Hanoi, Dec 30 Vietnam's birth rate hit a record low in 2024 with the total fertility rate dropping to just 1.91 children per woman, marking the third consecutive year below replacement level.
The decline in birth rates has been steady over the past few years: From 2.11 children per woman in 2021 to 2.01 in 2022, and further down to 1.96 in 2023, Xinhua news agency reported quoting the Vietnam News Agency that cited the Vietnam Population Authority under the Ministry of Health on Monday.
According to Pham Vu Hoang, deputy director of the authority, Vietnam's population could begin to shrink after 2054 if the low fertility rate persists.
Projections indicate a potential annual population decline of 0.04 per cent between 2054 and 2059 and 0.18 per cent between 2064 and 2069, equating to an average loss of 200,000 people per year.
The Ministry of Health is drafting the Population Law which is expected to be submitted to the National Assembly in 2025.
The draft law proposes measures to maintain the 2.1 replacement fertility level including abolishing penalties for having a third child, encouraging women to get married before the age of 30 and have two children before the age of 35.
The Southeast Asian country began the population golden period in 2007 after formally reaching the replacement fertility in 2006.
Priorities include enhancing public awareness about family planning and gender equality, encouraging families to have two children and invest in raising healthy, educated, and well-rounded children, and integrating population targets into provincial resolutions and plans.
Deputy Minister Huong also called for reinforcing the organisational framework of population departments across provinces and cities to improve efficiency in addressing demographic challenges.
“Promoting the idea of two-child families, nurturing children well, and building happy, progressive families is crucial,” she stated, urging society to shift its mindset from focussing solely on family planning to a broader perspective of population and development.
Vietnam became the third most populous country in Southeast Asia and the 15th-most populous country in the world when its population surpassed 100 million in 2023.
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