Demographics of Vietnam

Demographics of Vietnam [1]
Vietnam population pyramid in 2019
Population	100,300,000 (December 31, 2023) [2] : 103
Density	300/km² [2] : 105
Growth rate	0.97% (2021 est.) [2] : 99
Birth rate	15.2 births/1000 population (2022 est.) [2] : 99
Death rate	6.1 deaths/1000 population (2022 est.) [2] : 99
Life expectancy	73.6 years (2022 est.) [2] : 99  [3]
• male	71.1 years (2022 est.)
• female	76.4 years (2022 est.)
Fertility rate	1.91 births/woman (2024) [4]
Infant mortality rate	12.1 deaths/1000 live births (2022 est.) [2] : 99
Net migration rate	−0.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Age structure
0–14 years	24% (2019) [5]
15–64 years	68.4% (2019)
65 and over	7.6% (2019)
Sex ratio
Total	0.995 male(s)/female (2022) [2] : 99
At birth	1.116 male(s)/female (2022) [2] : 103
Under 15	1.1 male(s)/female
15–64 years	1 male (s)/female
65 and over	0.62 male(s)/female
Nationality
Nationality	noun: Vietnamese (singular and plural) adjective: Vietnamese
Major ethnic	Kinh (85.32%)
Minor ethnic	Tay (1.92%) Thái (1.89%) Muong (1.51%) Hmong (1.45%) Khmers (1.37%) Nung (1.13%) Other groups (5.41%)
Language
Official	Vietnamese language
Spoken	Vietnamese and many minority and mountain area languages

Demographic features of the population of Vietnam include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.

Originating in northern Vietnam, the Vietnamese people pushed southward over two millennia to occupy the entire eastern seacoast of the Mainland Southeast Asia. Ethnic Vietnamese, or Viet (known officially as Kinh), live in the lowlands and speak the Vietnamese language, as opposed to the many ethnic groups of Vietnam who are known to occupy the mountainous regions. The Kinh group does represent much of the cultural and political landscape of Vietnam.

Vietnam's population may be expected to approach to 100 million by the end of 2023, making it the 15th largest country by population in the world. ^{[6] [7]} It is predicted that by 2035, Vietnam will become an aged society. ^{[8] [9]}

Population size and structure

Census population

Year	Pop.	±% p.a.
1950	28,264,000	—
1960	35,173,000	+2.21%
1970	44,928,000	+2.48%
1980	54,023,000	+1.86%
1989	64,411,713	+1.97%
1999	76,323,173	+1.71%
2009	85,846,997	+1.18%
2019	96,208,984	+1.15%
Source: UN / Central Statistics Office

Historic estimates

Historical population of Vietnam

[10]	Total population (1,000's)
0	ca. 800
500	ca. 550
1000	ca. 800
1500	2 000
1700	3 000
1850	6 110
1900	11 700
1930	17 500

[11] [12]	Total population (Excluding Champa and Khmer polities)
1000	ca. 1.2 million
1100	ca. 1.5 million
1200	ca. 2 million
1300	ca. 2.4 million
1400	1.8 million
1500	4.4 million
1600	5 million
1700	6.3 million
1800	7.5 million

UN estimates

Year [13]	Total population (000's)	Population in age bracket
		aged 0–14	aged 15–64	aged 65+
1950	28 000	31.9%	63.9%	4.2%
1955	31 329	35.6%	60.1%	4.3%
1960	35 173	40.1%	55.5%	4.4%
1965	39 885	44.1%	51.3%	4.6%
1970	44 928	44.2%	50.9%	4.8%
1975	49 896	42.9%	52.3%	4.8%
1980	54 023	40.7%	54.3%	4.9%
1985	60 307	39.4%	55.7%	4.9%
1990	67 102	38.0%	57.0%	5.0%
1995	74 008	36.5%	58.4%	5.1%
2000	79 910	31.6%	62.0%	6.4%
2005	83 833	27.1%	66.4%	6.5%
2010	87 968	23.6%	69.9%	6.5%
2015	92 677	23.0%	70.3%	6.7%
2020	97 339	23.2%	68.9%	7.9%

Population by age groups

Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (Census 01/04/2009):

Age group	Male	Female	Total	%
Total	42,413,143	43,433,854	85,846,997	100
0–4	3,662,889	3,371,255	7,034,144	7.97
5–9	3,458,159	3,252,578	6,710,737	7.82
10–14	3,725,369	3,523,009	7,248,378	8.44
15–19	4,577,914	4,385,988	8,963,902	10.44
20–24	4,253,618	4,179,249	8,432,867	9.82
25–29	3,904,730	3,885,273	7,790,003	9.07
30–34	3,462,905	3,405,253	6,868,158	8.00
35–39	3,298,266	3,233,341	6,531,607	7.61
40–44	2,967,934	2,998,922	5,966,856	6.95
45–49	2,642,466	2,808,462	5,450,928	6.35
50–54	2,082,098	2,329,953	4,412,051	5.14
55–59	1,364,319	1,620,300	2,984,619	3.48
60–64	861 897	1,076,051	1,937,948	2.26
65–69	653 287	901 391	1,554,678	1.81
70–74	568 312	844 226	1,412,538	1.65
75–79	480 088	718 805	1,198,893	1.40
80–84	264 997	460 988	725 985	0.85
85+	183 895	438 810	622 705	0.73
Age group	Male	Female	Total	Percent
0–4	10,846,417	10,146,842	20,993,259	24.45
15–64	29,416,147	29,922,792	59,338,939	69.12
65+	2,150,579	3,364,220	5,514,799	6.42

Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (Census 01/07/2014):

Age group	Male	Female	Total	%
Total	44,758,132	45,970,809	90,728,941	100
0–4	3,806,055	3,423,520	7,229,575	7.97
5–9	3,730,617	3,431,843	7,162,460	7.89
10–14	3,555,440	3,344,659	6,900,099	7.61
15–19	3,580,322	3,413,183	6,993,505	7.71
20–24	4,058,691	3,959,579	8,018,270	8.84
25–29	3,951,220	3,888,697	7,839,917	8.64
30–34	3,689,395	3,769,601	7,458,996	8.22
35–39	3,390,462	3,439,787	6,830,249	7.53
40–44	3,292,933	3,295,012	6,587,945	7.26
45–49	2,980,442	3,068,389	6,048,831	6.67
50–54	2,699,165	2,971,459	5,670,624	6.25
55–59	2,096,032	2,405,568	4,501,600	4.96
60–64	1,376,861	1,671,621	3,048,482	3.36
65–69	832 090	1,084,870	1,916,960	2.11
70–74	600 732	862 104	1,462,836	1.61
75–79	477 293	757 242	1,234,535	1.36
80+	640 382	1,183,675	1,824,057	2.01
Age group	Male	Female	Total	Percent
0–14	11,092,112	10,200,022	21,292,134	23.47
15–64	31,115,523	31,882,896	62,998,419	69.44
65+	2,550,497	3,887,891	6,438,388	7.10

Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (Census 01/04/2019):

Age group	Male	Female	Total	%
Total	47,881,061	48,327,923	96,208,984	100
0–4	4,100,479	3,718,847	7,819,326	8.13
5–9	4,354,887	3,977,832	8,332,719	8.66
10–14	3,737,030	3,482,807	7,219,837	7.50
15–19	3,352,386	3,153,831	6,506,217	6.76
20–24	3,417,149	3,258,554	6,675,703	6.94
25–29	4,301,210	4,146,767	8,447,977	8.78
30–34	4,276,404	4,117,406	8,393,810	8.72
35–39	3,891,950	3,800,436	7,692,386	8.00
40–44	3,366,147	3,317,972	6,684,119	6.95
45–49	3,132,172	3,125,299	6,257,471	6.50
50–54	2,772,157	2,889,853	5,662,010	5.89
55–59	2,402,096	2,706,628	5,108,724	5.31
60–64	1,810,497	2,181,537	3,992,034	4.15
65–69	1,167,214	1,518,057	2,685,271	2.79
70–74	687 339	953 511	1,640,850	1.71
75–79	453 972	717 839	1,171,811	1.22
80–84	327 330	580 402	907 732	0.94
85+	330 642	680 345	1,010,987	1.05
Age group	Male	Female	Total	Percent
0–14	12,192,396	11,179,486	23,371,882	24.29
15–64	32,722,168	32,698,283	65,420,451	68.00
65+	2,966,497	4,350,211	7,416,651	7.71

Source: UN Statistics Division. ^[14]

Sex ratio

Total: 0.995 male(s)/female

At birth: 1.116 male(s)/female

Under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female

15–64 years: 1 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female

Source: General Statistics Office of Vietnam. ^{[2] : 99  [2] : 103}

Vital statistics

UN estimates of births and deaths

Period [13]	Live births per year	Deaths per year	Natural change per year	CBR1	CDR1	NC1	TFR1	IMR1
1950–1955	1,335,000	722 000	613 000	44.8	24.2	20.6	6.20	157.9
1955–1960	1,533,000	764 000	769 000	46.1	23.0	23.1	6.76	143.7
1960–1965	1,732,000	790 000	942 000	46.2	21.0	25.2	7.33	130.3
1965–1970	1,798,000	790 000	1,009,000	42.4	18.6	23.8	7.38	117.8
1970–1975	1,853,000	859 000	994 000	39.1	18.1	21.0	7.15	118.4
1975–1980	1,797,000	760 000	1,036,000	34.6	14.6	20.0	5.89	97.6
1980–1985	1,952,000	630 000	1,322,000	34.1	11.0	23.1	4.93	70.0
1985–1990	2,000,000	574 000	1,425,000	31.4	9.0	22.4	3.96	54.8
1990–1995	1,929,000	484 000	1,444,000	27.3	6.9	20.4	3.23	37.9
1995–2000	1,448,000	441 000	1,007,000	19.0	5.8	13.2	2.18	29.2
2000–2005	1,392,000	425 000	967 000	16.9	5.5	11.4	1.92	23.1
2005–2010	1,472,000	448 000	1,024,000	17.3	5.6	11.7	1.93	20.4
2010–2015				17.4	5.8	11.6	1.96
2015–2020				16.2	5.8	10.4	1.95
2020–2025				15.2	6.0	9.2	1.93
2025–2030				13.4	6.3	7.1	1.92
2030–2035				12.1	6.7	5.4	1.92
2035–2040				11.7	7.3	4.4	1.91
1CBR = crude birth rate (per 1000); CDR = crude death rate (per 1000); NC = natural change (per 1000); TFR = total fertility rate (number of children per woman); IMR = infant mortality rate per 1000 births

