Overview

• On June 4, Vietnam lifted its 1988 two-child limit, granting couples free choice on family size.
• The national fertility rate fell from 2.11 children per woman in 2021 to 1.91 in 2024, remaining below the 2.1 replacement threshold for three years.
• Authorities warn that sustained low birth rates threaten economic growth objectives and exacerbate workforce shortages ahead of the goal to reach high-income status by 2045.
• Many urban women, particularly in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, say the high cost of living and evolving social norms discourage them from having more children.
• To combat a persistent imbalance of 112 boys per 100 girls, the government has proposed tripling fines for sex-selective abortions to $3,800.