Poverty in Hong Kong hits record high, with 1 in 5 people considered poor
Government says ageing population and smaller family sizes have ‘constantly pushed’ up city’s poverty rate but stresses that study only measures income, not assets
The number of impoverished Hongkongers hit a record high last year, with one in five people living below the poverty line, the latest official figures revealed on Friday.
The new statistics sparked questions from lawmakers and social workers over the effectiveness of the government’s poverty-alleviation measures. They said the latest figures again proved that the grass roots could not benefit from the city’s economic growth.
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But Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung Kin-chung insisted that government efforts to combat poverty had been useful, while admitting there was “not much room” for the poverty rate to drop significantly in face of a rapidly ageing population.
“The structural problem of the ageing population is irreversible – it is a phenomenon. Tens of thousands of residents will fall into the elderly category every year ... You can imagine this has nullified the [poverty alleviation effect] brought about through government intervention,” Cheung said as he unveiled the administration's annual report. “It is a huge challenge.”
The increasing number of smaller households had also constantly pushed up the poverty rate, he added.