Registered births and deaths

The total fertility rate of Vietnam has been influenced by the government's family planning policy, the two-child policy. ^[15]

	Average population	Live births	Deaths	Natural change	Crude birth rate (per 1000)	Crude death rate (per 1000)	Natural change (per 1000)	Total fertility rate (children per woman)
1990	66,016,700
1991	67,242,400
1992	68,450,100
1993	69,644,500
1994	70,824,500
1995	71,995,500
1996	73,156,700
1997	74,306,900
1998	75,456,300
1999	76,596,700
2000	77,630,900
2001	78,620,500	1,462,300	401,000	1,061,300	18.6	5.1	13.5	2.25
2002	79,537,700	1,511,200	461,300	1,049,900	19.0	5.8	13.2	2.28
2003	80,467,400	1,408,200	466,700	941,500	17.5	5.8	11.7	2.12
2004	81,436,400	1,563,600	439,800	1,123,800	19.2	5.4	13.8	2.23
2005	82,392,100	1,532,500	436,700	1,095,800	18.6	5.3	13.3	2.11
2006	83,311,200	1,449,600	441,500	1,008,100	17.4	5.3	12.1	2.09
2007	84,218,500	1,423,300	446,400	976,900	16.9	5.3	11.6	2.07
2008	85,118,700	1,421,500	451,100	970,400	16.7	5.3	11.4	2.08
2009	86,025,000	1,514,000	585,000	929,000	17.6	6.8	10.8	2.03
2010	86,947,400	1,486,800	591,200	895,600	17.1	6.8	10.3	2.00
2011	87,860,400	1,458,500	606,200	852,300	16.6	6.9	9.7	1.99
2012	88,809,300	1,500,900	621,700	879,200	16.9	7.0	9.9	2.05
2013	89,759,500	1,525,900	637,300	888,600	17.0	7.1	9.9	2.10
2014	90,728,900	1,560,500	626,000	934,500	17.2	6.9	10.3	2.09
2015	91,709,800	1,485,700	623,600	862,100	16.2	6.8	9.4	2.10
2016	92,692,200	1,483,100	630,300	852,800	16.0	6.8	9.2	2.09
2017	93,671,600	1,395,700	637,000	758,700	14.9	6.8	8.1	2.04
2018	94,666,000	1,382,100	643,700	738,400	14.6	6.8	7.8	2.05
2019	96,484,000	1,572,700	607,800	964,900	16.3	6.3	10.0	2.09
2020	97,582,690	1,590,600	591,400	999,200	16.3	6.1	10.2	2.12
2021	98,506,190	1,550,500	628,700	922,000	15.7	6.4	9.3	2.11
2022	99,461,700	1,511,800	606,700	905,100	15.2	6.1	9.1	2.01
2023	100,309,200	1,424,400	571,800	852,600	14.2	5.7	8.5	1.96
2024	101,300,000	1,367,600	567,300	800,300	13.5	5.6	7.9	1.91
2025

