Why number of Hong Kong newborns could drop to near-record low despite measures
Number of registered births in the first seven months fell 8 per cent, suggesting full-year figure could be near 2022 low
The number of babies born in Hong Kong is likely to drop in 2025 after increasing for the previous two years, with the figure potentially returning to near the record low of 2022, a Post analysis has found.
A population expert said the impact of a three-year HK$20,000 (US$2,570) cash handout scheme for every newborn was minimal, and he did not expect a tax concession announced in the latest policy address to help stimulate the birth rate.
The number of registered births in the first seven months of this year fell by 8 per cent to 18,908, compared with 20,523 in the same period in 2024, according to the Hong Kong Monthly Digest of Statistics released by the government.
The latest figure is similar to those for the same seven-month period in 2022 and 2023, when annual births of 32,500 and 33,200, respectively, marked the lowest and second-lowest in Hong Kong since data became available in 1961.
The 36,700 births recorded last year marked an 11 per cent surge from 2023, which corresponded to previous upward trends in every Year of the Dragon.
The Chinese zodiac sign is regarded as the most auspicious for childbirth because the mythical creature symbolises might and intelligence.