Vietnam’s population will rise by one million, its life expectancy will hit 73.7, and the infant sex ratio will be 112.8 boys/100 girls in 2018, according to the Vietnam General Office for Population-Family Planning (GOPFP).   

GOPFP reported that the Vietnamese population hit 93.7 million in 2017 and predicted the figure would rise to 94.7 million in 2018.

This would make Vietnam the 14th most populous country in the world.

Vietnam’s population has increased by 1.07 percent compared to 2016, according Le Canh Nhac, deputy general director of GOPFP.

About 1.3 million children were born in 2017, with the average sex ratio at 112.4 boys/100 girls.

The highest boy to girl sex ratios of infants can be found in the northern provinces, such as Son La (120 boys/100 girls), Hung Yen (118.6 boys/100 girls), Bac Ninh (117.6 boys/100 girls), Hai Duong (116.3 boys/100 girls), and others.

The boy to girl sex ratio for infants born in Hanoi is 114 boys/100 girls.

It was predicted that the average sex ratio of infants will slightly rise to 112.8 boys/100 girls in 2018.

The high boy to girl ratio could be attributed to three factors, according to Nguyen Van Tan, deputy general director of GOPFP.

There is the tendency for families to expect a baby boy, sex-selective abortion, and the lack of a guaranteed social security for parents.

GOPFP also showed a detailed disparity in children/parent ratios between remote areas and urban ones, with an average of 2-3 children/parent for the former and a ratio of 1.8 children/parent for the latter.

This low ratio is due to the 2-child policy implemented in the 1960s to combat overpopulation.

Around 117,000 children were born in Hanoi in 2017, nearly double Ho Chi Minh City’s figure of about 60,000 newborn infants.

GOPFP said that the life expectancy for Vietnamese was 73.5 (76.2 for females and 70.9 for males). The number was predicted to reach 73.7 in 2018.

The General Office for Population-Family Planning is under direct supervision by the Ministry of Health.

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