Vietnam is one of the countries with the fastest rate of population ageing in the world. Those aged 60 and over accounted for 11.9% of the total population in 2019 and by 2050, this figure is forecast to rise to over 25%. By 2036, the country will enter the “aged population” period, transitioning from an “ageing” to an “aged” society.
According to statistics from the Vietnam Social Security, as of July 2024, out of nearly 17 million elderly people, more than 2.47 million participated in social insurance (2.2 million have participated in social insurance and are receiving monthly pensions with an average benefit of nearly six million VND per month and 275,000 people continue to participate in social insurance to be eligible for pensions in the coming time).
Thus, about 14.5 million elderly people do not participate in social insurance or have pensions. About 1.7 million people over 80 receive monthly social benefits, more than 530,000 people receive monthly social insurance benefits and nearly 12.3 million people are without pensions, monthly social insurance benefits and social retirement benefits.
It is expected that by July 1, 2025 - when the revised 2024 Social Insurance Law officially takes effect, there will be an additional 1.2 million elderly people receiving social pension benefits. Thus, more than 11 million people will be without pensions and social insurance benefits after July 1, 2025.
According to statistics, more than 14.6 million elderly people are currently participating in social insurance. Thus, there are nearly 2.4 million elderly people who do not have health insurance cards.
In 2023 alone, nearly 74.4 million elderly people participated in health insurance examination and treatment, with a total cost paid by the Health Insurance Fund of more than 59.4 trillion VND.
Ensuring social security, and the legitimate and legal rights of participants, especially the elderly, to access and enjoy social insurance and health insurance policies and regimes, recently, the Vietnam Association of the Elderly and Vietnam Social Security held a signing ceremony for the Coordination Regulations for the period 2024-2025.
General Director of Vietnam Social Security Nguyen The Manh shared: "In the past time, social insurance agencies at all levels have proactively and promptly ensured the settlement and full payment of pension and health insurance benefits for the elderly".
Sharing at the signing ceremony, the Chairman of the Vietnam Association of the Elderly Nguyen Thanh Binh said that ensuring social security is a consistent and continuous policy of our Party and State.
Notably, the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress identified “Social security is an important field in the country's socio-economic development tasks", in which social insurance and health insurance policies are the main pillars, increasingly affirming their important position and role, an effective tool of the State to care for, protect and develop people, for social progress and justice.
