Ha Noi to double efforts to curb gender imbalance at birth

The plan targets to bring the sex ratio at birth back to the natural level, creating a solid foundation for stabilizing the population structure, promoting gender equality, ensuring social welfare, and achieving sustainable development of the capital's human resources.

The target groups include married couples of reproductive age, adolescents, young people, and men and women of reproductive age as well as leaders of Party committees, government authorities, and socio-political organizations at all levels; organizations, enterprises and other relevant individuals.

Local authorities will boost legal education and raise awareness among people of reproductive age, especially young people before marriage, about the value and role of women and girls in society.

The city also encourages residential communities, including villages, hamlets and neighborhoods, to incorporate gender balance control in their community conventions.

Schools are urged to integrate gender balance education into their curricula to help students form humanistic and equitable views about gender from an early age, creating a foundation for long-term social change.

The city government will strengthen inspections and monitoring of medical and service establishments. It will sign commitments with healthcare and cultural service providers to prevent all forms of prenatal sex selection.

Under the plan, the capital city aims to reduce the annual growth rate of the sex ratio at birth by 0.2 percentage points and lower the ratio to no more than 109 boys per 100 girls by 2030.

Gender imbalance at birth worsens in Viet Nam, posing long-term risks for society. The natural sex ratio at birth (SRB) typically ranges between 104 and 106 boys per 100 girls. Any figure exceeding this range suggests deliberate gender selection.

Gender imbalance at birth began to emerge as a serious issue nationwide in the early 2000s and became significantly more pronounced from 2006 onward. In 2024 alone, Ha Noi recorded the highest gender imbalance in the country at 123.3 boys per 100 girls - the city's highest rate since 2021./.