Hong Kong’s population increased by 57,200 people over the past year, according to new statistics, which show that one-way permit holders from the mainland made up the majority of the influx, despite nearly 15,000 fewer arriving than in the year prior.
The city’s provisional population now stands at 7,448,900, compared to 7,391,7000 in mid-2017, the figures, released by the Census and Statistics Department yesterday, show.
There was a slight natural increase — with 55,000 births and 47,300 deaths. So that’s nice.
Over the same period, there was an inflow of some 41,000 one-way permit holders from the mainland while some 8,500 new arrivals came from elsewhere.
The one-way permit scheme — which is designed to help spouses and children born across the border reunite with their families in the city — allows up to 150 mainlanders each day to move to the city.
However, this year’s figure marks a drop of about 14,700 compared to the same period between mid-2016 and mid-2017.
The city’s population is measured on the definition of “resident population”. This includes “usual residents” — some 7,228,100 people — and “mobile residents” — a total of 220,800.
The former category includes Hong Kong permanent residents who have stayed in Hong Kong for at least three months — either six months before or after — the reference time point.
Mobile residents are those who have stayed in Hong Kong for between one and three months within that time span.
The revised population statistics, to update the provisional figure, will be released in February.
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