Ho Chi Minh City has the fastest aging population in Vietnam
At the scientific conference on Population Aging and Policies to Adapt to Population Aging in Ho Chi Minh City on December 11, Mr. Pham Binh An - Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Institute for Development Studies - said that Ho Chi Minh City is the city with the largest population in the country, currently experiencing the fastest population aging rate in Vietnam.
According to data from the Ministry of Public Security, by the end of 2023, the city will have 1,310,323 people aged 60 and over, accounting for 12.05% of the population and is forecast to account for 20% of the city's total population by 2030.
Figures show that since 2017, the city has entered an aging phase. It is forecasted that by 2030, the proportion of the population aged 60 and over will reach 20% (equivalent to about 1.8 million people) and by 2050, this number could exceed 3 million people (over 30% of the total population).
According to MSc. Pham Chanh Trung - Head of the Department of Population and Family Planning of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam officially entered the population aging stage in 2011 when the proportion of people over 60 years old reached 10%. This proportion reached 12.8% in 2021, with a rapid increase.
Vietnam is expected to become a country with an aging population by 2036. Ho Chi Minh City also records a rapid aging rate, with the proportion of elderly people reaching 11.33% by 2023.
Get old before you get rich, live long but not healthy
Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Van Tan - Head of the Department of Geriatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ho Chi Minh City said that Vietnam's aging population is increasing at an increasingly rapid rate, posing great challenges in the context of the country facing the phenomenon of "getting old before getting rich".
Average life expectancy continues to increase, but quality of life in old age remains a concern, with many people falling into a state of "living long but not well".
To cope with the challenges posed by population aging, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Van Tan said it is necessary to develop long-term care service packages including medical care, social care and daily living support for the elderly.
At the same time, strengthening public-private partnerships in the field of elderly care will take advantage of resources and expertise from both sides. In particular, it is necessary to develop support services for elderly people living alone or with their spouses, helping them maintain an independent and quality life. Develop home care services and integrated models of care services.
In addition, health policies should focus on improving the quality of health insurance, providing direct financial support to disadvantaged households, and investing in the primary health care system in rural areas. At the same time, health education should be strengthened so that the elderly can proactively prevent diseases, reduce treatment costs, and improve their quality of life.
