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NDTV
3 days ago
- Business
- NDTV
Vietnam Scraps Two-Child Limit As Birth Rate Declines
Vietnam's communist government has scrapped its long-standing policy of limiting families to two children, state media said Wednesday, as the country battles to reverse a declining birth rate. The country banned couples from having more than two children in 1988, but a family's size is now a decision for each individual couple, Vietnam News Agency said. The country has experienced historically low birth rates during the last three years, with the total fertility rate dropping to just 1.91 children per woman last year, below replacement level, the ministry of health said this year. Birth rates have fallen from 2.11 children per woman in 2021, to 2.01 in 2022 and 1.96 in 2023. This trend is most pronounced in urbanized, economically developed regions, especially in big cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City as the cost of living rises. Tran Minh Huong, a 22-year-old office worker, told AFP that the government regulation mattered little to her as she had no plans to have children. "Even though I am an Asian, with social norms that say women need to get married and have kids, it's too costly to raise a child." Sex imbalance Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Thi Lien Huong, speaking at a conference earlier this year, warned it was increasingly difficult to encourage families to have more children, despite policy adjustments and public campaigns. She emphasized that the declining birth rate poses challenges to long-term socio-economic development, including an ageing population and workforce shortages. She urged society to shift its mindset from focusing solely on family planning to a broader perspective of population and development. Vietnam is also grappling with sex imbalances due to a historic preference for boys. On Tuesday the ministry of health proposed tripling the current fine to $3,800 "to curb foetal gender selection", according to state media. The gender ratio at birth, though improved, remains skewed at 112 boys for every 100 girls. Hoang Thi Oanh, 45, has three children but received fewer benefits after the birth of her youngest, due to the two-child policy. "It's good that at last the authorities removed this ban," she said, but added that "raising more than two kids nowadays is too hard and costly". "Only brave couples and those better-off would do so. I think the authorities will even have to give bonuses to encourage people to have more than two children." Vietnam's giant neighbour China ended its own strict "one-child policy", imposed in the 1980s due to fears of overpopulation, in 2016 and in 2021 permitted couples to have three children. But as in many countries, the soaring cost of living has proved a drag on birth rates and the moves have failed to reverse China's demographic decline -- its population fell for the third year in a row in 2024.
Asharq Al-Awsat
3 days ago
- Business
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Vietnam Scraps Two-Child Limit as Birth Rate Declines
Vietnam's communist government has scrapped its long-standing policy of limiting families to two children, state media said Wednesday, as the country battles to reverse a declining birth rate. The country banned couples from having more than two children in 1988, but a family's size is now a decision for each individual couple, Vietnam News Agency said. The country has experienced historically low birth rates in the last three years. The total fertility rate dropped to 1.91 children per woman in 2024, below replacement level, the ministry of health said this year. Birth rates have fallen from 2.11 children per woman in 2021, to 2.01 in 2022 and 1.96 in 2023. This trend is most pronounced in urbanized, economically developed regions, especially in big cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City as the cost of living rises. Tran Minh Huong, a 22-year-old office worker, told AFP that the government regulation mattered little to her as she had no plans to have children. "Even though I am an Asian, with social norms that say women need to get married and have kids, it's too costly to raise a child." Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Thi Lien Huong, speaking at a conference earlier this year, warned it was increasingly difficult to encourage families to have more children, despite policy adjustments and public campaigns. She emphasized that the declining birth rate poses challenges to long-term socio-economic development, including an aging population and workforce shortages. She urged society to shift its mindset from focusing solely on family planning to a broader perspective of population and development. Vietnam is also grappling with sex imbalances due to a historic preference for boys. On Tuesday the ministry of health proposed tripling the current fine to $3,800 "to curb fetal gender selection", according to state media. It is forbidden to inform parents of the sex of their baby before birth in Vietnam, as well as to perform an abortion for sex-selection reasons, with penalties imposed on clinics who break the law. The sex ratio at birth, though improved, remains skewed at 112 boys for every 100 girls. Hoang Thi Oanh, 45, has three children but received fewer benefits after the birth of her youngest, due to the two-child policy. "It's good that at last the authorities removed this ban," she said, but added that "raising more than two kids nowadays is too hard and costly." "Only brave couples and those better-off would do so. I think the authorities will even have to give bonuses to encourage people to have more than two children." Vietnam's neighbor China ended its own strict "one-child policy", imposed in the 1980s due to fears of overpopulation, in 2016 and in 2021 permitted couples to have three children. But as in many countries, the soaring cost of living has proved a drag on birth rates and the moves have failed to reverse China's demographic decline -- its population fell for the third year in a row in 2024.
