Yi Fuxian's research says China's real population may be only 1.27 billion, about 130 million fewer than the official figure

On October 13, The Wall Street Journal published a report citing research by Yi Fuxian, a scholar at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, saying that China's actual population may be around 1.27 billion, about 130 million fewer than the officially announced 1.4 billion, based on evidence including vaccine dosages, census data, and discrepancies in school-age population records, and noting that overestimating the population could exacerbate strategic miscalculations between China and the United States.

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2026-10-15 05:13 · 10月13日《华尔街日报》发文，学者易富贤研究称中国实际人口或仅12.7亿，比官方14亿少约1.3亿，或扭曲经济与中美战略判断。

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This event Yi Fuxian's research says China's real population may be only 1.27 billion, about 130 million fewer than the official figure 2026.10.13 · Reported

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Sayings · 2026-10-15 05:00 On October 13, The Wall Street Journal published an article stating that scholar Yi Fuxian's research suggests China's actual population may be only 1.27 billion, about 130 million less than the official 1.4 billion, which may distort economic and China-US strategic judgments.

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