Vietnam’s population reaches more than 99 million in 2022, 10 years slower than the forecast, with the  population quality improved and the population structure transformed in a positive direction, according to the Ministry of Health’s General Department of Population and Family Planning.

The current life expectancy is 73.6 years old, while the replacement fertility rate has been maintained over the past 16 years, the agency reported at a ceremony held on December 26 to mark Vietnam's Population Day.

However, it said that the population work has seen many limitations, including rising sex ratio at birth, slow issuance of guiding documents on the population work, and poor quality of population data.

In 2023, the sector aims to maintain the replacement fertility rate and reduce sex imbalance at birth, while focusing on comprehensively and synchronously solving issues related to the population scale, structure and distribution, especially population quality.

Specifically, the average life expectancy is expected to reach 73.8 years old. The sex ratio at birth is hoped to maintain at 111.2 boys over 100 girls, while the total fertility rate is expected to stay at 2.1 children per woman.

Addressing the event, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Lien Huong asked the General Department of Population and Family Planning to mobilise all resources to complete population institutions, including the building of a Population Law as scheduled, so that the Government can submit it to the National Assembly in 2024, while coordinating with relevant agencies in drafting and issuing projects and programmes assigned by the Government.

At the same time, the department should focus on reviewing the five-year implementation of the resolution issued at the sixth session of the 12th Party Central Committee regarding the population work in the new situation.

Huong also requested localities to continue to complete the organisation of agencies in charge of the population work at provincial, district and communal levels, ensuring that they operate effectively.

At the same time, it is necessary to pay greater attention to personnel training to improve the capacity of officials in charge of the  population work, she added./.