Source: General Statistics Office of Vietnam. ^{[16] [17] [18]}

Fertility rate by region and province

Province	2005	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Vietnam	2.11	2.07	2.08	2.03	2.00	1.99	2.05	2.10	2.09	2.10	2.09	2.04	2.05	2.09	2.12	2.11
Red River Delta	2.06	2.11	2.13	2.11	2.04	2.06	2.11	2.11	2.30	2.23	2.23	2.16	2.29	2.35	2.34	2.37
Hà Nội	1.83	1.91	2.06	2.08	2.00	2.02	2.06	2.03	2.18	2.04	2.06	2.00	2.07	2.24	2.25	2.18
Hà Tây	2.29	2.23	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..	..
Vĩnh Phúc	2.15	2.00	2.10	2.13	2.06	2.02	2.07	2.11	2.44	2.25	2.48	2.34	2.48	2.39	2.39	2.37
Bắc Ninh	2.40	2.28	2.29	2.32	2.26	2.23	2.71	2.29	2.72	2.72	2.63	2.67	2.66	2.53	2.49	2.60
Quảng Ninh	2.24	2.12	2.12	2.20	1.99	2.07	2.27	2.18	2.49	2.20	2.02	2.25	2.22	2.24	2.22	2.14
Hải Dương	2.10	2.04	2.13	1.99	1.98	2.01	2.07	1.99	2.06	2.00	2.30	1.95	2.59	2.48	2.57	2.44
Hải Phòng	2.13	1.86	1.95	2.16	1.98	2.00	2.37	2.03	2.35	2.02	2.11	1.99	1.92	2.20	2.05	2.35
Hưng Yên	2.32	2.08	2.25	2.11	2.13	2.19	2.10	2.46	2.29	2.40	2.37	2.10	2.39	2.40	2.40	2.43
Thái Bình	2.19	2.21	2.14	2.08	2.10	2.15	1.78	2.07	1.87	2.39	2.25	2.21	2.51	2.43	2.42	2.58
Hà Nam	2.30	2.18	2.12	2.07	2.09	2.16	1.83	1.87	1.99	2.22	2.11	1.97	2.39	2.44	2.36	2.35
Nam Định	2.31	2.39	2.19	2.25	2.20	2.24	1.76	2.32	2.73	2.81	2.46	2.58	2.82	2.74	2.71	2.75
Ninh Bình	2.37	2.26	2.36	2.04	1.88	1.86	2.66	2.28	2.87	2.76	2.94	2.39	2.53	2.46	2.42	2.41
Northern midlands and mountain areas	2.33	2.23	2.30	2.24	2.22	2.21	2.31	2.18	2.56	2.69	2.63	2.53	2.48	2.43	2.41	2.43
Hà Giang	3.06	2.89	2.86	3.08	3.05	2.57	2.78	2.70	2.51	2.93	2.42	2.49	2.74	2.47	2.57	2.62
Cao Bằng	2.55	2.28	2.26	2.18	2.09	2.15	2.13	2.05	2.53	2.52	2.46	2.34	2.48	2.43	2.42	2.40
Bắc Kạn	2.29	2.12	2.07	1.84	1.85	1.91	2.30	2.11	2.07	2.42	2.40	2.37	2.23	2.14	2.14	2.22
Tuyên Quang	2.17	2.05	2.05	2.10	2.07	2.10	2.18	2.35	2.73	2.74	2.72	2.68	2.62	2.51	2.50	2.42
Lào Cai	2.97	2.59	2.69	2.70	2.73	2.57	2.43	2.52	2.36	2.26	2.73	2.24	2.43	2.44	2.43	2.40
Yên Bái	2.55	2.36	2.56	2.38	2.32	2.26	2.38	2.13	2.77	2.76	2.89	2.77	2.96	2.74	2.64	2.77
Thái Nguyên	1.99	1.99	1.95	1.89	1.90	1.96	2.13	2.06	2.45	2.52	2.45	2.09	2.05	2.14	2.16	2.12
Lạng Sơn	2.28	2.14	2.15	1.86	1.84	1.88	2.11	1.86	2.26	2.38	2.34	2.25	2.22	2.13	2.19	2.32
Bắc Giang	2.21	2.07	2.22	1.94	1.86	1.94	2.09	1.77	2.57	2.77	2.64	2.73	2.38	2.31	2.30	2.32
Phú Thọ	2.03	1.99	2.11	2.10	2.08	2.22	2.18	2.22	2.51	2.61	2.56	2.51	2.66	2.57	2.53	2.42
Điện Biên	3.17	2.72	2.72	2.55	2.57	2.67	2.76	2.48	3.11	2.81	2.43	2.84	2.78	2.72	2.66	2.70
Lai Châu	3.52	3.02	3.01	2.96	2.91	2.93	2.60	2.45	3.20	3.11	2.91	2.86	2.60	2.68	2.63	2.77
Sơn La	2.76	2.36	2.29	2.61	2.58	2.43	2.52	2.25	2.57	2.82	2.90	2.77	2.36	2.44	2.36	2.36
Hòa Bình	2.09	2.06	2.01	1.98	1.98	2.03	2.08	1.90	2.30	2.84	2.56	2.30	2.42	2.34	2.29	2.19
North Central and Central coastal areas	2.37	2.27	2.30	2.21	2.21	2.21	2.32	2.37	2.31	2.34	2.37	2.31	2.30	2.32	2.31	2.32
Thanh Hóa	2.39	2.12	2.17	1.89	1.89	2.01	2.22	2.11	2.43	2.75	2.70	2.45	2.69	2.54	2.51	2.22
Nghệ An	2.75	2.49	2.52	2.55	2.56	2.49	2.59	2.68	2.70	2.69	2.76	2.87	2.82	2.75	2.68	2.63
Hà Tĩnh	2.38	2.46	2.65	2.46	2.46	2.50	2.75	2.95	3.12	2.65	3.21	3.24	2.90	2.83	2.73	2.95
Quảng Bình	2.58	2.57	2.57	2.37	2.39	2.41	2.61	2.22	2.49	2.52	2.38	2.34	2.41	2.43	2.40	2.52
Quảng Trị	2.90	2.77	2.71	2.85	2.84	2.67	2.65	2.75	2.75	2.94	3.19	2.83	2.61	2.45	2.44	2.46
