Demographics of Hong Kong
This article is about the demographic features of the population of Hong Kong, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population.
Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated areas in the world, with an overall density of some 6,300 people per square kilometre. At the same time, Hong Kong has one of the world's lowest birth rates—1.11 per woman of child-bearing age as of 2012, far below the replacement rate of 2.1. It is estimated that 26.8% of the population will be aged 65 or more in 2033, up from 12.1% in 2005. Hong Kong recorded 8.2 births per 1,000 people in 2005–2010.
Ethnically, Hong Kong mainly consists of Han Chinese who constitute approximately 92% of the population. Of these, many originate from various regions in Guangdong. There are also a number of descendants of immigrants from elsewhere in Southern China and around the world after the end of World War II.
Terminology
People from Hong Kong generally refer to themselves, in Cantonese, as Hèung Góng Yàhn ; however, the term is not restricted to those of Chinese descent, owing to Hong Kong's roughly 160-year colonial history that saw the civil servants and traders of British, Indian, Russian and other ethnic groups stationed in Hong Kong.In English, the term 'Hongkongers' is also used to refer to Hong Kongese people, while the term 'Hongkongese' is sometimes used as an adjective to describe people or things related to Hong Kong.
Population density
The following census data is available for Hong Kong between the years 1841–2011. In 2011, Hong Kong had a population of just over 7 million, with a density of approximately 6,300 people per square kilometre. This makes Hong Kong the fourth most densely populated region in the world, after Macau, Monaco, and Singapore.Ethnicity
Chinese
According to the 2016 by-census, 92% of the Hong Kong population is ethnic Chinese. The Hong Kong census does not categorise Han Chinese subgroups. However, the majority of Hongkongers of Chinese descent trace their ancestry to various parts of Southern China: the Guangzhou area, followed by Siyi, Chaoshan, Fujian, and Shanghai. Some Cantonese people also originate from Hakka-speaking villages in the New Territories. Most Teochew-speaking migrants immigrated to Hong Kong between the late 1940s and early 1970s, while migrants from Fujian have constituted a growing number of migrants since 1978. Many Taishanese and Cantonese also migrated after 1949.Currently, the major Chinese groups include the Punti, Hakka, Cantonese, Hoklo, and Tanka. The Punti, and Tanka people in Hong Kong are largely descendants of the indigenous population, while the Hakka and Hoklo groups are composed of both indigenous groups and more recent migrants.
Ethnic minorities
8% of the population of Hong Kong are categorised as "ethnic minorities", including a large number of Filipinos and Indonesians, who together make up approximately 4.6% of the population.Circa 2018 there were about 2,000 people of African origins with about 800-1,000 in Yuen Long.
Nationality
Due to its history as a trading, business, and tourism hub, a large number of expatriates live in Hong Kong, representing 9.4% of the population. The following lists ethnic groups with significant presence in Hong Kong in alphabetical order by category:- Africa
- East Asia
- * Japan
- * Korea
- Europe
- * Britain
- * France
- * Russia
- North America
- * America
- * Canada
- Oceania
- * Australia
- South Asia
- *India
- *Nepal
- *Pakistan
- Southeast Asia
- * The Philippines
- * Indonesia
- * Thailand
- * Vietnam
Age groups
United Nations data
According to United Nations estimates from 1 July 2013, Hong Kong's population is distributed in the following age ranges, with the largest age group represented being 50–54 years:Population by age group
Population by wider age groups
Hong Kong government data
The Hong Kong government provides the following estimates for mid-2013:Median age: 45.0
Language
As a former British colony, Hong Kong has 2 official languages: English, and Chinese, although the specific variety of Chinese is not specified. The majority of the population uses Cantonese as their usual spoken language. However, due to Hong Kong's role as an international trade and finance hub, there are also a wide variety of minority groups speaking dozens of languages present in the territory.However, a very large proportion of the population in Hong Kong are able to communicate in multiple languages. The school system is separated into English-medium and Chinese-medium school, both of which teach English and Mandarin.
Sex ratio
According to The World Factbook in 2013, the Hong Kong population was divided into the following male/female ratios:Male/female ratio by age group
Education level
According to The World Factbook estimates in 2002, 93.5% of the population over the age of 15 had attended schooling, including 96.9% of males and 89.6% of females.Health and mortality
The following table shows birth rates and mortality rates in Hong Kong between 1950 and 2019.At the end of the 20th century, Hong Kong had one of the lowest birth rates in the world. However, the number of births doubled in the decade between 2001 and 2011, largely due to an increase in the number of children born in Hong Kong to women with residence in Mainland China. In 2001 there were 7,810 births to Mainland women out of a total of 48,219 births. This increased to 37,253 births to Mainland women out of a total of 82,095 births.
Birth and mortality rates
Infant mortality rate
According to The World Factbook in 2013, the infant mortality rate in Hong Kong was 2.89 deaths/1,000 live births.Life expectancy
According to The World Factbook in 2013, the average life expectancy for the total population was 82.2 years; 79.47 years for males and 85.14 years for females.Hong Kong is the territory with the world's highest life expectancy according to the United Nations.
| Period | Life expectancy in Years | Period | Life expectancy in Years |
| 1950–1955 | 63.1 | 1985–1990 | 77.0 |
| 1955–1960 | 65.9 | 1990–1995 | 78.1 |
| 1960–1965 | 68.8 | 1995–2000 | 80.0 |
| 1965–1970 | 70.9 | 2000–2005 | 81.4 |
| 1970–1975 | 72.5 | 2005–2010 | 82.4 |
| 1975–1980 | 73.7 | 2010–2015 | 83.4 |
| 1980–1985 | 75.6 |
Source: UN World Population Prospects
Marriage and fertility
According to The World Factbook in 2006, the average marriage age in Hong Kong was 30 years for males and 27 years for females, and the population was subdivided into the following categories:Marital status
Fertility rate
The World Factbook in 2013 reported that the fertility rate in Hong Kong was 1.11 children born/woman.Religion
Over half of all people are not religious. Religious people in Hong Kong follow a diverse range of religions, among which Taoist and Buddhist faiths are common for people of Chinese descent.Confucian beliefs are popular in Hong Kong, but it is arguable whether Confucianism can be considered as a religion. As such, Confucianism is excluded in some studies.
Christian beliefs are also common, as well as non-organised Chinese folk religions, whose followers may state that they are not religious.
Traditional religions including Chinese Buddhism were discouraged under British rule, which officially represented Christianity. The handover of sovereignty from Britain to China has led to a resurgence of Buddhist and Chinese religions.
| Region | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2016 |
| Buddhists | > 1 million | > 1 million | > 1 million | > 1 million | > 1 million | > 1 million | > 1 million |
| Taoists | ≈ 1 million | ≈ 1 million | ≈ 1 million | ≈ 1 million | > 1 million | > 1 million | > 1 million |
| Protestant | 320,000 | 320,000 | 480,000 | 480,000 | 480,000 | ≈ 500,000 | 500,000 |
| Catholics | 350,000 | 350,000 | 353,000 | 363,000 | 363,000 | 368,000 | 384,000 |
| Muslims | 220,000 | 220,000 | 220,000 | 220,000 | 270,000 | 300,000 | 300,000 |
| Hindu | 40,000 | 40,000 | 40,000 | 40,000 | 40,000 | 40,000 | 100,000 |
| Sikhs | 10,000 | 10,000 | 10,000 | 10,000 | 10,000 | 10,000 | 12,000 |