Jakarta –
Over the past 30 years, Vietnam’s fertility rate has fallen dramatically. The total fertility rate (TFR) of 3.8 in 1989 is now at 2.09 in 2019. In fact, in one of Vietnam’s largest cities Ho Chi Minh (HCM), the fertility rate has fallen to 1.39 children per fertile woman.
This trend is believed to lead to a shift in the age of marriage which is getting older and the pressure to incur large costs of raising children. Both of these factors are especially evident in urban areas, when many couples prefer to have few children.
“The accelerating urbanization places greater pressure on people’s lives, meaning they have to spend more time earning a living amid higher daily expenses,” said Mai Trung Son, Deputy Head of the Department of Population and Family Planning at the Ministry of Health.
“The high abortion rate in Vietnam is one of the causes of secondary infertility, which also causes lower birth rates,” emphasized Son.
Inequality in access to information and health services contributes to inequality because couples who live in cities are aware of the benefits of family planning and can access contraceptives more easily than those in rural areas.
High and low birth rates can have a negative impact on a country’s social to economic development. For example, a prolonged decline in the birth rate could lead to an aging population, putting pressure on a city’s welfare system, including pensions, health insurance, and social security.
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(naf/vyp)
