Vietnam records lowest birth rate at 1.91 in 2024

Vietnam flag. (Arianne Lacanilao/PCI Photo)

By VNS, Philippine News Agency

HÀ NỘI – Việt Nam has recorded a historic low birth rate in 2024, with the total fertility rate (TFR) dropping to just 1.91 children per woman, marking the third consecutive year below replacement level.

This was revealed on Friday at the 2024 National Population Conference, where officials expressed growing concern over the nation’s demographic challenges.

The decline in birth rates has been steady over the past few years: from 2.11 children per woman in 2021 to 2.01 in 2022, and further down to 1.96 in 2023.

In 2024, urban areas reported a TFR of 1.67 children per woman, while rural areas saw this rate of 2.08, both below the replacement rate.

This trend is most pronounced in urbanized, economically developed regions, reflecting the societal and economic pressures associated with modernisation.

Despite achieving a higher-than-targeted life expectancy of 74.5 years in 2024 (exceeding the planned 73.8 years), Việt Nam’s health sector failed to meet two key objectives: addressing gender imbalances at birth and reversing declining fertility rates.

The gender ratio at birth, though improved, remains skewed at 112 boys for every 100 girls.

Speaking at the conference, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyễn Thị Liên Hương highlighted the difficulties in encouraging families to have more children, despite ongoing policy adjustments and public campaigns.

She emphasized that the declining birth rate poses challenges to long-term socio-economic development, including aging populations and workforce shortages.