An Analysis of the Population Situation in the Severely Earthquake-stricken Areas in Sichuan Province

At 14∶28 on May 12, 2008, a deadly earthquake suddenly hit Wenchuan County of Sichuan Province. The quake has brought unprecedented losses to people ’s lives and properties. Soon, the impacts of the Wenchuan quake become a hot topic of academic researchers. Current researches, however, mainly focus on its impacts on economic development, few on social development, but less on population development. Based on relevant data, the authors of this paper make, by the indirect estimation method, a preliminary analysis of the population situation, the number of deaths and the impacts of the quake on the mortality rate of the population in the severely earthquake-stricken areas (SESAs).