HCM City authorities have taken efforts to encourage every couple to have two children. (Photo: VNA) HCM City (VNA) - HCM City’s birth rate has remained low at 1.5 per woman in 2018.
The information was released at a December 13 meeting by Vo Thanh Dong, deputyhead of the Department of Population and Family Planning under Ministry ofHealth on the threshold of Vietnam’s Population Day, December 26.
Authorities in the country’s biggest economic hub have encouraged every marriedcouple to have two children.
According to Tran Van Tri, head of HCM City Department of Population and FamilyPlanning, after years working to balance the sex ratio at birth, in 2018, it isestimated to have hit 105.3 boys born for every 100 girls in the city.
Over the past decade, the department has also implemented projects to improvepopulation quality, reduce sex imbalance at birth and enhance populationeducation.
In 2018, 82.7 percent of pregnant women had prenatal screenings, Tri said.
The low fertility in HCMCity and in the south in general is alarming as this region is more developedand many residents can afford the expenses of child-bearing.
According to experts, high living costs, high demands for education and otherchild-rearing aspects explain the low fertility rate.
This year, Vietnam’s Population Day has a theme of ‘Adolescent reproductivehealthcare for the nation’s future,’ aiming to promote safe sex and prenatalcare.
With nearly 97 million people, Vietnam is the world’s 14th most populouscountry. More than 64 million are at working ages, accounting for 68 percent ofthe total.
The country started entering the aging phase in 2011 and is among the mostrapidly aging countries in the world.
The General Statistics Office predicts that in 2038, the country will have 21million people over 60 years old, a fifth of the total population.
However, at present, 800 abortions happen every day in Vietnam, putting thecountry at risk of poor productivity and fertility quality.-VNA
