The information was shared by Mai Trung Son from the Ministry of Health's Population Department at a seminar discussing the low birthrate in Vietnam held by the ministry on November 12.

'The draft also suggested that localities with low birth rates should change policies to encourage couples to have more children," Son said.

Speaking at the conference, chief of office at the Ministry of Health, Ha Anh Duc, said that Vietnam's current population is over 100 million people, and the country is facing a sharp drop in birth rates.

"Over the past few decades, Vietnam has seen birth rates falling from 6.50 children per woman in the 1960s to 2.05 in 2020," Duc revealed. "

Birth rates vary between different localities, and 21 cities and provinces that have very low birth rates lie in the southeastern (1.56 children), the Mekong Delta (1.80 children), and the central coastal regions.

The official warned that if the birth rate falls to below 1.30 children per woman, it would be almost impossible to recover replacement fertility.

"Low birth rates would directly impact the population structure, leading to a reduced number of those in working age and affecting migration, and other issues related to an aging population," he said.

Source: Dtinews