Population Sex-Age Structure in Vietnam: New Evidences from the 2014 Intercensal Population and Housing Survey

This paper examines the population sex-age structure in Vietnam using data from the 2014 Intercensal Population and Housing Survey. It shows that the proportion of children has declined dramatically over time. The proportion of children 0-4 years old accounted for 14.6% of the population in 1979, dropping to only 9.4% in 1999 and 8.3% in 2014. Low fertility and high life expectancy have caused the population pyramid to appear drum-shaped, meaning Viet Nam's population pyramid in 2014 characterized an aging population. At the same time, the proportion of the population of working age has increased dramatically. The proportion of the population aged 65 years and older also increased, but at a slower pace. As a result, the overall dependency ratio has declined from 89.9% in 1979 to 63.6% in 1999, 46% in 2009 and only 44% in 2014. It is estimated that Viet Nam will complete the period of the golden population structure in 25 years, around 2040. Regarding sex structure, the sex ratio of Viet Nam has continued to increase, from 94.2 in the 1989 census to 97.3 in 2014. The sex ratio in urban areas was lower than in rural areas. Migration has had a large impact on differences in the sex ratio among regions