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William Yiu

The number of babies born in Hong Kong reached 36,700 last year, an 11 per cent jump from 2023, following the introduction of a government scheme that gives parents a HK$20,000 (US$2,570) cash handout for each newborn.
While the number of births grew for the second year in a row after an uptick in 2023, the level was still the third-lowest since data was first made available in 1961.
A population expert cautioned on Tuesday that the rise might not be sustained as it could be an impact of the Year of the Dragon, which is deemed auspicious for childbirth. He also noted the city recorded a net outflow of 18,900 people in 2024.
The Census and Statistics Department also announced that the city’s population rose by 0.1 per cent to just over 7.53 million.
A government spokesman said the population grew for the third consecutive year.
“Continuing to benefit from various measures for talent attraction and labour importation, many people moved to Hong Kong from mainland China and other places around the world throughout 2024,” he said.


Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu unveiled the baby bonus scheme in his policy address in October 2023 as part of measures to tackle the low birth rate and encourage childbearing.
The number of births fell to its lowest level in 2022, hitting 32,500, before climbing slightly to 33,200 births the following year.
Authorities earlier estimated that the annual number of births in the second and third financial years, 2024-25 and 2025-26, after the implementation of the scheme could reach 39,000 – a 20 per cent jump from 2022.
The three-year scheme awards HK$20,000 in cash to all parents having babies from October 25, 2023, to October 24, 2026.
The government secured HK$2.29 billion for the scheme from the Legislative Council’s Finance Committee last year.
Last year’s 36,700 births put government spending for the reward scheme at about HK$734 million last year.
Population expert Paul Yip Siu-fai, chair professor of population health at the department of social work and social administration at the University of Hong Kong, said the number of births last year would have fallen if the government had not provided any incentives. But it would be optimistic to expect the rise to continue this year, he argued.
“The uptick of the figure last year was also related to the effect of the Year of the Dragon. Some people will even have babies earlier than they planned,” he said. “In the past, the number of births in the Year of Snake were fewer than the number in the Year of Dragon.”
In Chinese culture, the Year of the Dragon is regarded as the most auspicious for childbirth because the mythical creature symbolises might and intelligence. The Year of the Snake is followed by the Year of Dragon.
From 1961 to 2023, Hong Kong experienced five Dragon Years. In four of the five, the number of births in the following Year of the Snake was lower.
Yip said some couples might choose to have babies a few years after the pandemic and the social unrest, but they might not be the majority.
“The rest tended not to have babies,” he said.
Yip also noted the latest census data showed a net outflow of 18,900 residents, after a net inflow of 10,800 in 2023 was recorded due to the influx of talent to the city the year before.
Hong Kong witnessed significant emigration in the three years following the anti-government protests, with a new outflow of 49,900 in 2020, 27,300 in 2021 and 60,000 in 2022, after several Western countries announced bespoke emigration pathways for residents due to the implementation of the national security law in 2020.


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Hong Kong

Education

Increase follows unveiling of government bonus scheme in 2023 that gives parents HK$20,000 for each newborn


Increase follows unveiling of government bonus scheme in 2023 that gives parents HK$20,000 for each newborn.


Education in Hong Kong

Hong Kong economy