Ho Chi Minh City suffers low fertility rate and aging population
VOV.VN - Ho Chi Minh City is among the 21 cities and provinces with the lowest fertility rate in the nation, heard a local ceremony on July 14 aimed at launching a communication campaign integrated with providing population quality improvement services in areas that recorded low fertility rates this year.
Speaking at the event, Pham Chanh Trung, director of the municipal Bureau of Population – Family Planning, said with a fertility rate of 1.39 children per woman of childbearing age, the southern city is facing two major challenges. This includes low fertility rates and a rapid population aging, which can potentially cause heavy adverse consequences on social welfare and labour shortages.
The rate of people aged over 60 in the city has now exceeded 10%. Last year, it had 1.033 million people aged more than 60, or 11.03% of its total population. These figures therefore mark a milestone in its rapid process of population aging.
As a means of resolving the issue, the municipal health sector has urged residents to join hands and support the message of "Every family, every couple should have at least 2 children". It also seeks to raise awareness among young people about the significance of premarital health check-ups to screen, detect, and promptly treat reproductive health-related conditions.
Pham Vu Hoang, deputy director of the bureau, said the southern metropolis needs to work closely with ministries and agencies as a means of improving population quality.