Thừa Thiên–Huế	2.98	2.79	2.54	2.26	2.28	2.22	2.38	2.21	2.33	2.26	2.20	2.33	2.03	2.34	2.29	2.25
Đà Nẵng	1.87	1.90	1.92	2.14	2.16	1.99	2.18	2.32	2.03	2.13	2.24	1.81	1.49	1.88	2.09	2.02
Quảng Nam	2.40	2.32	2.12	2.30	2.27	2.16	2.35	2.65	2.27	2.17	2.16	2.26	2.28	2.27	2.23	2.25
Quảng Ngãi	2.21	2.11	2.18	2.09	2.11	2.21	2.13	2.45	2.01	1.93	1.98	1.79	2.06	2.13	2.11	2.14
Bình Định	2.25	2.17	2.09	2.22	2.17	2.28	2.26	2.55	2.29	2.14	2.00	2.09	2.30	2.20	2.24	2.22
Phú Yên	2.25	2.18	2.32	1.96	1.98	2.11	2.07	2.04	2.15	2.05	2.26	2.04	2.16	2.11	2.09	2.07
Khánh Hòa	2.12	2.14	2.18	2.04	2.06	1.93	2.04	2.04	1.65	1.75	1.75	1.64	1.40	1.77	1.81	1.82
Ninh Thuận	2.53	2.28	2.24	2.40	2.42	2.38	2.25	2.37	2.18	2.23	2.28	2.34	2.05	2.09	2.07	2.36
Bình Thuận	2.38	2.40	2.38	2.07	2.09	2.14	2.39	2.15	1.57	2.04	1.81	1.75	1.82	1.91	1.96	2.06
Central Highlands	3.07	2.77	2.68	2.65	2.63	2.58	2.43	2.49	2.30	2.26	2.37	2.29	2.32	2.43	2.41	2.36
Kon Tum	3.94	3.49	3.58	3.45	3.46	3.25	3.16	2.70	3.04	2.49	2.34	2.48	2.12	2.74	2.64	2.55
Gia Lai	3.10	2.97	2.86	2.88	2.90	2.85	2.36	2.48	2.27	2.45	2.38	2.36	2.27	2.49	2.47	2.44
Đắk Lắk	2.98	2.84	2.57	2.45	2.47	2.42	2.31	2.70	2.25	2.22	2.43	2.19	2.41	2.37	2.36	2.15
Đắk Nông	3.38	3.05	2.87	2.72	2.68	2.57	2.65	2.31	2.46	2.36	2.28	2.21	3.05	2.68	2.61	2.68
Lâm Đồng	2.67	2.37	2.31	2.43	2.28	2.32	2.36	2.24	2.09	1.98	2.34	2.29	1.99	2.20	2.19	2.15
South East	1.85	1.74	1.73	1.69	1.68	1.59	1.57	1.83	1.56	1.63	1.46	1.55	1.50	1.56	1.62	1.61
Bình Phước	2.61	2.47	2.38	2.45	2.43	2.31	2.22	2.43	2.30	2.05	1.92	2.02	1.99	2.27	2.25	2.21
Tây Ninh	1.98	1.89	1.79	1.79	1.77	1.80	1.93	1.78	1.76	1.88	1.76	1.66	1.46	1.53	1.67	1.65
Bình Dương	1.66	1.74	1.85	1.70	1.72	1.76	1.70	1.78	1.44	1.59	1.61	1.90	1.53	1.54	1.63	1.62
Đồng Nai	1.92	1.91	1.83	2.07	2.09	1.99	1.80	2.09	1.75	2.02	1.67	1.61	1.80	1.90	1.97	1.86
Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu	2.06	2.09	2.13	2.01	1.88	1.82	1.70	1.92	1.97	1.56	1.52	1.37	1.51	1.87	1.94	1.78
TP. Hồ Chí Minh	1.52	1.49	1.63	1.45	1.45	1.30	1.33	1.68	1.39	1.45	1.24	1.36	1.33	1.39	1.53	1.48
Mekong River Delta	2.00	1.87	1.87	1.84	1.80	1.80	1.92	1.92	1.84	1.76	1.84	1.74	1.74	1.80	1.82	1.82
Long An	1.95	1.91	1.95	1.85	1.87	1.83	2.02	2.03	1.66	1.61	1.56	1.62	1.83	1.80	1.82	1.77
Tiền Giang	2.02	1.98	1.97	1.94	1.93	1.92	1.79	1.78	1.75	1.62	2.00	1.99	1.68	1.82	1.85	1.83
Bến Tre	1.76	1.70	1.71	1.81	1.79	1.71	2.20	1.98	1.89	1.97	1.90	1.88	1.88	1.86	1.87	1.64
Trà Vinh	2.03	1.89	1.79	1.86	1.80	1.80	2.06	1.89	1.94	2.04	2.36	2.25	1.94	1.96	2.00	1.99
Vĩnh Long	1.83	1.76	1.75	1.63	1.65	1.63	2.14	2.02	1.98	1.61	2.03	1.67	1.83	1.81	1.82	1.81
Đồng Tháp	1.98	1.77	1.74	1.87	1.89	1.83	1.57	1.89	1.84	1.61	1.59	1.34	1.43	1.78	1.87	1.85
An Giang	2.00	1.86	1.86	1.97	1.97	1.92	2.17	2.07	2.10	1.73	1.84	1.77	1.78	1.85	1.90	1.94
Kiên Giang	2.22	2.10	2.09	1.84	1.80	1.86	2.16	1.98	1.96	2.05	1.94	1.87	1.96	1.85	1.98	1.91
Cần Thơ	1.70	1.64	1.75	1.72	1.62	1.62	1.58	1.81	1.89	1.88	2.01	1.64	1.66	1.66	1.74	1.68
Hậu Giang	1.95	1.94	1.89	1.96	1.75	1.77	1.78	1.78	1.61	1.64	1.48	1.53	1.64	1.83	1.84	1.83
Sóc Trăng	2.02	1.90	2.06	1.79	1.81	1.83	1.85	2.08	1.65	1.72	1.83	1.69	1.75	1.79	1.80	1.78
Bạc Liêu	2.11	2.10	2.00	1.75	1.59	1.69	1.97	1.82	1.82	1.67	1.63	1.77	1.54	1.61	1.66	1.56
Cà Mau	2.10	2.00	2.01	1.75	1.64	1.73	1.62	1.70	1.65	1.80	1.85	1.65	1.75	1.80	1.85	1.86

