The 2019 Population and Housing Census was conducted at time point 0:00 a.m. on 1 April 2019 in accordance with Decision No. 772/QĐ-TTg dated 26 June 2018 by the Prime Minister. This was the fifth Population and Housing Census in Viet Nam since the country's reunification in 1975. The 2019 Population and Housing Census collected basic information on population and housing throughout the territory of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam to inform the country’s socio-economic development policies and to monitor progress on the Sustainable Development Goals committed to by the Government of Viet Nam.
The 2019 Population and Housing Census collected basic information on the demographics of over 96.2 million people who were primary residents of nearly 26.9 million households in Viet Nam at 0:00 a.m. on 1 April 2019. To supplement information gathered on fertility, mortality, and migration, data on labor and employment and household living conditions was collected from the sample survey of 9% of households nationwide (approximately 8.2 million persons living in more than 2.3 million households). The 2019 Population and Housing Census utilized information technology in all aspects of the Census to improve information quality, increase the transparency of the statistical analysis process, shorten the time required for data processing, and reduce costs.
Following are some key indicators from the 2019 Census results:
(1) The total population of Viet Nam was 96,208,984 persons, of which the male population was 47,881,061 persons, accounting for 49.8% of the total population, and the female population was 48,327,923 persons, or 50.2%. Viet Nam is the third most populous country in Southeast Asia (after Indonesia and the Philippines) and the fifteenth most populous country in the world[1]. Viet Nam’s population increased by 10.4 million persons over the last decade. The average annual population growth rate from 2009-2019 was 1.14% per year, a slight fall compared to the rate from 1999-2009 (1.18% per year).
(2) There were 26,870,079 total households across the country, a 4.4-million household increase from 2009. On average, each household had 3.6 persons, 0.2 persons per household lower than that in 2009. The average annual household growth rate from 2009-2019 was 1.8% per year, 1.2 percentage points lower than from 1999-2009. The last decade had the lowest household number growth rate in the last 40 years.
(3) The population density of Viet Nam was 290 persons per km2, an increase of 31 persons per km2 compared to 2009. These results positioned Viet Nam as the third most densely populated country in Southeast Asia, behind the Philippines (363 persons per km2) and Singapore (8,292 persons per km2)[2].
The Red River Delta and South East regions had the highest population density in the country, with 1,060 persons per km2 and 757 persons per km2, respectively. The Northern Midlands and Mountain areas and the Central Highlands regions had the lowest population density, with 132 persons per km2 and 107 persons per km2, respectively.
(4) The sex ratio of the population was 99.1 males per 100 females. The sex ratio in urban areas was 96.5 males per 100 females, and in rural areas was 100.4 males per 100 females. The sex ratio had disparities by age groups; the higher the age group, the lower the sex ratio. The highest sex ratio was among the 0-4 year-old age group (110.3 males per 100 females) and the lowest sex ratio was among the 80 years and over age group (48.6 males per 100 females). The sex ratio was nearly equal in the 45-49 age group (100.2 males per 100 females) and began to decline to less than 100 in the 50-54 age group (95.9 males per 100 females).
(5) The urban population was 33,122,548 persons, or 34.4% of the total population, while 63,086,436 persons resided in rural areas, or 65.6%. The average annual population growth rate in urban areas from 2009-2019 was 2.64% per year, more than two times the national average annual population growth rate and nearly six times the figure in rural areas over the same period.
The South East region had the highest proportion of the urban population in the country (62.8%), while the figure in the Northern Midlands and Mountain areas was the lowest (18.2%). The provinces with the highest rate of urban populations were Da Nang, Binh Duong and Ho Chi Minh City (87.2%, 79.9%, and 79.2%, respectively). Provinces with the lowest proportion of urban populations in the country included Ben Tre, Thai Binh and Bac Giang (9.8%, 10.6%, and 11.4%, respectively).
(6) The Red River Delta is the largest populous region in the country with 22.5 million persons, accounting for nearly 23.4% of the total population; the Central Highlands is the region with the smallest population of 5.8 million, representing 6.1%. In the period 2009 - 2019, the South East area reaches the highest average annual population growth rate across the country (2.37% per year); the Mekong River Delta has the lowest average population growth rate (0.05% per year).