Vietnam's Rapid Rise in Boy Births A Concern, Says UN

Vietnam's population is increasingly imbalanced between men and women, threatening to leave young males without female partners, the United Nations said Tuesday.

The country's national average sex ratio at birth is 110.6 males per 100 females, compared with a biologically standard figure of 105, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) said.

Population Clock (World)
Medindia's World population clock gives you an approximate population of the world. It is dynamically updated based on birth and death rate.

A rapid increase in the proportion of boy births over the past five years "has caught worldwide attention and generated concern," said Bruce Campbell, the fund's Vietnam representative.

The trend's most likely cause is a parental tendency to have sex-selective abortions after learning that the foetus was a girl, the UNFPA report said.

Vietnam banned foetal sex selection in 2003, but the practice continues.

World Population Day 2010 - "Everyone Counts"
World Population Day which falls on July 11, 2010 was instituted by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in 1989 as a conduit to create awareness on the issues concerning population.

The distorted ratio will have an impact on the communist nation's young adults, "particularly the male capacity to find a female partner," the UNFPA said.

While other countries including China and India have experienced a rise in the number of male babies -- exceeding the ratio in Vietnam -- their increases have occurred over a much longer period, it added.

Skewed Sex Ratios May Be Linked to Rainfall Patterns Too
Rainfall is linked to skewed sex ratios, according to a new study.

Neighbouring countries such as Cambodia, Thailand and Indonesia, which are demographically and socio-economically similar to Vietnam, have not experienced any significant rise in sex ratios at birth in recent decades, the report said.

In May last year Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan said the gender imbalance would leave about three million men with difficulty finding wives by 2030, state-run Vietnam News Agency said.

Too Many Sisters Can Make One Less Sexy?
Looks like growing up with too many girls around can make one less sexy. But that might not detract from one’s sexual prowess.

Men in Vietnam have traditionally carried on the family lineage, inherited homes and land, cared for elderly parents and overseen funerals and ancestor worship rituals.

Source-AFP