Hong Kong’s population was 7,394,700 in the middle of the year, down 1.2% from mid-2020, the Census & Statistics Department announced today.

There were 38,500 births and 50,400 deaths, resulting in a natural population decrease of 11,800.

There was also an inflow of 13,900 one-way permit holders and a net outflow of 89,200 other Hong Kong residents, resulting in a net movement of 75,300 people.

The Government said population inflow had been interrupted by the flight boarding restrictions imposed on arrivals from certain places from time to time in the first half of 2021 due to the COVID-19 situation.

The inflow of one-way permit holders dropped by 37% when compared with the same period a year ago. Meanwhile, residents who had left Hong Kong before the pandemic may have chosen to remain outside the city or could not return due to flight unavailability.

All these might have contributed to the net outflow of Hong Kong residents during the period, it added.

It explained that net movement, which includes the movement of residents into and out of Hong Kong for various purposes including work and study, is conceptually different from immigration and emigration.

It pointed out that being an international city, Hong Kong’s population has always been mobile. During the past 10 years, net outflows of residents other than one-way permit holders were recorded for most of the years.

The number of usual residents was 7,330,500, while that of mobile residents was 64,200.