Risk of not achieving the goal of maintaining replacement fertility nationwide
Currently, there is a significant difference in birth rates between regions. Notably, 21 provinces and cities have low birth rates; some localities even have very low birth rates...
The Ministry of Health has just sent a document to the People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities regarding the organization of activities in response to World Population Day on July 11.
According to the Ministry of Health, in 30 years of implementing the Action Program, Vietnam has achieved many achievements: The population growth rate has been successfully controlled and entered the golden population period since 2007; average life expectancy has increased rapidly, and people's stature, physical strength, and quality of life have improved in many aspects.
However, population work in the coming time will face many difficulties and challenges, such as the risk of not achieving the goal of maintaining replacement fertility nationwide; rapid population aging and soon becoming an aging country; sex ratio at birth remains high; early marriage and consanguineous marriage are still slow to be overcome; population quality, especially in remote, isolated and disadvantaged areas, is still limited.
Mr. Le Thanh Dung - Director of the Department of Population (Ministry of Health) said that the replacement fertility rate is the average fertility rate of a woman in her entire life who gives birth to enough children to replace her in performing the reproductive function and maintaining (the race).
Currently, there is a significant difference in birth rates between regions. 21 provinces and cities have low birth rates; some localities even have very low birth rates, concentrated in the Southeast region, the Mekong Delta and the Central Coast.
The Southeast region is a region with a sharp decline: In 1999, this region still had a rate of 2.9 children per woman, but now it has decreased to only 1.56 children. Low birth rates do not only occur in some urban areas with developed economic conditions, but also appear in many provinces with difficult socio-economic conditions such as the Mekong Delta, which plays an important role in agricultural production, ensuring national food security. Provinces with low birth rates account for about 39% of the country's population, which will greatly impact the country's sustainable development.
The Ministry of Health requests the People's Committees and the Steering Committees for Population and Development of provinces and cities to pay attention to and direct the Department of Health, departments, branches and People's Committees at the district level to organize the Launching Ceremony, responding to the participation of departments, branches, unions, authorities at all levels and people of all walks of life to create a fundamental change in the awareness and actions of the entire political system and people of all walks of life regarding the tasks and contents of population work in the new situation.
Relevant units direct the promotion of population communication activities on mass media, hanging banners, posters, documents, and leaflets with population work content related to life, society, and sustainable development of the country and locality in the present and future.
The Ministry of Health also requested localities to strengthen the direction of inter-sectoral coordination; assign tasks, and implement effective coordination mechanisms between agencies, unions, and organizations participating in population work in the area.
According to statistics from the General Statistics Office (Ministry of Planning and Investment), in 1999, on average, each Vietnamese woman of childbearing age had 2.33 children. From 2009 to present, the birth rate has increased slightly, or decreased slightly around (2.1 children) and by 2023, according to the latest statistics, each Vietnamese woman will have 1.9 children, the lowest ever. Vietnam is facing certain difficulties, when the goal by 2030 is to firmly maintain the replacement fertility rate of 2.1 children/woman, with a population of about 104 million people.