Source: General Statistics Office of Vietnam. ^[19]

Life expectancy

Life expectancy in Vietnam since 1950

Life expectancy in Vietnam since 1960 by gender

Period	Life expectancy in Years	Period	Life expectancy in Years
1955–1960	57.3	1990–1995	71.2
1960–1965	60.5	1995–2000	72.7
1965–1970	62.3	2000–2005	73.8
1970–1975	57.8	2005–2010	74.7
1975–1980	66.1	2010–2015	75.6
1980–1985	68.1

Source: UN World Population Prospects. ^[20]

Ethnic groups

See also: List of ethnic groups in Vietnam

Ethnolinguistic map of Indochina in 1970. Note: ethnic composition has changed significantly due to internal migration.

The Vietnamese government recognizes 54 ethnic groups, of which the Viet (Kinh) is the largest; according to official Vietnamese figures (2019 census), ethnic Vietnamese account for 85.3% of the nation's population and the non-Vietnamese ethnic groups account for the remaining portion. The ethnic Vietnamese inhabit a little less than half of Vietnam, while the ethnic minorities inhabit the majority of Vietnam's land (albeit the least fertile parts of the country).

The relation between China and Vietnam also declined following reunification in 1976, with Vietnam siding with the Soviet Union against China in the Chinese-Soviet split. Tensions peaked when Vietnam and Cambodia started a war, Cambodia led by Pol Pot being a Chinese ally, resulting in a Chinese invasion of Vietnam in 1979. In 1978–79, some 450,000 ethnic Chinese left Vietnam by boat as refugees (many officially encouraged and assisted) or were expelled across the land border with China. In recent years the government has performed an about turn and is encouraging overseas Hoa to return and invest, but the ethnic Chinese population has been in continuous decline since the 1970s due to assimilation and low birth rates.

The central highland peoples commonly termed Degar or Montagnards (mountain people) comprise two main ethnolinguistic groups – Malayo-Polynesian and Mon–Khmer. About 30 groups of various cultures and dialects are spread over the highland territory.

Other minority groups include the Cham—remnants of the once-mighty Champa Kingdom, conquered by the Vietnamese in the 15th century, Hmong, and Thái.

