Demographics of Vietnam

Demographics of Vietnam
Vietnam population pyramid on census day 01/4/2019
Population	99.824.939 (September 3 2023)
Density	300/km²
Growth rate	0.97% (2021 est.)
Birth rate	15.2 births/1000 population (2022 est.)
Death rate	6.1 deaths/1000 population (2022 est.)
Life expectancy	73.6 years (2022 est.)
• male	71.1 years (2022 est.)
• female	76.4 years (2022 est.)
Fertility rate	2.01 births/woman (2022 est.)
Infant mortality rate	12.1 deaths/1000 live births (2022 est.)
Age structure
0–14 years	24% (2019)
15–64 years	68.4% (2019)
65 and over	7.6% (2019)
Sex ratio
Total	0.995 male(s)/female (2022)
At birth	1.116 male(s)/female (2022)
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%), Khmer (1.37%), Nung (1.13%), Other (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 Indochinese Peninsula. 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 hit 100 million in 2023, making it the 15th largest country by population in the world.

Population

Historical population of Vietnam

Historic estimates

	Total population (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

UN estimates

	Total population (000's)	Population aged 0–14 (%)	Population aged 15–64 (%)	Population 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 pyramids

Population by Sex and Age Group (Census 01.IV.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
0-14	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 (01.VII.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 by Sex and Age Group (Census 01.IV.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:

Vital statistics

UN estimates of births and deaths

Period	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
1 CBR = 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

Historical populations

Year	Pop.	±%
1950	28,264,000	—
1960	35,173,000	+24.4%
1970	44,928,000	+27.7%
1980	54,023,000	+20.2%
1990	67,102,000	+24.2%
2000	78,758,000	+17.4%
2010	87,100,000	+10.6%
2020	98,721,275	+13.3%
Source:https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/vietnam/

Birth, death and fertility rates

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

	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

Source: General Statistics Office of Vietnam.

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.

Ethnic groups

See also: List of ethnic groups in Vietnam

Ethnolinguistic map of Indochina, 1970. Note: map situation has now changed 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 85.32% of the nation's population and the non-Vietnamese ethnic groups account for the remaining percent. 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 1975, with Vietnam siding with the Soviet Union against China in the Chinese-Soviet split. Tensions peaked when Vietnam and Cambodia started a war, Cambodia lead 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		census 1999		census 2009		census 2019
		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-Dao			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-Dao			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-Dao			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

Language

Vietnamese is the official language of the country. 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.

Religions

Main article: Religion in Vietnam

Religion in Vietnam (2019)

  Vietnamese folk religion or non religious (86.32%)

  Catholicism (6.1%)

  Buddhism (4.79%)

  Hoahaoism (1.02%)

  Protestantism (1%)

  Others (0.77%)

According to the 2019 Census, the religious demographics of Vietnam are as follows:

• 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 skewered, as a large majority of Vietnamese may declare themselves atheist yet practice forms of traditional folk religion or Mahayana Buddhism.

Estimates for the year 2010 published by the Pew Research Center:

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

CIA World Factbook demographic statistics

Population pyramid 2017

Life expectancy in Vietnam since 1950

Life expectancy in Vietnam since 1960 by gender

The following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated.

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female

15–64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.63 male(s)/female

total population: 0.98 male(s)/female

(2008 est.)

Source: Statista etc.

Life expectancy

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

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 95.6% (2014 census); 95.8% (2019 census)

male: 96.9% (no records); 97% (2019 census)

female: 91.9% (2012); 94.6% (2019 census)

Source: The Worldbank Database etc.

See also

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

Sources

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

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).