China Deploys 7 Million Officers To Hold Population Census Amid Pandemic

JAKARTA - China, one of the most populous countries in the world, will carry out its seventh national census on November 1. The local government deployed 7 million officers to re-enumerate the population, which reached 1.37 billion in the previous census period.

According to China's state news agency Xinhua, Monday, September 21 the officers will be deployed to many areas. They will collect name, identification number, gender, marriage details, as well as educational and other professional information. Apart from traditional methods, citizens are also encouraged to use cell phones and other digital devices to declare personal and family information.

China conducts a national census every 10 years. The latest survey found the population increased from 1.29 billion to 1.37 billion. This figure is the first time to enter the number of foreigners. Nearly 600,000 foreign nationals were counted in the 2010 survey, most of whom came from South Korea, the United States and Japan.

The census provides key data for future national policy making. Census information is becoming increasingly important for the demographic timebomb of the one-child policy to take effect. In 2010, the census found that the number of people aged 14 years and under fell 6.2 percent from the previous census.

China began lifting its highly controversial one-child policy in 2015. The regulation has cost women a lot of money by being subjected to forced abortions, heavy fines and expulsion for trying to have a second child. The regulations also promote demographic problems caused by the lack of children.

The number of Chinese workers has also decreased, this is because many young people work for their parents and two pairs of grandparents. Meanwhile, social services for parents in China are also lacking.

Last year, the birth rate in the Bamboo Curtain country reached its lowest level since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. More than 250 million Chinese people are over 60 years old, making up more than 18% of the population. This figure is expected to increase to one-third of China's population by 2050 or 480 million people.

This year's census may even show a decline in total population for the first time in decades. Setting the stage for India to surpass China as the world's most populous country. India actually had to start the census count earlier this year but had to postpone it due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pandemic will also cause concern for China, especially with the millions of census workers moving around the country. However, the COVID-19 cases in China have been very low in recent weeks. No new domestic infections were reported and only 12 imported cases.