Population of Vietnam according to ethnic group 1989–2019

Ethnic group	Language family	census 1989 [21]		census 1999 [22]		census 2009 [23]		census 2019 [24]
		Number	%	Number	%	Number	%	Number	%
Kinh	Vietic	56,101,583	87.1	65,795,748	86.2	73,594,427	85.7	82,085,826	85.32
Tày	Tai–Kadai	1,145,235	1.8	1,477,514	1.9	1,626,392	1.9	1,845,492	1.92
Thai	Tai–Kadai	992,809	1.5	1,328,725	1.7	1,550,423	1.8	1,820,950	1.89
Mường	Vietic	874,195	1.4	1,137,515	1.5	1,268,963	1.5	1,452,095	1.51
Hmong	Hmong–Mien			787,604	1.0	1,068,189	1.2	1,393,547	1.45
Khmer	Mon–Khmer	872,382	1.4	1,055,174	1.4	1,260,640	1.5	1,319,652	1.37
Nùng	Tai–Kadai	696,305	1.1	856,412	1.1	968,800	1.1	1,083,298	1.13
Dao	Hmong–Mien			620,538	0.81	751,067	0.87	891,151	0.93
Hoa	Chinese	961,702	1.5	862,371	1.1	823,071	1.0	749,466	0.78
Gia Rai	Malayo-Polynesian			317,557	0.42	411,275	0.48	513,930	0.53
Ê Đê	Malayo-Polynesian			270,348	0.35	331,194	0.39	398,671	0.41
Ba Na	Mon–Khmer			174,456	0.23	227,716	0.27	286,910	0.30
Xơ Đăng	Mon–Khmer			127,148	0.17	169,501	0.20	212,277	0.22
Sán Chay	Tai–Kadai			147,315	0.19	169,410	0.20	201,398	0.21
Cờ Ho	Mon–Khmer			128,723	0.17	166,112	0.19	200,800	0.21
Sán Dìu	Chinese			126,237	0.17	146,821	0.17	183,004	0.19
Chăm	Malayo-Polynesian			132,873	0.17	161,729	0.19	178,948	0.19
Hrê	Mon–Khmer			113,111	0.15	63,012	0.07	149,460	0.16
Ra Glai	Malayo-Polynesian			96,931	0.13	122,245	0.14	146,613	0.15
M'Nông	Mon–Khmer			92,451	0.12	102,741	0.12	127,334	0.13
Xtiêng	Mon–Khmer			66,788	0.09	85,436	0.10	100,752	0.10
Bru-Vân Kiều	Mon–Khmer			55,559	0.07	74,506	0.09	94,598	0.10
Thổ	Vietic			68,394	0.09	74,458	0.09	91,430	0.10
Khơ Mú	Mon–Khmer			56,542	0.07	72,929	0.08	90,612	0.09
Cơ Tu	Mon–Khmer			50,458	0.07	61,588	0.07	74,173	0.08
Giáy	Tai–Kadai			49,098	0.06	58,617	0.07	67,858	0.07
Giẻ Triêng	Mon–Khmer			30,243	0.04	50,962	0.06	63,322	0.07
Tà Ôi	Mon–Khmer			34,960	0.05	43,886	0.05	52,356	0.05
Mạ	Mon–Khmer			33,338	0.04	41,405	0.05	50,322	0.05
Co	Mon–Khmer			27,766	0.04	33,817	0.04	40,442	0.04
Chơ Ro	Mon–Khmer			22,567	0.03	26,855	0.03	29,520	0.03
Xinh Mun	Mon–Khmer			18,018	0.02	23,278	0.03	29,503	0.03
Hà Nhì	Tibeto-Burman			17,535	0.02	10,923	0.01	25,539	0.03
Chu Ru	Malayo-Polynesian			14,978	0.02	19,314	0.02	23,242	0.02
Lao	Tai–Kadai			11,611	0.02	14,928	0.02	17,532	0.02
Kháng	Mon–Khmer			10,272	0.01	13,840	0.02	16,180	0.02
La Chí	Tai–Kadai			10,765	0.01	13,158	0.02	15,126	0.02
Phù Lá	Tibeto-Burman			9,046	0.01	5,535	0.01	12,471	0.01
La Hủ	Tibeto-Burman			6,874	0.01	9,651	0.01	12,113	0.01
La Ha	Tai–Kadai			5,686	0.01	8,177	0.01	10,157	0.01
Pà Thẻn	Hmong–Mien			5,569	0.01	6,811	0.01	8,248	0.01
Chứt	Vietic			3,829	0.01	6,022	0.01	7,513	0.01
Lự	Tai–Kadai			4,964	0.01	5,601	0.01	6,757	0.01
Lô Lô	Tibeto-Burman			3,307	0.00	2,218	0.00	4,827	0.01
Mảng	Mon–Khmer			2,663	0.00	3,700	0.00	4,650	0.00
Cờ Lao	Tai–Kadai			1,865	0.00	2,636	0.00	4,003	0.00
Bố Y	Tai–Kadai			1,864	0.00	2,273	0.00	3,232	0.00
Cống	Tibeto-Burman			1,676	0.00	2,029	0.00	2,729	0.00
Ngái	Chinese			4,841	0.01	1,035	0.00	1,649	0.00
Si La	Tibeto-Burman			840	0.00	709	0.00	909	0.00
Pu Péo	Tai–Kadai			705	0.00	687	0.00	903	0.00
Rơ Măm	Mon–Khmer			352	0.00	436	0.00	639	0.00
Brâu	Mon–Khmer			313	0.00	397	0.00	525	0.00
Ơ Đu	Mon–Khmer			301	0.00	376	0.00	428	0.00
Foreigners				39,532	0.05	2,134	0.00	3,553	0.00
Others		2,767,512	4.3	1,333	0.0	82,942	0.0	349	0.00
Total		64,411,713		76,323,173		85,846,997		96,208,984

Languages

Vietnamese is the national language. ^[25] It belongs to the Austroasiatic language family, which also includes languages such as Khmer and Mon. Vietnamese was spoken by 85–90 million people in Vietnam at the 1999 census. In the early 21st century, around another four million Vietnamese speakers are found outside of Vietnam, mostly refugees from the Vietnam-American War. Thus Vietnamese is the most spoken language of the Austroasiatic family, being spoken by three times more people than the second most spoken language of the family, Khmer. Both languages, however, are extremely different: Vietnamese is a tonal, monosyllabic language while Khmer has remained non-tonal. Vietnamese was heavily influenced by Chinese, with up to around 50–70% words having Chinese origins, whilst Khmer was heavily influenced by Sanskrit and Pali, uses a abugida writing system, and has a great part of its vocabulary originating from Indian languages. Since the early 20th century, the Vietnamese have used a Romanized script introduced by the French, developed by Jesuit missionaries led by Alexandre de Rhodes and later on, refined by Vietnamese scholars to produce what is now known as the Vietnamese alphabet.

