How do you count 1.3 billion people in the middle of a pandemic? China, as the world's most populous country, will launch its seventh     1     ( nation) census (人口普查) on November 1.

According to state-run news agency Xinhua, the huge undertaking will see around 7 million census     2     (worker) spread out across the country,     3     ( collect) names, ID numbers, gender, marital details, as well as education and professional information.

As well as traditional methods, citizens will also     4     ( recommend) using cell phones and other digital tools     5     (declare) personal and family information.

China conducts its census every 10 years. The last survey     6     (find) the population had increased from 1.29 billion to 1.37 billion. Last year, the country's birthrate hit its     7     (low) level since the founding of the People's Republic     8     1949. The statistics also revealed that more than 250 million Chinese were over 60 years old last year,     9     make up more than 18% of the population. The figure is forecast to rise to a third of the population by 2050 — or 480 million people.

This year's census may even show a decrease in     10     total size of the population for the first time in decades, setting the stage for India to overtake China as the world's most populous country.