Census and Statistics Department (Hong Kong)

Antecedent

The history of population censuses in Hong Kong can be traced back to the 1840s. According to early government records, the first set of census results were published in the 2nd issue of H.K. Govt. Gazette (1841 May). Regular population censuses have been taken ever since, except for the main gap between 1931 and 1961. In addition to population censuses, other statistics like number of ships entered, trade tonnage, public revenue and expenditure, death rate for European and American residents, number of schools, school attendance, number of prisoners and police strength were collected through various government departments in a scattered fashion. More details can be found in the Historical and Statistical Abstract of the Colony of Hong Kong published by the then Government House.

In 1947, a Department of Statistics was set up under Mr. W. G. Wormal to organize a statistical system, working on such matters as retail price index and trade statistics. With the abortion of the idea of a population census scheduled for 1948 due to great fluctuations in the population in those few years, the Department of Statistics was disbanded in 1952. In its place a Statistics Branch was set up in the then Commerce and Industry Department headed by Mr. C. T. Stratton. Its work mainly concentrated on economic statistics, in particular trade statistics.

In 1959, following the decision to hold a population census in 1961, a temporary Census Department was set up with Mr. K. M. A. Barnett as Commissioner. It was disbanded in 1962 after the completion of the census operation. In 1963, Mr. Barnett was appointed Commissioner of Census and Statistical Planning in an office forming part of the then Colonial Secretariat with the immediate task of preparing a report on the statistics in Hong Kong and subsequently the further task of conducting a by-census in 1966. It was only following recommendations made by Mr. Barnett that the Census and Statistics Department was formally established in 1967 December.

Government Statistical Service

C&SD together with statistical units established in various government departments and bureaux form the Government Statistical Service (GSS). The latter are generally called the "outposted statistical units".

Broadly speaking, most general-purpose statistics come under the responsibility of C&SD. The statistical units in various government departments and bureaux will take care of specific-purpose statistics (for dedicated use in their respective work) and provide necessary support in the application of statistics.

The Commissioner for Census and Statistics is the Government's principal adviser on all statistical matters and the head of the GSS. On the one hand, he fulfills his responsibilities by being the head of C&SD and, on the other hand, co-ordinates the work of outposted statistical units and monitors their technical standards. He is assisted by a Deputy Commissioner and five Assistant Commissioners in discharging his duties. The current Commissioner is Mr Leslie TANG Wai-kong and Deputy Commissioner is Mr Stephen LEUNG Kwan-chi.

Work of the C&SD

The work of C&SD can be classified into three categories:

Organisation and Functions

C&SD is organised into five divisions. The functions of these five divisions, each headed by an Assistant Commissioner, are :

a. Economic Statistics Division (1): This Division deals with external merchandise trade statistics and price statistics;

b. Economic Statistics Division (2): This Division deals with sectoral economic statistics covering such sectors as manufacturing, construction, transport, business services, distributive trades, restaurants and hotels; providing data on such aspects as business performance, operating characteristics and trade in services. It also deals with statistics on science and technology, information technology usage and penetration in the business sector, and regional/local offices in Hong Kong representing parent companies located outside Hong Kong;

c. Economic Statistics Division (3): This Division deals with national income statistics and Balance of Payments statistics;

d. Social Statistics Division: This Division deals with demographic, labour force and other social statistics; plans and executes population censuses and conducts social surveys; and oversees the statistical units in a number of government departments; and

e. General Statistics Division: This Division deals with labour statistics and undertakes surveys of employment, payroll, wages and manpower; provides support in applications of information technology in the department; organises human resources development activities; handles publication matters; oversees statistical units in a number of government departments; and provides statistical professional services to other government departments.

In addition, there are three branches directly supervised by the Deputy Commissioner, namely Technical Secretariat, Development Branch and Administration Branch.

C&SD Organisation Chart

Census and Statistics Ordinance

The main law governing the work of the C&SD is the Census and Statistics Ordinance, which provides for the taking of a census of population and the collection, compilation and publication of statistical information concerning Hong Kong and for matters connected therewith. The Ordinance also provides strict safeguards on the confidentiality of data pertaining to individuals or undertakings.

Statistics Advisory Board

To ensure that the needs of various sectors of the community can be suitably taken into account in the development of government statistical activities, a Statistics Advisory Board was established by the Government in 1972. The Board is a non-statutory advisory body chaired by the Commissioner for Census and Statistics and consists of 11 non-official members and 3 official members. The non-official members offers a balanced representation from businesses, the academia and the community.

Terms of reference and composition of Statistics Advisory Board

Official Statistics of Hong Kong

Official statistics of Hong Kong comprise statistics compiled and released by various agencies of the Hong Kong Government. Broadly speaking, statistics which are of a general purpose and useful to various functional areas are mainly compiled by the C&SD while those relating to more specific functional areas are compiled by subject government bureaux/departments concerned. Official statistics of Hong Kong can be classified into different subjects, namely