Ho Chi Minh City’s birth-rate has plunged to a low of 1.48 in recentyear, which will accelerate the arrival of an aging population, heard aworkshop held in the southern city on December 24.

This is the lowest birth rate recorded in localities nationwide, compared to the replacement fertility rate of 2.1.

According to Doctor Tran Van Tri, deputy head of the municipalPopulation-Family Planning Division, late marriage is emerging whilemany couples opt for one-child solution that is likely to results inincreasing gender selection and gender imbalance at birth.

In2014, the ratio of boys to girls at birth is 108:100, while lower thanthe country’s average ratio, tilting away from the normal range ofbetween 103 and 107 to 100.

Nguyen Tan Binh, Director of HCMCity’s Health Department, said to address the issue, there is a need toboost communication activities and measures aimed at raising thepopulation quality and to spread the message urging each family to havetwo children.

According to Nguyen Van Tan, deputy head of theGeneral Department of Population and Family Planning, HCM City shouldpay more attention to reproductive health care for immigrants.

Since 2013, given the low birth rate, the southern economic hub haschanged the message of its family planning campaign to urge each familyto have two children instead of one to two in the previous period.-VNA