The Vietnamese government has officially abolished its long-standing two-child limit policy, introduced in 1988, in response to a sustained and sharp decline in the national birth rate witnessed since 2021. This significant policy shift now grants couples in Vietnam the autonomy to decide the size of their families.
For decades, the policy was strictly enforced through various measures, including financial penalties, reduced bonuses, and even job dismissals for couples who bore more than two children.
According to the Vietnam News Agency, birth rates have steadily decreased from 2.11 children per woman in 2021 to 2.01 in 2022, and further to 1.96 in 2023.
This declining trend has been particularly pronounced in the country’s urban and economically developed areas, with the total fertility rate dropping to just 1.91 children per woman in 2024.
Authorities have highlighted that this sustained decline in birth rates poses significant threats to long-term socio-economic development, raising concerns about an ageing population and potential workforce shortages.
However, despite the policy change, it has emerged that encouraging families to have more children is proving increasingly difficult.
Meanwhile, Vietnam is also confronting challenges related to sex imbalances, stemming from a historic cultural preference for boys.
Recently, the Ministry of Health proposed tripling the current fine for fetal gender selection to USD 3,800 (KSh 491,150), as reported by state media.
It remains illegal to inform parents of the sex of their baby before birth or to perform abortions for sex-selection reasons, with stringent penalties imposed on clinics that violate the law.
The sex ratio at birth, while showing some improvement, continues to be skewed, currently standing at 112 boys for every 100 girls.
Vietnam’s neighbour, China, similarly ended its strict “one-child policy” in 2016 and subsequently allowed couples to have three children starting in 2021.
However, much like Vietnam, China has seen its birth rates negatively impacted by the soaring cost of living, leading to a demographic decline, with its population falling for the third consecutive year in 2024.
