Sex ratio at birth
(SRB) is the means of
determining the number
of boys being born per
one hundred girls. In
Viet Nam, since the year
2000, statistical data
and research studies
have identified a trend
towards SRB imbalance,
notably the expression
of a disproportionate
number of live male
compared to live female
births.
In 2006, the General
Statistics Office (GSO), with
technical support from the United
Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), collected, analyzed and
published essential data on SRB that was found to be at the
significantly high level of 110/100. The information in this
booklet is based on analysis conducted by Dr Christophe Z.
Guilmoto, a demographer with substantive experience in SRB
related research in China, India and Viet Nam, on 15% of the
sample data extracted from the 2009 Population and Housing
Census. The booklet represents the sixth in a series published
by UNFPA in recent years. Dr Guilmoto’s more comprehensive
analysis of this data will be released in the coming months in
the form of a census data monograph. However, in publishing
this booklet, UNFPA hopes to update and inform readers on
current demographic SRB trends in Viet Nam and to encourage
better informed opinion on this crucial population issue.