Minh-Ngoc Nguyen
Research Expert covering Vietnam
Health in Vietnam - statistics & facts
Vietnam has made significant progress in improving the population’s health parallel to its economic development. An average Vietnamese could now expect to live to 75 years, compared to 70 years in the 1990s. This is relatively high compared to countries with similar GDP per capita. As people live longer, both the public and private sectors have been striving to meet the population’s growing healthcare demands. For example, the number of hospitals in Vietnam is rising fast, especially in the number of private facilities.
As a result, there had been significant improvements in its population’s health, such as a decline in the infant mortality rate. However, the mortality rate among infants in rural areas was twice as high as in urban areas. The gap between the state of Vietnam’s healthcare systems in rural and urban areas is one of the important issues to be addressed. The other is to prepare the Vietnamese healthcare system for the demands of a rapidly aging population. By 2050, the share of people over 65 years old was forecast to reach more than 20 percent of the Vietnamese population.
Improvements in healthcare
Vietnam’s current health expenditure per capita is one of the highest in the Southeast Asia region. Although improvements are still needed, the country had made progress in increasing both the ratio of patient beds, as well as doctors. In addition, Vietnam is currently working to achieve universal healthcare by 2030 as part of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. In 2020, the majority of the Vietnamese population were covered by health insurance.As a result, there had been significant improvements in its population’s health, such as a decline in the infant mortality rate. However, the mortality rate among infants in rural areas was twice as high as in urban areas. The gap between the state of Vietnam’s healthcare systems in rural and urban areas is one of the important issues to be addressed. The other is to prepare the Vietnamese healthcare system for the demands of a rapidly aging population. By 2050, the share of people over 65 years old was forecast to reach more than 20 percent of the Vietnamese population.