Religion

Main article: Religion in Vietnam

Religion in Vietnam (2019) ^[24]

1. Vietnamese folk religion or non-religious (86.3%)
2. Catholicism (6.10%)
3. Buddhism (4.79%)
4. Hoahaoism (1.02%)
5. Protestantism (1.00%)
6. Others (0.77%)

According to the 2019 Census, the religious demographics of Vietnam are as follows: ^[24]

• 86.32% Vietnamese folk religion or non-religious
• 6.1% Catholicism
• 4.79% Buddhism (mainly Mahayana)
• 1.02% Hoahaoism
• 1% Protestantism
• <1% Caodaism
• 0.77 Others

It is worth noting here that the data is highly skewed, as a large majority of Vietnamese may declare themselves atheist yet practice forms of traditional folk religion or Mahayana Buddhism. ^[26]

Estimates for the year 2010 published by the Pew Research Center: ^[27]

• Vietnamese folk religion, 45.3%
• Unaffiliated, 29.6%
• Buddhism, 16.4%
• Christianity, 8.2%
• Other, 0.5%

See also

• List of ethnic groups in Vietnam
• Overseas Vietnamese
• Racism in Vietnam

Sources

• 1999 Census results
• 2006 Vietnam's population estimates
• Socioeconomic Atlas of Vietnam

References

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2. General Statistics Office of Vietnam (2023). Niên giám Thống kê Việt Nam năm 2022 [Statistical Yearbook of Vietnam 2022](PDF). Statistical Publishing House (Vietnam). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-07-10. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
3. "Average life expectancy in Vietnam reaches 74.7 years in 2024". Tuoi Tre News. 2024-02-21.
4. Shirodkar, Neel (30 December 2024). "Vietnam's birth rate hits record low in 2024". PUNE.NEWS. Hanoi. Archived from the original on 30 June 2025.
5. Lê, Nga (11 July 2019). "Đồng Tháp, TP HCM mức sinh con thấp nhất cả nước". VnExpress (in Vietnamese). Archived from the original on 2020-09-25. Retrieved 2021-10-20.
6. "Population approaching 100 million comes with possibilities, challenges". VietNamNet News (in Vietnamese). Retrieved 2023-06-06.
7. "Viet Nam's population to reach 100 million in 2023 – A significant milestone". UNFPA Vietnam. 2023-03-17. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
8. "Vietnam: Adapting to An Aging Society". World Bank. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
9. Tran, Kamille (20 September 2023). "Vietnam's speedy transition to being an aged society opens new doors for investors". www.businesstimes.com.sg. Retrieved 2023-09-20.
10. "Population". Our World in Data. Retrieved 2022-02-15.
11. Lieberman, Victor B. (2003). Strange Parallels: Southeast Asia in Global Context, c. 800–1830, volume 1, Integration on the Mainland. Cambridge University Press. ISBN   978-0-521-80496-7.
12. Mokyr, Joel (2003). The Oxford Encyclopedia of Economic History. Oxford University Press. ISBN   9780195170900.
13. Population Division of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United Nations Secretariat, World Population Prospects: The 2010 Revision Archived May 6, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
14. "Demographic Yearbook". UN Data. United Nations. Retrieved 4 December 2015.
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16. "Socio-economic situation in the fourth quarter and 2023". gso.gov.vn. 2023-12-29. Archived from the original on 13 June 2025. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
17. "Socio-economic situation in the fourth quarter and 2022". gso.gov.vn. 2022-12-29. Archived from the original on 18 June 2025. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
18. "Population and Employment". gso.gov.vn. Archived from the original on 7 July 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2025.^{[ shallow reference ]}
19. "Population and Employment: Total fertility rate by province". gso.gov.vn. Archived from the original on 9 January 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
20. "World Population Prospects – Population Division – United Nations" . Retrieved 2017-07-15.
21. 1993 Demographic yearbook (PDF) (in English and French) (45th ed.). New York: Nations Unies. 1995. ISBN   92-1-051084-4. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 February 2025. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
22. "Population and Housing Census Vietnam 1999". gso.gov.vn. Archived from the original on 17 July 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
23. "The 2009 Vietnam Population and Housing census: Completed results". gso.gov.vn. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2025.
24. "Report on Results of the 2019 Census" (in Vietnamese). General Statistics Office of Vietnam. Retrieved 1 May 2020.
25. Constitution of Vietnam Article 5
26. Hong Van, Vu (2020-03-05), From Religious Heritage to Cultural Heritage: Study the Heritage of Buddhism in Vietnam, Vietnam: preprints.org, doi: 10.20944/preprints202003.0092.v1 , retrieved 2025-08-20
27. "Pew-Tempelton global religious futures project – Vietnam". www.globalreligiousfutures.org. Pew Research center. Archived from the original on 11 January 2021. Retrieved 20 August 2025.

Further reading

• Huy, Huynh Truong. "Economic perspectives of internal migration in Vietnam: A focus on the Mekong River Delta region" (Universiteit Antwerpen (Belgium), 2012. online
• Huynh Truong, Huy, and Nonneman Walter. "Push and pull forces and migration in Vietnam." (2012). online
• UNFPA. "Internal migration in Vietnam: the current situation." (The United Nations Population Fund in Vietnam, 2007)
• VGSO. "Migration and urbanization in Vietnam: patterns, trends and differentials in The 2009 population census" (Ha Noi, Vietnam: Statistical Publisher, 2010).