Vietnam targets natural birth sex ratio by 2035 with crackdown on fetal sex selection

The Vietnamese Ministry of Health has introduced a draft plan aimed at normalizing the country's sex ratio at birth by 2035. The initiative seeks to reduce the current imbalance to a natural level of approximately 106 boys for every 100 girls through a crackdown on fetal sex selection practices. This effort follows years of significant demographic skew, with the ratio reaching a peak of 114.8 boys per 100 girls in 2018.

The persistent gender imbalance in Vietnam is attributed to a combination of cultural preferences for sons, societal pressure to produce male heirs, and the trend of shrinking family sizes. By addressing these factors, the government intends to mitigate the long-term social consequences of the skewed birth rates.