The average age of first marriage among young Vietnamese people is getting later and later, currently at 27.2 years old, an increase of 2 years compared to 2019.
The information was announced by Mr. Pham Vu Hoang, Deputy Director of the Department of Population, Ministry of Health, at International workshop on policy consultation and solutions to prevent low fertility trends August 28, in Hanoi.
“The average age of first marriage is changing towards a later age,” said Mr. Hoang, citing that in 1999 the age of marriage was 24.1 and 10 years later it was 25.2. In 2023, the average age of marriage will be 27.2.
The trend of late marriage, many people choosing to live single or not get married, is considered the reason for the decline in birth rate. For example, in Ho Chi Minh City, the age of first marriage is 30.4, the highest in Vietnam, contributing to the low birth rate and accelerating population aging. The reasons for late marriage or not getting married are being busy with work, facing financial difficulties, wanting to pursue a career, not finding an ideal model…
Vietnam’s fertility rate is at a “worrying level”, with a tendency to fall below the replacement level. The total fertility rate in 2023 nationwide is 1.96 children/woman, the lowest level ever and is forecast to continue to decline in the following years. Currently, 2/6 socio-economic regions with low fertility rates below the replacement level are the Southeast and the Mekong Delta, of which women in the Southeast have an average number of children of 1.47 – the lowest in the country.
Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen spoke at the workshop on August 28. Photo: Nguyen Nhien
According to Dr. Hoang, urbanization, economic development, pressure to find jobs, housing, living expenses, costs of raising and caring for children… are factors that reduce birth rates. “Many Vietnamese people have the mentality of wanting to enjoy, spend time and money on personal pleasures without wanting to get married and have children,” said Mr. Hoang.
The Ministry of Health’s report shows that if the birth rate continues to decrease at the current rate without any solutions to slow it down, by 2054-2059, Vietnam’s population will experience negative growth and decrease more and more rapidly. According to calculations, in 2024, with a low birth rate, the average population growth rate will be 0.9% and decrease to 0.68% in 2029, decrease further to 0.06% in 2054 and from 2059, the population will begin to experience negative growth.
Experts say that if Vietnam does not have a breakthrough in socio-economic and population policies, the birth rate will continue to decline sharply, “following the path” of China, South Korea, and Japan today. If there is a sustainable development policy, creating favorable conditions for young people to get married, have children, and raise children, the birth rate will increase. Some suggestions have been made such as changing from the minimum wage regulation to a minimum living wage regulation for a family of four; supporting couples who have two children to buy social housing, rent houses; supporting children’s education costs…
Mass wedding in Hanoi, October 2022. Photo: Pham Chieu
At the workshop, Ms. Ghislaine Dondellinger, General Director of Merck Healthcare Vietnam, said that the recently released practical intervention policy toolkit on fertility for countries in the Asia-Pacific region will help Vietnamese policymakers to consult, research, and evaluate the feasibility of applying it in practice. The four policy groups mentioned in this toolkit are: Childcare; Workplace policies; Financial incentives and Reproductive support.
Deputy Minister of Health Do Xuan Tuyen acknowledged that Vietnam does not have much experience in dealing with the trend of low birth rates. Therefore, scientists and international organizations should share their experiences and provide technical support to Vietnam to solve this problem. At the same time, the Department of Population should propose feasible and effective intervention solutions to deal with low birth rates in the near future.