During his meeting on Thursday with reporters from media agencies across Da Nang, the Deputy General Director of the General Office for Population and Family Planning, Mr Le Canh Nhac, said that currently in Viet Nam the number of male live births is significantly higher than that of females.

In Da Nang, the sex ratio at birth is 108 boys per 100 girls, but the gender balance varies between local wards and communes.  In addition, the average number of children born per woman has been changing over recent years. 

Nationally, the sex imbalance at birth is evident for 1^st births, but significantly increases for 3^rd or more births.  As a result, Viet Nam is likely to lack between 2.3 million and 4.3 million women over the next 15 and 20 years respectively. 

The increasing gender imbalance could have serious consequences, including an increase in gender inequality, violence, divorce and remarriage rates, sexual abuse and the trafficking of women.