Pedestrians walk on a street in the Wan Chai district of Hong Kong on August 6, 2021. (ISAAC LAWRENCE / AFP)
HONG KONG – Hong Kong’s population declined by 1.2 percent between mid-2020 and mid-2021 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data from the Census and Statistics Department.
In a statement, the government said the provisional estimate of the city's population was 7,394,700 as of mid-2021, or a decrease of 89,200 from the 7,481,800 recorded mid-2020.
In a statement, the government said the provisional estimate of the city's population was 7,394,700 as of mid-2021, or a decrease of 89,200 from the 7,481,800 recorded mid-2020
“The flight boarding restrictions imposed on arrivals from certain places from time to time in the first half of 2021 due to the then prevailing COVID-19 situation had interrupted population inflow,” a government spokesperson was quoted as saying in the statement.
“Hong Kong residents who had left Hong Kong before the pandemic may have chosen to remain outside Hong Kong or cannot return to Hong Kong due to flight unavailability.”
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Over the past year, the inflow of people including One-way Permit holders, foreign domestic helpers and those coming to work or study in Hong Kong has remained at a low level, the spokesperson said.
It was stressed that the movement of Hong Kong residents into and out of Hong Kong for study or work is a different concept from immigration and emigration.
“Being 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 spokesperson added.
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