For the first time, Vietnam has published the National Report on civil status registration and statistics, marking an important step forward in the journey to build a comprehensive and transparent data system with people at the center.
The report was built by the Statistics Office on the national electronic civil status database, with the support of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the global public health organization, within the framework of the "health data initiative" of the Bloomberg Philanthropies. The content of the report reflects the situation of birth registration, death, marriage and outstanding population issues, towards the goal of not letting anyone be left behind.
At the announcement ceremony, representatives of ministries, UN agencies and development partners affirmed the importance of accurate data in policy making.
Mr. Matt Jackson - Head of UNFPA Representative in Vietnam emphasized: " statistics are not just numbers, they are truly telling numbers. Behind those numbers is a story of life and people. When collected accurately, data helps us understand which policies are promoting effectiveness, who is being overlooked, and what we need to do to build a more inclusive data system for everyone. UNFPA will continue to make efforts to ensure that everyone is recognized and every life is important.
According to the report, the rate of on-duty birth registration in Vietnam has increased steadily, reaching 84.9% in 2024. However, late registration is still popular among ethnic minority groups, up to 56%. On-duty death registration also reached 69.3%, but some ethnic minority localities recorded a late death rate of nearly 80%.
In addition, the report recorded a total decreased birth rate, lower than the replacement rate of 2.1 children/woman. Gender imbalance at birth is still persistent, especially in the northern provinces such as Bac Ninh, Vinh Phuc, Hanoi, Hung Yen, Bac Giang. The average age of childbirth for women is increasing, in which Kinh and Hoa women give birth much later than other ethnic groups.
Regarding mortality, the average age of death is 69.5 years old, men are 64.6 years old and women are 75.6 years old. Nearly 77% of traffic accident and suicide deaths are men.
Ms. Do Thi Ngoc - Deputy Director of the Statistics Office said: "For the first time, we can use complete and updated household registration data to conduct statistical analysis of birth, death and marriage nationwide. This is a very important milestone. The results also show that there are still differences between ethnic groups and regions in the work of registering household registration. However, the analysis results also confirmed that the government's investment in digital transformation in the civil status registration system is bringing efficiency.
In the coming time, the report proposes to continue investing in technology, training staff and expanding access to disadvantaged groups, while integrating civil status data with the population, healthcare, and education systems to serve sustainable development.
