More city women tie knot with mainland men
More Hong Kong women are tying the knot with mainland men but the trend is the reverse for Hong Kong men and mainland women, according to the latest government statistics. And those who are worried about the state of marriage can breathe a sigh of relief. The total number of marriages last year hit an historical high.
A total of 2,599 locals married mainland men in the city last year, up from 2,409 in 2008 and 2,490 in 2007. The number of men marrying mainland women was 13,751 last year, a 24 per cent decrease from 2006, when 18,182 were recorded. The figure was 15,978 in 2007 and 14,206 in 2008.
The total number of marriages last year was 51,175, an 8 per cent rise from some 47,000 in 2008 and 2007. A similar figure was recorded in 2006. In 1986, only 43,000 couples tied the knot.
While more are undertaking their first marriage - up from 25,000 couples in 2001 to 35,000 last year - there was also an increase in marriages in which both were getting remarried. In 2001, there were only 1,857 such couples, but the figure jumped to 5,623 in 2009.
In 2009, there were 3.3 million men and 3.7 million women in Hong Kong, meaning 889 men for every 1,000 women. The ratios for 2006 and 2001 were 912 and 956 respectively.
