Aging population could shrink workforce by 10% in China

中国的人口老龄化将使劳动力缩减10%

The graying of the population could shrink the number of working-age adults by more than 10 percent in China by 2040, a report from the World Bank said on Wednesday.

世界银行在周三的一则报告中称，人口的老龄化将会使中国在2040年时劳动力人口缩减多于10%。

It means a net loss of 90 million workers in the country until that time, according to the report named "Live Long and Prosper: Aging in East Asia and Pacific".

据世界银行的题为《福寿延年：东亚与太平洋地区的人口老龄化》的报告，它认为中国的劳动力到2040年将净损失9千万。

"Developing middle-income countries in East Asia, such as China, are already aging quickly and face some of the most pressing challenges in managing aging," it said.

“东亚的中等收入发展中国家，比如中国，人口老龄化在逐步加剧，并正在面临老龄化问题带来的最严重挑战。”报告称。

East Asia, as the Word Bank’s research showed, is aging faster than any other region in history. Nearly 36 percent of the world’s population aged 65 and over, or 211 million people, live in this region, which is the largest share among all regions in the world.

正如世界银行的报告显示，东亚地区的人口老龄化速度比史上其他地区要快。全世界65岁及以上的人口中有36%分布在东亚，人数达到2.11亿，在世界所有地区中占比最大。

The bank warned that the rapid pace and sheer scale of aging in East Asia raises policy challenges, economic and fiscal pressure, as well as social risks. "Without reforms, for example, pension spending in the region is projected to increase by eight to 10 percent of GDP by 2070."

世界银行警告说，东亚地区如此快的老龄化速度及其庞大的规模带来了政策的挑战、经济和财政压力，以及社会潜在威胁。“如果不改革，比如仅就养老金来说，到2070年该地区养老金支出可能提高到占GDP的8%到10%。”

Axel van Trotsenburg, regional vice-president of the World Bank’s East Asia and Pacific Region, said on Wednesday that "East Asia Pacific has undergone the most dramatic demographic transition we have ever seen, and all developing countries in the region risk getting old before getting rich."

世界银行东亚太平洋地区区域副总裁阿克塞尔.冯.托森伯格在周三说，“在东亚太平洋地区我们亲历了最严重的人口巨变，本区域所有的发展中国家未老先衰。”

He suggested a comprehensive policy approach across the life cycle to enhance labor-force participation and encourage healthy lifestyle through structural reforms in childcare, education, healthcare, pensions, long-term care and more.

他建议通过对育儿、教育、医疗、养老金、长期保健等方面的结构性改革，制定覆盖整个生命周期的全面政策方案来提高劳动力的参与，激励形成健康的生活方式。

The report also recommends a range of pressing reforms in China, including removing incentives in pension systems that have encouraged some workers, especially urban women, to retire too early.

报告还推荐一系列的改革，包括取消养老金体系中的激励措施，比如曾鼓励一些工人，尤其是城市女性提早退休。

Developing countries in the region can take steps to reform their existing pension schemes, including considering gradual increase in retirement age, it said.

本区域中的发展中国家可以采取措施改革现有的养老金体系，包括考虑逐渐推迟退休年龄。