The Census and Statistics Department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) announced yesterday (Feb. 18) that as of the end of last year, Hong Kong's population stood at 7,534,000. This represents a year-on-year increase of 6,400, or 0.1%, and the third consecutive year of growth in the total population. It is also an increase compared with the pre-epidemic period, which recorded a net migration (i.e., more people migrating in than migrating out) of 21,000 Hong Kong residents.
The HKSAR government explained that the increase in population was mainly due to the fact that there were more in-migrants than out-migrants, as well as the fact that a large number of people from the Mainland and other parts of the world continued to migrate to Hong Kong as a result of the various measures to attract talents and import workers.
Last year was the Year of the Dragon, and many couples were in love with "dragon children". As a result, there were 36,700 newborns in Hong Kong last year, representing a year-on-year increase of about 10%, and it was also the year with the highest number of births after COVID-19, while the number of deaths during the period amounted to 51,400, resulting in a natural decrease in population by 14,700 people.
During the period, the inward migration of talented people and others recorded 40,000, which was lower than that of the first half of last year and the end of the year before last, while the net movement of people out of Hong Kong amounted to 18,900 as at the end of last year, which was also lower than that in the middle of last year and during COVID-19 period. Among the total population at the end of last year, 7,267,100 were resident population, representing an increase of 0.3% from the end of 2023, while 267,100 were mobile residents.
Associate Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Hong Kong, Professor Paul S. F. Yip, is concerned about the outflow of population, "We see that the rate of outflow of locals and the number of locals is still at a high level, which is still a cause for concern. On the other hand, the ageing population and the low birth rate are still issues of concern to us now and in the future. In the future, if the rate of out-migration does not decrease, and the number of people coming in from the outside is not as high as it used to be, Hong Kong's population growth will become negative."
Related News:
FSTB: About 75% of global offshore RMB payments processed through HK
Comment