Marriage

Men married later than women. More than 9% of females aged 20-24 years old were married early; in the locality with the highest rate of child marriage, nearly 4 in every 10 women aged 20-24 years old were married early.

Marriage directly affects fertility and migration, which in turn affects population changes.

Thus, the 2019 Census collected information on the marital status of all members of the population aged 15 and over and divided marital status into two groups: ever-married and never-married. Ever-married persons are those who have been Ever-married at least once and at the time of the 2019 Census, were married, widowed, divorced, or separated.

4.8.1. Marital trend

The results of the 2019 Census indicated that the proportion of the ever-married population aged 15 and over was 77.5%. The currently married population accounted for 69.2% and the divorced or separated population accounted for 2.1%. Approximately 70% of men aged 15 and over were currently married and 68.5% of women aged 15 and over were currently married. As such, marriage appears to be common in Viet Nam.

Table 4.11: Marital status of population aged 15 years and over by urban and rural area, and socio-economic region

Unit: %

Total By marital status

Never-married Married Widowed Divorced Separated

ENTIRE COUNTRY 100.0 22.5 69.2 6.2 1.8 0.3

Urban 100.0 26.8 65.6 5.2 2.1 0.3

Rural 100.0 20.1 71.1 6.9 1.6 0.3

Socio-economic region

Northern midlands and mountain areas 100.0 17.0 74.2 6.8 1.7 0.3

Red River Delta 100.0 20.1 71.5 6.6 1.5 0.3

North Central and Central coastal areas 100.0 22.1 68.9 7.5 1.3 0.2

Central Highlands 100.0 22.1 70.5 5.5 1.6 0.3

South East 100.0 30.2 62.9 4.4 2.2 0.3

Mekong River Delta 100.0 21.5 69.5 6.4 2.3 0.3

The distinctions in socio-economic development level, population distribution, age group structure, culture, and customs led to disparities in the proportion of the never-married population aged 15 years and over among regions. The South East region is the most economically developed region in the country with a large labor force of young migrants, and had the highest proportion of the never-married population aged 15 and over (30.2%), 1.8 times higher than the Northern midlands and mountain areas region (17.0%) with its many ethnic minorities living with cultural practices related to early marriage.

RESULTS - THE VIET NAM POPULATION AND HOUSING CENSUS OF 00:00 HOURS ON 1 APRIL 2019 RESULTS - THE VIET NAM POPULATION AND HOUSING CENSUS OF 00:00 HOURS ON 1 APRIL 2019 / 67| 67 Economic development initiatives over the past 10 years has somewhat influenced marriage trends. Education, training, and employment opportunities can delay marriage among youth. The proportion of the never-married population aged 15 years and over in 2019 decreased by 4.3 percentage points compared to 2009, with corresponding rates of 22.5% and 26.8%. However, the proportion of the divorced or separated population aged 15 and over increased slightly compared to 2009, with 2.1% and 1.4%, respectively.

There was a difference in marital status between men and women: women tended to get married earlier than men. The proportion of ever-married males aged 15 and over (73.4%) was lower than that of females (81.5%). For the 15-19 year old group, only about 2% of men were married, 6.3 percentage points lower than women. For those aged 20-24 years old, 20.1% of males had ever been married, 25.5 percentage points lower than females from the same birth cohort.

The proportion of the never-married population declined gradually with an increase in the age of both men and women; this proportion of both sexes was almost equal in the 40-44 year old age group. In the last age group of reproductive age (45-49 years), about 5% of females were never-married.

Figure 4.7: Proportion of never-married population by age group

Unit: %

There was a difference in marriage trends between urban and rural areas. The proportion of the ever-married population aged 15 and older in rural areas was nearly 7 percentage points higher than in urban areas (79.9% and 73.2%, respectively). Young people in rural areas tended to get married earlier than those in urban areas, reflected by the proportion of the ever-married population aged 15-19 in rural areas sitting 4.1 percentage points higher than urban areas (6.7%

and 2.6%, respectively) and the proportion of the ever-married population in the 20-24 year-old age group in rural areas was almost double that of urban areas, with 39.7% and 20.9%, respectively.

In general, the divorce rate in Viet Nam was low, but the rate has been on the rise in the past 10 years, up from 1.0% in 2009 to 1.8% in 2019. The divorce rate varied by sex and between urban and rural areas: the divorce rate of females was higher than that of males (2.1% compared to 1.4%) and urban areas had higher divorce rates than rural areas (2.1% versus 1.6%).

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

15-19 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60+ Age group

Percent

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

15-19 20-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60+ Age group

Males Female

6868 | / RESULTS - THE VIET NAM POPULATION AND HOUSING CENSUS OF 00:00 HOURS ON 1 APRIL 2019RESULTS - THE VIET NAM POPULATION AND HOUSING CENSUS OF 00:00 HOURS ON 1 APRIL 2019

4.8.2. Singulate Mean Age at Marriage

The Singulate Mean Age at Marriage (SMAM) reflects the average number of years a person is single before their first marriage in a given generation.

The results of the 2019 Census showed that the SMAM was 25.2 years, increasing by 0.7 years since 2009. The SMAM among males was 4.1 years higher than that of females (27.2 and 23.1, respectively). Age at first marriage in urban areas was higher than in rural areas for both males and females.

