Year of the Goat blamed for decline in nation’s birthrate

2015年人口出生率下降 羊年躺中枪

The Year of the Goat is the cause for a slight decline in the number of newborns in 2015 over previous year, said nation’s top health authority.

据国家最高卫生局表示，与2014年相比，2015年全国新生人口数量略有下降，原因是2015年是羊年。

China had 16.55 million babies born last year, 320,000 fewer than 2014, the Year of the Horse, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

国家统计局数据显示，2015年羊年有1655万新生儿出生，与2014年马年相比减少32万新生人口。

China began to allow couples with one side being an only child to have a second child in late 2013, which made 11 million couples eligible.

2013年年底，中国开始允许夫妻双方中一方是独生子女的家庭生育二胎，1100万夫妻符合条件。

Experts expected back then the policy would bring one million more babies compared with 2014.

当时专家预计，与2014年相比，该政策将增加100万新生人口。

Facing the slight decrease last year, some said the policy change could hardly reverse a downward trend of the population.

鉴于去年人口出生率下降，有人认为政策变化还是很难扭转人口减少的趋势。

The National Health and Family Planning Commission, in response, rejected that view in an online statement issued on Wednesday.

周三，国家卫计委在网上发布声明回应，反驳了这一观点。

The decline is due to the Year of the Goat and the decreasing women of childbearing age, it said.

声明表示，出生率下降是由于羊年的影响，以及生育年龄的女性数量减少。

There is an old Chinese saying "十羊九不全 (shi yang jiu bu quan)", that means nine out of 10 people born in the Year of the Goat are unlucky and will suffer from great misfortune throughout their life.

中国古谚中有“十羊九不全”的说法，意思是羊年出生的十人中有九人命不好，一生都会命途多舛。

After that the Year of the Goat, China is expected to welcome 17.5 to 21 million newborns annually in five years, it projected.

该声明计划，羊年过后，在5年内中国有望每年迎接1750万至2100万新生儿降临。

In 2015, the number of women aged 15 to 49, deemed to be of childbearing age, fell by five million over 2014.

在2015年，15-49岁适合生育年龄的女性人口比2014年下降500万。

The group between 20 and 29 years old, considered the reproductive prime, has declined by 1.5 million.

20-29岁，处于最佳生育年龄的女性人口下降了150万。