Vietnam is home to a male-bias in the sex ratio at birth (SRB) and the country is warned of the redundancy of men in the population structure for decades to come.

Vietnam is warned of the redundancy of men in decades to come

The number of male births for every 100 female newborns in Vietnam showed in the 2019 Population and Housing Census was 111.5 boys over 100 girls, according to the General Statistics Office of Vietnam (GSO).

The imbalanced SRB started showing trend in 2004 and hit the highest rate at 112/100 in 2010 against the biologically “natural” or “normal” sex ratio of 104-106/100, the GSO said in report released this weekend.

The imbalance is highest in the Red River Delta with 115.2/100 in rural and 112.8/100 in urban areas.

Notably, the situation is higher and more popular among well-off groups, at 112.9/100, compared to 105-108/100 in those with poorer living conditions.

The GSO attributed the im balance to “son preference” tradition, saying that way of thinking has resulted in the high rate of third child in Vietnam.

According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Vietnam’s SRB rate is the third highest in the world, following China and India.

Gender-biased sex selection is one of harmful practices continuing to go on in Vietnam, requiring instant and persistent actions by the whole society and all stakeholders, the UNFPA emphasized.