Demographics of Hong Kong

Terminology

People from Hong Kong generally refer to themselves, in Cantonese, as Hèung Góng Yàhn (Chinese: 香港人; Cantonese Yale: Hèung Góng Yàhn; literally: "Hong Kong people"); 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 'Hong Kongers' (or sometimes '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 kilometer. This makes Hong Kong the fourth most densely populated region in the world, after Macau, Monaco, and Singapore.

Ethnicity

According to the 2011 census, 92.6% of the Hong Kong population is ethnic Cantonese and 7.4% are other ethnic groups, including a large number of Filipino and Indonesian foreign domestic helpers, making up approximately 4% of the population. The national census does not subdivide people of European descent, nor does it categorise Chinese ethnic subgroups. However, the majority of Hong Kongers of Chinese descent trace their ancestry to various parts of Southern China: the Guangzhou area, followed by Siyi (a region of four counties neighboring Guangzhou), Chaoshan (a region of North Guangdong home to Teochew speakers), Fujian and Shanghai. Some Cantonese people also originate from Hakka-speaking villages in the New Territories. Most Teochew-speaking migrants immigrated to Hong Kong from the late 1940s to the early 1970s, while migrants from Fujian province (previously Southern Min speakers, and increasingly more Central Min and Northern Min speakers) have constituted a large-growing number of migrants since 1978. Many Taishanese and Cantonese also migrated after 1949. Currently, the major ethnic groups include the Punti (本地/圍頭), Hakka (客家), Cantonese (廣府, including Toishanese (台山/四邑)), Hoklo (福佬/鶴佬/學佬/閩南), and Tanka (蜑家/水上, lit. boat dwellers). Punti and Tanka are Hong Kong indigenous people, while Cantonese people (including Toishanese) are not Hong Kong indigenous people. For Hakka and Hoklo, they have both indigenous and non-indigenous people in Hong Kong.

Population of Hong Kong according to ethnic group

The following lists ethnic groups with significant presence in Hong Kong in alphabetical order by category:

Chinese

Cantonese

Fukian

Shanghainese

Caucasian

Americans

British

French

Canadians

Indigenous of New Territories

Teochew

Hakka

South-east Asian

Filipinos

Indonesians (mainly Javanese)

Japanese

Koreans

South Asians

Thais

Vietnamese

By migration

Expatriates

Indigenous inhabitants

New immigrants

Returnees

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:

Hong Kong government data

The Hong Kong government provides the following estimates for mid-2013:

 0-14 years: 11.0% (male 408,000; female 382,600)15-24 years: 11.7% (male 424,500; female 417,900)25-34 years: 15.2% (male 454,900; female 639,700)35-44 years: 15.9% (male 471,500; female 671,800)45-54 years: 17.7% (male 587,900; female 681,700)55-64 years: 14.2% (male 503,700; female 512,600)65 and over: 14.3% (male 479,500; female 547,700)

Median age: 45.0 (2013 est.)

Sex ratio

According to the The World Factbook in 2013, the Hong Kong population was divided into the following male/female ratios:

Male/female ratio by age group

At birth: 1.07 male(s)/female0-14 years: 1.09 male(s)/female15-24 years: 1.01 male(s)/female25-54 years: 0.88 male(s)/female55-64 years: 1 male(s)/female65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/femaleTotal population: 0.94 male(s)/female

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 1950-2015.

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 2001-2011, 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 (16%) out of a total of 48,219 births. This increased to 37,253 births to Mainland women (45%) out of a total of 82,095 births.

Birth and mortality rates

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.

Marriage and fertility

According to the 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

Married: 57.8% (3,423,995)Never married: 32% (1,920,522)Divorced: 3.2% (189,563)Separated: 0.6% (34,722)

Fertility rate

The World Factbook in 2013 reported that the fertility rate in Hong Kong was 1.11 children born/woman.

Religion

People in Hong Kong follow a diverse range of religions, although most people of Chinese descent follow Taoist, Confucian, or Buddhist faiths; specifically Chinese Buddhism. Another group present are those that follow non-organised Chinese folk religions, which may state that they do not follow a religion.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.