Hong Kong population growth hits nine-year low as more people leave city
By the end of 2017, 7.4 million people lived in the city, representing 0.4 per cent growth – the smallest expansion since 2008
Hong Kong saw the smallest population growth in nine years amid a surge in residents heading overseas and a persistently low birth rate, according to a government report released on Tuesday, keeping the city on track for an ageing society with a shrinking work force.
By the end of last year, the population had risen to 7.4 million, representing 0.4 per cent growth – the smallest expansion since 2008, which saw the same rate.
The low growth was a result of a high number of people – 24,300 – leaving the city, compared to 6,100 in 2016, and an inflow of 5,500 the previous year.
Experts warned that the trend would further accelerate Hong Kong’s ageing population problem and urged policymakers to find ways to increase the labour force.
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“Those who migrate from the city are usually within the 30 to 40 age group,” said Paul Yip Siu-fai, chair professor of population health at the University of Hong Kong.