Hong Kong’s population rose to 7.5m last year
Hong Kong’s population increased by 0.4 percent to 7.5 million in 2023, boosted by a net influx of returning residents and people on residential schemes, thus marking its second year of population growth since the COVID-19 pandemic, Reuters reports
The increase of 30,500 people from 2022 comes as the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) tries to bolster its economy and international appeal after three years of tough COVID-19 restrictions. The government said the population registered an increase for the second year in a row since normalcy resumed in Hong Kong.
“Many local residents who stayed abroad during the epidemic have returned to Hong Kong throughout 2023. There was still a significant influx of permanent residents in H2 2023,” the government said.
The government also attributed the increase to new arrivals from the mainland and overseas through various admission schemes.
