Population growth slowing but not shrinking, says UN
(10-06-2005)
HA NOI — Viet Nam’s population growth has slowed but the numbers are not shrinking, reports a newly-published review by the United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA.
The review shows that worries about a supposed "baby boom" in 2003 needs to be reassessed, it says in a statement issued yesterday.
It shows also that the country’s population programme needs to be strengthened to ensure the continued deceleration of population growth for stable and quality development during the next 40-50 years.
The review, Viet Nam’s Population Growth – What Does the Data Tell Us? is published in both English and Vietnamese and is taken from work done by an acknowledged authority in measuring and interpreting demographic change, Dr Gigi Santow.
It explains how population change has been measured in Viet Nam and what the data shows about fertility, mortality, and population growth in Viet Nam during the past 20 years.
The population programme must be continued with adjustments being made in focus and priority in order to cope with the fast-changing situation of the country, it says. — VNS
