HANOI, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam's birth rate hit a record low in 2024 with the total fertility rate dropping to just 1.91 children per woman, marking the third consecutive year below replacement level, Vietnam News Agency cited the Vietnam Population Authority under the Ministry of Health on Monday.

The decline in birth rates has been steady over the past few years: from 2.11 children per woman in 2021 to 2.01 in 2022, and further down to 1.96 in 2023, said the report.

According to Pham Vu Hoang, deputy director of the authority, Vietnam's population could begin to shrink after 2054 if the low fertility rate persists.

Projections indicate a potential annual population decline of 0.04 percent between 2054 and 2059 and 0.18 percent between 2064 and 2069, equating to an average loss of 200,000 people per year. By contrast, maintaining the replacement-level birthrate allows a slight annual growth of 0.17 percent, adding approximately 200,000 people per year, he said.

The Ministry of Health is drafting the Population Law which is expected to be submitted to the National Assembly in 2025.

The draft law proposes measures to maintain the 2.1 replacement fertility level including abolishing penalties for having a third child, encouraging women to get married before the age of 30 and have two children before the age of 35.

Vietnam became the third most populous country in Southeast Asia and the 15th-most populous country in the world when its population surpassed 100 million in 2023.

The Southeast Asian country began the population golden period in 2007 after formally reaching the replacement fertility in 2006. Enditem

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