Hong Kong births fall below 30,000 for first time on record

Hong Kong recorded fewer than 30,000 births annually for the first time on record – a 15.6 per cent year-on-year decline – even as its population rose by 0.3 per cent to more than 7.5 million by mid-2026, according to the latest official figures.

Provisional data from the Census and Statistics Department on Tuesday showed that the city recorded 29,700 births between mid-2025 and mid-2026, down 15.6 per cent from the 35,200 recorded during the same period a year earlier.

It was the first time since official records began in 1962 that the city recorded fewer than 30,000 births in its midyear population update. The previous midyear low was 32,600 births in 2023.

Tuesday’s statistics also showed that the city recorded 50,100 deaths during the period, resulting in a natural population decline of 20,400.

Despite the drop in births, the city’s midyear population edged up 0.3 per cent to 7,518,300, or 19,400 more compared with the same period last year.

Hong Kong’s population fell to 7,498,900 by mid-2025, marking the first time the city’s midyear population had dropped below 7.5 million since 2023.