Table 4.12: Singulate Mean Age at Marriage by sex, urban and rural area, and socio-economic region

Unit: Year Overall Male Female SMAM discrepancy

(Male-Female)

ENTIRE COUNTRY 25.2 27.2 23.1 4.1

Urban 26.4 28.1 24.8 3.3

Rural 24.5 26.7 22.1 4.6

Socio-economic region

Northern midlands and mountain areas 23.0 25.0 20.8 4.2

Red River Delta 25.1 27.1 23.1 4.0

North Central and Central coastal areas 25.4 27.6 23.0 4.6

Central Highlands 23.9 25.9 21.8 4.1

South East 26.5 28.1 24.9 3.3

Mekong River Delta 25.4 27.6 23.1 4.5

The population in the South East region tended to marry later than in other regions (men married at 28.1 years old and women married at 24.9 years old); the Northern midlands and mountain areas region had the earliest SMAM (25 years old for males and 20.8 years old for females). The regional difference in SMAM was similar to the results of the 2009 Census.

4.8.3. Early marriage

The proportion of women aged 20 to 24 years old that married for the first time before the age of 15 and those that married for the first time before the age of 18 are two of the V-SDG indicators. In the 2019 Census and other demographic statistical surveys, the term "married" people refers to those who are recognized by the laws or customs of the locality as having wife or husband;

or those who cohabit with the opposite sex.

The Viet Nam Law on Marriage and Family stipulates that the age of marriage for men is 20 years and 18 years for women. Thus, marriage before the age of 15 or before the age of 18 is not recognized by law and is considered "early marriage".

RESULTS - THE VIET NAM POPULATION AND HOUSING CENSUS OF 00:00 HOURS ON 1 APRIL 2019 RESULTS - THE VIET NAM POPULATION AND HOUSING CENSUS OF 00:00 HOURS ON 1 APRIL 2019 / 69| 69 Table 4.13: Proportion of women aged 20-24 years old first married before the age of 15 and before the age of 18 by urban and rural area, socio-economic region and ethnic group

Unit: % Proportion of women 20-24

years old first married before the age of 15

Proportion of women 20-24 years old first married before

the age of 18 Total Urban Rural Total Urban Rural

ENTIRE COUNTRY 0.4 0.1 0.5 9.1 3.7 12.6

Ethnic group

Kinh 0.1 0.1 0.1 5.8 3.3 7.9

Tay 0.2 0.2 0.3 12.0 4.7 14.0

Thai 1.2 0.6 1.3 28.3 14.3 29.9

Hoa 0.1 0.0 0.3 2.4 1.4 5.0

Khmer 0.5 0.8 0.3 14.2 11.5 15.5

Muong 0.2 0.0 0.2 16.9 8.3 17.8

Nung 0.2 0.0 0.2 14.6 7.2 16.1

Mong 5.5 5.2 5.5 48.0 32.2 48.5

Dao 1.8 0.8 1.9 33.7 11.1 35.5

Gia Rai 3.1 2.6 3.2 37.3 31.3 37.8

E de 1.2 0.0 1.4 23.1 14.4 24.2

Ba Na 1.9 0.9 2.0 30.2 15.8 32.4

Cham 0.8 0.0 1.0 18.0 7.7 20.3

Kho Mu 5.4 0.0 5.5 37.4 11.4 38.2

Hre 4.5 1.4 4.9 38.5 18.1 41.0

Lo Lo 8.0 0.0 10.3 35.7 13.6 42.1

Xinh Mun 5.2 0.0 5.2 44.5 0.0 45.2

Socio-economic region

Northern midlands and mountain areas 1.3 0.3 1.5 21.5 6.3 24.4

Red River Delta 0.1 0.0 0.1 6.0 3.0 7.9

North Central and Central coastal areas 0.3 0.1 0.3 7.7 3.5 9.5

Central Highlands 0.9 0.3 1.2 18.1 7.4 21.8

South East 0.1 0.1 0.2 4.0 2.7 7.2

Mekong River Delta 0.3 0.2 0.3 9.7 6.5 11.0

7070 | / RESULTS - THE VIET NAM POPULATION AND HOUSING CENSUS OF 00:00 HOURS ON 1 APRIL 2019RESULTS - THE VIET NAM POPULATION AND HOUSING CENSUS OF 00:00 HOURS ON 1 APRIL 2019 The percentage of women 20-24 years old who first married before the age of 15 was 0.4% and those with a first marriage before the age of 18 was 9.1%. The proportion of early marriage in rural areas was higher than in urban areas (8.9 percentage points higher for married groups before the age of 18 and 0.4 percentage points higher for those married before the age of 15).

The Northern midlands and mountain areas and Central Highlands regions had the highest proportion of women aged 20-24 married before the age of 15 and before the age of 18. These two areas are home to many ethnic minorities with traditions of early marriage, difficult socio-economic conditions, low educational levels, and a limited legal knowledge. The Red River Delta and the South East are two regions with the most developed socio-economic conditions in the country and the lowest rates of early marriage. The provinces with the highest proportion of women aged 20-24 first married before the age of 18 were Dien Bien, Lai Chau, and Son La (39.1%, 38.5%, and 37.1%, respectively), while the lowest proportion of women aged 20-24 first married before the age of 18 were in Da Nang, Ho Chi Minh City, and Thua Thien Hue (1.9%, 2.2%, and 3.5%, respectively).

The Lo Lo, Mong, Kho Mu, Xinh Mun, Hre, Gia Rai, and Brau ethnic groups had the highest proportion of women 20-24 years old married early in the country. These ethnic minorities mainly live in the Northern midlands and mountain areas and Central Highlands regions.