Hong Kong’s population was 7,291,600 in the middle of the year, down 1.6% from mid-2021, the Census & Statistics Department announced today.

There were 35,100 births and 61,600 deaths, resulting in a natural population decrease of 26,500.

There was also a net outflow of 95,000 people, with an inflow of 18,300 one-way permit holders and a net outflow of 113,200 other Hong Kong residents.

The number of births in Hong Kong declined continually over the past five years, with the city’s fertility rate persistently among the lowest in Asian economies. The plunge in births in the recent two years might also be attributable to the outbreak of COVID-19 since early 2020.

On the other hand, the number of deaths edged up gradually over the past five years in tandem with the ageing trend of the population.

The Government said that amidst the continued impact of COVID-19, stringent border control and quarantine measures have been in place in Hong Kong, the Mainland and other places around the world, resulting in severe interruption of cross-boundary travel.

Hong Kong residents who left before the pandemic may have chosen to reside in other places temporarily or were unable to return to the city. All these might have contributed to the net outflow of Hong Kong residents during the period, it added.

It is believed the pandemic and related quarantine requirements would have impacted talent inflow, especially those on short-term employment visas/entry permits. The problem could be resolved when the quarantine and social distancing measures relaxed.

In terms of the pooling of talent, the Government will continue to attract talent from home and abroad to settle in Hong Kong and promote the flow of talent within the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

The Government explained that net movement includes the movement of Hong Kong residents into and out of Hong Kong for various purposes such as work, study and migration.

Hong Kong residents travelling abroad are not required to declare to the Government their purpose of travel, therefore the Government does not have direct statistics on the emigration of its residents.

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

The number of usual residents was 7,181,900, while there were 109,700 mobile residents.