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One pronounces "two people" as 二人【ふたり】, but what happens with "2.7 people"? Is the following reading of this sentence correct?

このうち[2.7]{にてんなな}人【にん】に1人【ひとり】が「重【おも】い荷物【にもつ】を背負【せお】うことがおっくうで登校【とうこう】を嫌【いや】がった経験【けいけん】がある」と答【こた】えた

Of these, 1 in 2.7 said that they had an experience of disliking going to school because they felt uncomfortable carrying a heavy bag on their back.

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Yes, 2.7人 is read にてんななにん. In this case, I don't see why one can't rewrite it as 100人に37人 instead, though. (Perhaps because that would be too long?)

As for the pronunciation, the prolonged にーてん might be more common, but I think that's besides the point.

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It's somewhere between 2人に1人 (1/2 = 0.5 = 50%) and 3人に1人 (1/3 = 0.33 = 33%). 1/2.7 is 0.37, so you can understand 2.7人に1人 as "3.7 in 10" or "37% of them". This type of expression is not unique to Japanese, but it's used mainly in academic writings.

EDIT: As for the pronunciation, it's にいてんななにんにひとり. に has to be elongated.

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