22.2% of single people have no intention of having children
Dr. Nguyen Thi Nhung, representative of the research team, said that the results of an online survey with nearly 257,000 people aged 18 to 60 in all provinces and cities across the country in August 2024, showed that the trend of single or unmarried and unwilling to have children is becoming more and more popular among young people, especially in urban areas.
According to this study, 63.7% of surveyed people said they intended to get married and have children in the future, 9.2% did not want to get married but wanted to have children, 4.9% planned to get married but did not want to have children. In particular, up to 22.2% of single people responded that they have no intention of getting married and do not want to have children.
This trend has a clear difference between rural and urban areas and between educational groups. People with higher education and in urban areas tend to be single, and do not intend to have children higher than those with low education and in rural areas.
Ms. Nhung said that there are 4 main factors affecting the decision to get married. In which, the top is income from employment, followed by working conditions, housing conditions, and health status.
"For people aged 40 and under, especially those aged 30 and under, jobs and income, expectations in work and settlement are more important than other purposes (including marriage and children)," Ms. Nhung commented.
This study is also consistent with the opinion of the representative of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor at the first session of the National Wage Council meeting on June 26. From a survey of nearly 3,000 workers in 10 provinces and cities conducted in March - April 2025, the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor said that up to 72.6% of the total number of unmarried people said that wages are the main reason affecting their decision to start a family.
Workers feel that their current income is not enough to ensure a stable life when starting a family, especially in the context of increasing living expenses and raising children. Salary not only affects the ability to spend daily but also affects the ability to buy a house, save for the future and ensure basic needs for a new family.
Regulations on the minimum living wage for a family of 4
From the analysis of the survey results, the research team of the Southern Institute of Social Sciences recommends that the State should have policies to enhance social responsibility for single people - who do not want to get married and do not intend to have children.
At the same time, encourage early marriage with specific solutions such as personal income tax exemption, in addition to family deductions for couples or individuals who are raising 2 children (under 5 years old) or having 2 children within 5 years applied to all subjects; Can borrow from a bank without interest to buy a house for couples or individuals raising 2 children (under 5 years old) or having 2 children within 5 years.
It is necessary to regulate the working hours of employees (8 hours of work/day, 40 hours/week), creating conditions for remote work, based on completed products so that they have time to find a partner, take care of children, family and improve the quality of life of family and individual, personal preferences.
"It is necessary to regulate the minimum living wage for a family of 4, change the minimum living wage to a minimum living wage for a family of 4. This means that the two working people have enough income to raise and educate their two children well, for all residential groups. Promotion policies in enterprises must take into account the criteria of encouraging marriage and having children, not creating conflicts between work and family and having children. At the same time, it is necessary to legalize the social responsibility of businesses by taking into account the need to take care of the spiritual life of employees, train skills to be active parents in the business environment and industrial parks, Dr. Nhung emphasized.
According to Associate Professor, Dr. Si Vu Tan Hung, Director of the Southern Institute of Social Sciences, Head of the research team, Vietnam is facing many challenges and opportunities related to population. This will affect human resources and socio-economic factors. Low fertility rate (1.96 children/woman) and increased life expectancy will lead to population aging. This is not only the responsibility of the State but also requires the participation and efforts of many sides, including the community, family and individual.
