Challenges from the picture of Vietnam's population
With more than 100 million people, our country has officially joined the group of countries with a large population in the world. However, changes in population structure pose many problems that need to be solved to ensure sustainable development.
Vietnam has successfully controlled the population growth rate, maintaining replacement fertility since 2006. However, in recent years, the birth rate has tended to decrease slightly below the replacement threshold.
According to the General Statistics Office, the total birth rate in 2023 will only reach 1.96 children/woman and 1.91 children/woman in 2024 - the lowest in history and is forecast to continue to decline in the following years. This is the lowest birth rate ever, putting Vietnam in the group of countries facing rapid population aging. In addition, gender imbalance at birth is becoming a major challenge, which can lead to a " male-dominated, female-on-female" situation in the future.
Gender imbalance at birth has occurred since 2006 with a rate of 109.8 boys/100 girls and continues to increase. Currently, this rate is still maintained above 112, higher than the natural biological threshold (103 - 106 boys/100 girls). In particular, in some provinces in the Red River Delta such as Quang Ninh, Hai Duong, Hung Yen, this number is up to 120 boys/100 girls, causing worrying consequences in the long term.
Although education has improved, the quality of human resources is still a big challenge. The rate of trained workers has not met expectations, the shortage of highly skilled workers affects economic competitiveness. The trend of migration from rural to urban areas is increasing, causing pressure on large urban areas such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, while many rural areas are lacking labor.
Proposal to loosen birth rate
Mr. Le Thanh Dung - Director of the Population Department (Ministry of Health) - said that the Ministry is reviewing population policies, at the same time developing a report on the Current situation and trends of birth rates in Vietnam and proposing policies in the draft Population Law. In the draft Ordinance amending Article 10 of the Population Ordinance, the Ministry proposes that each couple and individual decide on the time of giving birth, the number of children and the distance between births.
The Ministry of Health reviewed and found that many regulations on population are not in accordance with current law and do not meet practical requirements. Some contents of the Population Ordinance are no longer in accordance with the Constitution, such as limiting the right to decide on the number of children. Some regulations conflict with other legal documents, such as limiting the concentration of residents in large urban areas. The birth rate has been continuously decreasing, but the law still limits the number of children, which is not suitable for the current situation. The Ministry of Health proposed an adjustment to facilitate the maintenance of replacement fertility, minimizing the risk of labor shortage and population aging.
Many countries have implemented policies to encourage childbirth such as financial support, tax incentives, improved maternity leave and child support. Vietnam also needs to have appropriate measures to ensure population balance and sustainable development.