Express Tribune
3 days ago
- Business
- Express Tribune
Vietnam ends two-child limit as birth rate plummets
Listen to article Vietnam has officially ended a decades-old policy restricting families to no more than two children, state media said on Wednesday, as the country struggles with a rapidly declining birth rate and an ageing population. The regulation, first introduced in 1988, will no longer apply, with family size now left to the discretion of couples, according to the Vietnam News Agency. The change was approved by the National Assembly Standing Committee in Hanoi on Tuesday. The shift follows alarming demographic trends. In December, the country's total fertility rate dropped to a record low of 1.91 children per woman. That marks the third consecutive year the rate has fallen below the replacement level of 2.1. Vietnam's fertility rate stood at 2.11 in 2021 before slipping to 2.01 in 2022 and 1.96 in 2023, the Ministry of Health reported. Falling birth rates are particularly stark in major cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, where urbanisation and rising living costs have made parenting less financially feasible. 'Even though I am Asian, with social norms that say women need to get married and have kids, it's too costly to raise a child,' said 22-year-old office worker Tran Minh Huong. She said the policy change made no difference to her plans. Under the previous rules, most families were limited to one or two children, with exceptions granted in special cases. While enforcement was inconsistent, Communist Party members who violated the policy risked penalties, including demotions or dismissal. Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Thi Lien Huong recently warned that despite policy shifts and public awareness campaigns, it remains difficult to persuade families to have more children. She cited concerns about long-term socio-economic development, including labour shortages and population ageing. Vietnam is also grappling with a persistent gender imbalance. The health ministry on Tuesday proposed tripling the fine for foetal sex selection to US$3,800 to deter the practice. Although the gender ratio has improved, it remains skewed at 112 boys for every 100 girls. Hoang Thi Oanh, 45, who has three children, said she received reduced benefits for her youngest due to the old policy. 'It's good that at last the authorities removed this ban,' she said, but added that the cost of raising children remains a major barrier. Experts say that without significant support measures such as financial incentives, Vietnam may follow the same path as China. Beijing ended its one-child policy in 2016 and began allowing three-child families in 2021, yet birth rates have continued to fall amid economic pressures. The United Nations Population Fund warned that Vietnam is 'in the period of population ageing' and predicted it will become an 'aged society' within two decades.
Sharjah 24
3 days ago
- Business
- Sharjah 24
Vietnam scraps two-child limit as birth rate declines
Historical context The two-child policy was implemented in 1988, but now the size of a family will be determined by each individual couple, according to the Vietnam News Agency. Over the last three years, Vietnam has experienced historically low birth rates, with the total fertility rate dropping to 1.91 children per woman in 2024, which is below the replacement level. Declining birth rates Birth rates have steadily decreased from 2.11 children per woman in 2021 to 2.01 in 2022, and further to 1.96 in 2023. This downward trend is particularly evident in urbanized and economically developed areas, notably in major cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, where the rising cost of living has made raising children increasingly challenging. Changing perspectives on family planning Tran Minh Huong, a 22-year-old office worker, expressed her indifference toward the government's regulation, stating that she has no plans to have children. "Even though I am an Asian, with social norms that say women need to get married and have kids, it's too costly to raise a child," she remarked. Challenges to population growth Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Thi Lien Huong highlighted the growing difficulty of encouraging families to have more children, despite policy adjustments and public campaigns. She noted that the declining birth rate poses threats to long-term socio-economic development, including issues related to an ageing population and workforce shortages. Huong urged a shift in societal mindset from merely focusing on family planning to a broader understanding of population and development. Addressing sex imbalance Vietnam is also facing challenges related to sex imbalances due to a historic preference for boys. Recently, the Ministry of Health proposed tripling the current fine for fetal gender selection to $3,800, as reported by state media. It remains illegal to inform parents of the sex of their baby before birth or to perform abortions for sex-selection reasons, with penalties imposed on clinics that violate the law. The sex ratio at birth, while improving, continues to be skewed, currently at 112 boys for every 100 girls. Public sentiment Hoang Thi Oanh, a 45-year-old mother of three, shared her experience under the two-child policy, noting that she received fewer benefits after the birth of her youngest child. "It's good that at last the authorities removed this ban," she stated, but added, "raising more than two kids nowadays is too hard and costly." She believes that only financially stable couples would consider having more than two children, suggesting that the authorities may need to offer incentives to encourage larger families. Regional comparisons Vietnam's neighbor, China, ended its own strict "one-child policy" in 2016 and allowed couples to have three children beginning in 2021. However, similar to Vietnam, the soaring cost of living in China has negatively impacted birth rates, leading to a demographic decline, with its population falling for the third consecutive year in 2024.
Japan Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Japan Times
Vietnam scraps two-child limit as birth rate declines
Vietnam's communist government has scrapped its long-standing policy of limiting families to two children, state media said Wednesday, as the country battles to reverse a declining birth rate. The country banned couples from having more than two children in 1988, but a family's size is now a decision for each individual couple, Vietnam News Agency said. The country has experienced historically low birth rates during the last three years, with the total fertility rate dropping to just 1.91 children per woman last year, below replacement level, the health ministry said this year. The birth rate fell from 2.11 children per woman in 2021 to 2.01 in 2022, before falling further to 1.96 in 2023. This trend is most pronounced in urbanized, economically developed regions, especially in big cities such as Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City as the cost of living rises. Tran Minh Huong, a 22-year-old office worker, said that the government regulation mattered little to her as she had no plans to have children. "Even though I am an Asian, with social norms that say women need to get married and have kids, it's too costly to raise a child." Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Thi Lien Huong, speaking at a conference earlier this year, warned it was increasingly difficult to encourage families to have more children, despite policy adjustments and public campaigns. She emphasized that the declining birth rate poses challenges to long-term socio-economic development, including an aging population and workforce shortages. She urged society to shift its mindset from focusing solely on family planning to a broader perspective of population and development. Vietnam is also grappling with sex imbalances due to a historic preference for boys. On Tuesday, the health ministry proposed tripling an existing fine to $3,800 "to curb foetal gender selection," according to state media. The gender ratio at birth, though improved, remains skewed at 112 boys for every 100 girls. Hoang Thi Oanh, 45, has three children but received fewer benefits after the birth of her youngest, due to the two-child policy. "It's good that at last the authorities removed this ban," she said, but added that "raising more than two kids nowadays is too hard and costly." "Only brave couples and those better-off would do so. I think the authorities will even have to give bonuses to encourage people to have more than two children." Vietnam's giant neighbor China ended its own strict "one-child policy," imposed in the 1980s due to fears of overpopulation, in 2016. In 2021, it permitted couples to have three children. But as in many countries, the soaring cost of living has proved a drag on birth rates and the moves have failed to reverse China's demographic decline — its population fell for the third year in a row in 2024.
