Opinion | So what if some countries have fewer babies and shrinking populations?

Instead of growing the population at all costs, governments should be practically addressing longer life expectancies

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People shop with their pets in New Town Plaza in Sha Tin, on September 21, 2025. Photo: Sam Tsang

Published: 5:30am, 9 Feb 2026Updated: 8:31am, 9 Feb 2026

We live in an interesting time. It has become clear that many Hong Kong couples would rather have a pet than a child.

Small families are now the norm: a 2022 survey by the Family Planning Association showed that childless families made up 43.2 per cent of the population, followed by one-child families at 27.4 per cent and two-child families at 25.2 per cent.

Anyone still in doubt would have done well to attend the recent Hong Kong Pet Show, which attracted around 370,000 visitors over the four days. We can all smile at stories of luxury pet holidays or matching outfits for dogs and their owners, but there is a serious side to the phenomenon of small families.

For a start, this is not unique to Hong Kong. Many advanced economies have a total fertility rate below the 2.1 seen as needed to maintain a stable population. Mainland China and Taiwan, like Hong Kong, have fertility rates well below this. Even India has levelled off at a rate of barely 2.

So what are the causes, implications and problems, if any, that are likely to arise, and what should or could governments do about this?

One factor suggested for low fertility rates is high housing costs in the urban environment many people now live in. Would-be parents might also be discouraged by the fear that any children they have would face intense competitive pressure in education. Women might be deterred from childbearing by the challenges of striking a reasonable work-life balance in an era when many are in formal employment. They now have a variety of choices.

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Instead of growing the population at all costs, governments should be practically addressing longer life expectancies

Instead of growing the population at all costs, governments should be practically addressing longer life expectancies