The results of a government censusreveal that Vietnam ’s population rose by nearly 12 percent in the pastten years, making it the third most-populous ASEAN nation and the 13thmost densely-populated in the world.
The 2009 General Housing andPopulation census found the total population was 85,789,573 as countedat 0.00 hours on April 1, 2009, a rise of 9.47 million from 1999. Theseresults were made public at a teleconference in Hanoi on Aug. 13, whichwas chaired by Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung.
This new population figure reflects a population growth rate was 1.2percent a year in the 1999-2009, representing a 0.5 percent decreasefrom the figure recorded a decade ago and the lowest rate within 50years.
The most populous city was found to be Ho Chi Minh City, housing up to7,123,340 residents, followed by the capital city of Hanoi with6,448,837; the central northern province of Thanh Hoa with 3,400,239;the central province of Nghe An with 2,913,005; and the southernprovince of Dong Nai with 2,483,211.
Boasting the smallest population in Vietnam was the mountainousnorthern province of Bac Kan , where only 294,660 people reside. Thebiggest population explosion belongs to the southern province of BinhDuong , whose population doubled just within a decade.
Results show that the nation’s population is distributed unevenly, withthe Red River Delta and the Mekong River Delta regions hosting up to 43percent of the total, while the midlands and mountains to the northtogether with the Central Highlands were home to just 19 percent of thepopulation.
The south-eastern region posted the highest population growth rate at3.2 percent a year and the Central Highlands swelled due to an influxof immigrants by 2.3 percent a year.
Urban dwellers accounted for 29.6 percent of the population, theirnumbers rising 3.4 percent a year on average, while the head count ofrural folks edged up by only 0.4 percent a year./.
In terms of urbanisation, the south-eastern region again leads thepack, with urbanites making up 57.1 percent of its population, followedby the Red River Delta region, with 29.2 percent.
The sex ratio has nearly balanced with 98.1 males to 100 females, an increase of 1.4 males per 100 females compared to 1999.
The sex ratio was found to be higher in the developed areas withoccupations that need men’s labour and it was lower in areas wheretraditionally female occupations predominate. The south-eastern regionwas observed to have the lowest sex ratio.
The census also found that over 7,200 people have lived beyond a century, among many other findings.
Speaking at the conference, Deputy PM Hung said these key results serveas important grounds for relevant agencies to assess the effectivenessof the country’s socio-economic development strategy in the past decadein order to map out strategies at both national and local levels forthe next ten years.
Accordingly, he urged relevant agencies to focus on analysing,evaluating and processing the statistics accurately, and in a timelymanner, so the statistics can be made public in full in September, 2010.
Present at the conference, a UNFPA representative said his organisationsaw it as an encouraging sign that Vietnam released the initial resultsof its census prior to other countries in the world.
UNFPA pledged to continue assisting Vietnam in analysing the date, tohelp the country formulate socio-economic development strategies.
The organisation urged Vietnam to focus on analysing the sex ratio forthe under-five group to see whether there is a trend of selectinggender. If the sex ratio rises, it will produce a long-term, powerfulimpact on the country’s socio-economic development in future.
The 2009 General Housing andPopulation census found the total population was 85,789,573 as countedat 0.00 hours on April 1, 2009, a rise of 9.47 million from 1999. Theseresults were made public at a teleconference in Hanoi on Aug. 13, whichwas chaired by Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung.
This new population figure reflects a population growth rate was 1.2percent a year in the 1999-2009, representing a 0.5 percent decreasefrom the figure recorded a decade ago and the lowest rate within 50years.
The most populous city was found to be Ho Chi Minh City, housing up to7,123,340 residents, followed by the capital city of Hanoi with6,448,837; the central northern province of Thanh Hoa with 3,400,239;the central province of Nghe An with 2,913,005; and the southernprovince of Dong Nai with 2,483,211.
Boasting the smallest population in Vietnam was the mountainousnorthern province of Bac Kan , where only 294,660 people reside. Thebiggest population explosion belongs to the southern province of BinhDuong , whose population doubled just within a decade.
Results show that the nation’s population is distributed unevenly, withthe Red River Delta and the Mekong River Delta regions hosting up to 43percent of the total, while the midlands and mountains to the northtogether with the Central Highlands were home to just 19 percent of thepopulation.
The south-eastern region posted the highest population growth rate at3.2 percent a year and the Central Highlands swelled due to an influxof immigrants by 2.3 percent a year.
Urban dwellers accounted for 29.6 percent of the population, theirnumbers rising 3.4 percent a year on average, while the head count ofrural folks edged up by only 0.4 percent a year./.
In terms of urbanisation, the south-eastern region again leads thepack, with urbanites making up 57.1 percent of its population, followedby the Red River Delta region, with 29.2 percent.
The sex ratio has nearly balanced with 98.1 males to 100 females, an increase of 1.4 males per 100 females compared to 1999.
The sex ratio was found to be higher in the developed areas withoccupations that need men’s labour and it was lower in areas wheretraditionally female occupations predominate. The south-eastern regionwas observed to have the lowest sex ratio.
The census also found that over 7,200 people have lived beyond a century, among many other findings.
Speaking at the conference, Deputy PM Hung said these key results serveas important grounds for relevant agencies to assess the effectivenessof the country’s socio-economic development strategy in the past decadein order to map out strategies at both national and local levels forthe next ten years.
Accordingly, he urged relevant agencies to focus on analysing,evaluating and processing the statistics accurately, and in a timelymanner, so the statistics can be made public in full in September, 2010.
Present at the conference, a UNFPA representative said his organisationsaw it as an encouraging sign that Vietnam released the initial resultsof its census prior to other countries in the world.
UNFPA pledged to continue assisting Vietnam in analysing the date, tohelp the country formulate socio-economic development strategies.
The organisation urged Vietnam to focus on analysing the sex ratio forthe under-five group to see whether there is a trend of selectinggender. If the sex ratio rises, it will produce a long-term, powerfulimpact on the country’s socio-economic development in future.
