Kowloon’s Wong Tai Sin neighbourhood is on pace to become Hong Kong’s most elderly district
Latest projections show city’s population will grow by about 7 per cent by 2026, with the majority of residents living in Kowloon and the New Territories
In eight years’ time the working class neighbourhood of Wong Tai Sin in Kowloon will be Hong Kong’s most elderly district, with one in four residents there older than 65, according to the latest population projections by the city’s Planning Department.
Released on Friday, the projections also show slight variations in where the population, expected to increase by about 7 per cent to 7.33 million people, will live by 2026.
Fewer people – 1.16 million, or about 15 per cent of the population – will live on Hong Kong Island, home to the city’s central business and shopping district and some of its wealthiest neighbourhoods.
About 30 per cent will be in Kowloon and the rest in the New Territories. Property tycoons have built the bulk of new flats in these two areas, while in the latter area the government is looking to develop large swathes of land into new towns.
The figures prompted district councillors and housing researchers to warn of shortages in elderly services and public housing.
