本文转载自公众号：修昔底德的回声（ID：Thucydides2500）
译者注：原标题不准确，国家统计局数据显示，1960-1962年，中国总人口是下降的。
China set to report first populationdecline since 1949
China is set to report its first populationdecline since records began in 1949 despite the relaxation of the government’sstrict family planning policies, which was meant to reverse the falling birthrate of the world’s most populous country.
尽管政府放宽了严格的计划生育政策,以扭转这个世界上人口最多的国家出生率下降的趋势。
The latest Chinese census, which wascompleted in December but has yet to be made public, is expected to report thetotal population of the country at less than 1.4bn, according to peoplefamiliar with the research. In 2019, China’s population was reported to haveexceeded the 1.4bn mark.
据知情人士透露,中国最近的人口普查已于（2020年）12月完成,但尚未公开,预计将报告该国总人口不到14亿。据报道,2019年中国人口超过14亿。
The people cautioned, however, that thefigure was considered very sensitive and would not be released until multiplegovernment departments had reached a consensus on the data and itsimplications.
然而,人们警告说,这个数字被认为是非常敏感的,直到多个政府部门在数据及其影响上达成共识后才会公布。
“The census results will have a huge impacton how the Chinese people see their country and how various governmentdepartments work,” said Huang Wenzheng, a fellow at the Center for China andGlobalization, a Beijing-based think-tank. “They need to be handled verycarefully.”
北京智库中国与全球化中心的研究员HWZ表示:“人口普查结果会对中国人民如何看待本国和政府部门的工作产生巨大影响。”“他们需要非常小心地处理。”
The government was scheduled to release thecensus in early April. Liu Aihua, a spokesperson at the National Bureau ofStatistics, said on April 16 that the delay was partly due to the need for“more preparation work” ahead of the official announcement. The delay has beenwidely criticised on social media.
政府原计划于4月初公布人口普查结果。4月16日，中国国家统计局发言人刘爱华表示，推迟发布的部分原因是需要在正式发布前做“更多准备工作”。这在社交媒体上受到了广泛批评。
Local officials have also braced for thedata’s release. Chen Longgan, deputy director of Anhui province’s statisticsbureau, said in a meeting this month that officials should “set the agenda” forcensus interpretation and “pay close attention to public reaction”.
地方官员也做好了数据发布的准备。安徽省统计局副局长CLG在本月的一次会议上表示，官员们应该为人口普查解释“制定议程”，并“密切关注公众反应”。
Analysts said a decline would suggest thatChina’s population could peak earlier than official projections and could soonbe exceeded by India’s, which is estimated at 1.38bn. That could take anextensive toll on the world’s second-largest economy, affecting everything fromconsumption to care for the elderly.
分析人士表示，人口下降意味着，中国人口峰值可能早于官方预测，而且可能很快被印度人口超过。据估计，印度人口为13.8亿。这可能会对中国这个世界第二大经济体造成巨大损失，影响从消费到养老的方方面面。
“The pace and scale of China’s demographiccrisis are faster and bigger than we imagined,” said Huang. “That could have adisastrous impact on the country.”
“中国人口危机的速度和规模都比我们想象的更快、更大，”H说。“这可能会给这个国家带来灾难性的影响。”
China’s birth rates have weakened evenafter Beijing relaxed its decades-long family planning policy in 2015, allowingall couples to have two children instead of one. The population expanded under the one-child policy introduced in the late 1970s, thanks to a bulging population of young people in the aftermath of the Communist revolution as wellas increased life expectancy.
即使北京在2015年放松了长达几十年的计划生育政策，允许所有夫妇生育两个孩子，但中国的出生率仍有所下降。在上世纪70年代末实施的独生子女政策下，中国人口仍然维持增长，这要归功于共产主义革命后年轻人口的膨胀以及预期寿命的延长。
Official data showed the number of newbornsin China increased in 2016 but then fell for three consecutive years. Officialsblamed the decline on a shrinking number of young women and the surging costsof child-rearing.
官方数据显示，2016年中国新生儿数量有所增加，但随后连续三年下降。官员们将生育率下降归咎于年轻女性数量的减少和养育子女成本的飙升。
The real picture could be even worse. In areport published last week, China’s central bank estimated that the totalfertility rate, or the average number of children a woman was likely to have inher lifetime, was less than 1.5, compared with the official estimate of 1.8.
实际情况可能更糟。在上周发布的一份报告中，中国央行估计，总和生育率(即一名妇女一生中可能生育的孩子的平均数量)不足1.5，而官方估计为1.8。
“It is almost a fact that China hasoverestimated its birth rate,” the People’s Bank of China said. “The challengesbrought about by China’s demographic shift could be bigger [than expected].”
中国人民银行表示:“中国高估了自己的出生率，这几乎是一个事实。”“中国人口结构变化带来的挑战可能(比预期的)更大。”
A Beijing-based government adviser whodeclined to be identified said such overestimates stemmed in part from thefiscal system’s use of population figures to determine budgets, including foreducation and public security.
一位不愿透露姓名的北京政府顾问说，这种过高估计在一定程度上源于财政系统使用人口数据来确定预算，包括教育和公共安全预算。
“There is an incentive for localgovernments to play up their [population] numbers so they can get moreresources,” the person said.
这位人士表示:“地方政府有动力夸大其(人口)数量，以便获得更多资源。”
The situation has led to calls for aradical overhaul of China’s birth control rules. The PBoC report suggested thegovernment should “completely” abandon its “wait-and-see attitude” and scrapfamily planning entirely.
这种情况引发了对中国计划生育政策进行彻底改革的呼声。中国央行的报告建议，政府应该“彻底”放弃“观望态度”，完全放弃计划生育。
“Policy relaxations will be of little usewhen no one wants to have [more children],” the paper said.
该报表示：“当没有人想要(更多的孩子)时，政策放松将毫无用处，”
转自：https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/9kVKG28ODdwFcSquH4IzAQ