depopulate

verb [vi. 不及物动词] 人口减少

Keep in mind: at the start of this century, many experts predicted that AIDS would depopulate the African region, raising the prospect of state failure in the hardest-hit places. 要知道，本世纪之初时，许多专家曾预言艾滋病将使非洲区域人口减少，并指出受影响最严重地区的国家将面临失败的前景。