Half a million people travel between Hong Kong and the mainland at least once a week, a third more than three years ago, Planning Department figures show.
The department's study, conducted in November, revealed 496,300 frequent travellers - a 34.7 per cent rise compared with 368,600 people in a 1999 survey.
A total of 19,800 people cross the border every day for work. Among these, 12,500 live on the mainland and travel to the SAR for work, with the rest going the other way. Two years ago, only 5,800 people lived on the mainland and worked in Hong Kong.
The number of children who live on the mainland and cross the border to attend school shot up from 900 in 1999 to 2,200 last year. In addition, people who cross the border for business regularly surged from 164,900 to 220,300.
Frequent holidaymakers to the mainland also almost doubled from 89,700 to 152,600.
Last year, 116.6 million passenger trips were made at Hong Kong's eight control points, compared with 36.9 million in 1990. As was the case two years ago, three-quarters of these trips were made through Lowu.
