in health and education. The gender imbalance at birth remains high, with no signs of decreasing. Deputy Minister Tran Van Thuan said that the rapid increase in the sex ratio at birth in Vietnam, although controlled, remains high and shows no signs of decreasing (in 2023, it will be 112 boys/100 girls). Sharing the same view, Mr. Matt Jackson said that Vietnam is also facing the problem of fetal sex selection. "This has been identified as the main cause of the gender imbalance at birth," said the UNFPA Representative in Vietnam. The UNFPA Representative in Vietnam stated that "inequality remains a challenge in Vietnam" and cited a series of examples. Accordingly, the maternal mortality rate in remote and ethnic minority areas is 3-4 times higher than the national average. The unmet need for modern contraception among unmarried young people is 40%, 4 times higher than that of married couples. In addition, gender-based violence remains widespread, with nearly 2/3 (62.9%) of women having experienced at least one form of violence by a husband/partner during their lifetime.
It is expected to submit the draft Population Law to the Government in December. This year, the Ministry of Health has developed a project dossier to submit to the National Assembly to issue a resolution on "Overall population policy framework, ensuring replacement fertility rates appropriate to regions, areas, population groups and population quantity and quality"; completing the proposal dossier to build the Population Law, expected to be submitted to the Government in December. Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/nguoi-viet-song-tho-hon-gia-hoa-dan-so-dien-ra-rat-nhanh-2350628.html