Ethnic Fertility Differentials in Vietnam and their Proximate Determinants

Southeast Asia‘s rapid economic growth and demographic change have brought divergent fertility behaviors, particularly those of socially excluded groups, into sharper focus. In Vietnam, while the majority Vietnamese and ethnic Chinese, who together account for 85 percent of the country‘s population and benefit the most from the country‘s economic progress, have achieved replacement fertility, certain ethnic minority groups still have total fertility rates exceeding 4. This paper explores proximate determinants of fertility across ethnic groups using a new classification system for ethnicity in Vietnam based on poverty indicators, location, and degree of assimilation of ethnic groups. [Working Paper No. 18] URL: [http://www.popcouncil.org/pdfs/wp/pgy/018.pdf]