Opinion | China’s population census data has become the worst-kept state secret

China’s statistics agency said last week that the country’s population still grew in 2020, refuting a report of a historic drop

But China’s statisticians have yet to confirm when they will release the results of the key once-in-a-decade census

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China conducted its seventh national population census in November and December, and a huge range of personal and household information pertaining to age, education, occupation, migration and marital status of people living in the world’s most populous nation was gathered. Photo: Getty Images)

Published: 8:15pm, 3 May 2021Updated: 10:53pm, 3 May 2021

China’s top statistics bureau missed its own schedule for releasing the results of its latest once-in-a-decade census, with the delay prompting people to wonder why.

One simple explanation is that China’s statisticians are taking additional time to make sure the population numbers are accurate and solid. After all, it is a big job to count more than 1 billion people in a country that is the size of a continent. In short, the delay could be just technical.

The other guess is that the delay could be political in nature as any change to the demographic picture in China could lead to rethinking and drastically adjusting of existing economic and social policies.

As such, every government agency has to be on the same page. It also takes time for the authorities to find the perfect way to explain the numbers, which remain state secrets until they are released to the public.

The country is walking into a demographic crisis. China’s overall population is peaking, if it has not already

China’s statistics agency said in a one-line statement last week that the country’s population still grew in 2020, in an apparent rebuttal of a Financial Times report that claimed the census had found a drop in the population. But the agency still kept people guessing as to when it will release the result.

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