View source for Demographics of Hong Kong

{{Short description|none}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2018}}
{{Use Hong Kong English|date = August 2023}}

{{Infobox place demographics
|place = [[Hong Kong]]
|image = File:Hong Kong Population Pyramid.svg
|image_size = 350
|caption = [[Population pyramid]] of Hong Kong in 2020
|size_of_population = 7,503,100 (2024 est.)
|nation = [[Chinese people|Chinese]]
|major_ethnic = [[Cantonese people]]
|official = Cantonese (85.4%), English (4.5%), Mandarin (2.2%), other Chinese dialects 2.8%, other 2%, persons under 5 or mute 3.2% (2021 est.)
|age_0–14_years = 13.2% (male 505,718/female 459,956)
|age_15–64_years = 64.8% (male 2,123,216/female 2,609,102)
|age_65_years = 21.9% (male 738,878/female 860,951) (2024 est.)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/hong-kong | title=Hong Kong | date=21 February 2024 }}</ref>
|growth = 0.12% (2024 est.)
|birth = 7.6 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
|death = 8.1 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
|net_migration = 1.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
|sr_at_birth = 1.06 male(s)/female
|sr_under_15 = 1.1 male(s)/female
|sr_65_years_over = 0.86 male(s)/female
|total_mf_ratio = 0.86 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
|infant_mortality = 2.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
|life = 84 years
|life_male = 81.3 years
|life_female = 86.8 years (2024 est.)
|fertility = 1.24 children born/woman (2024 est.)
}}

[[demography|Demographic features]] of the population of [[Hong Kong]] include [[population density]], [[Ethnic group|ethnicity]], education level, the health of the populace, [[Religion in Hong Kong|religious affiliations]], and other aspects.

Hong Kong is one of the [[List of countries and dependencies by population density|most densely populated areas in the world]], with an overall density of some 6,300 people per square kilometre.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=http://www.censtatd.gov.hk/hkstat/sub/so20.jsp|title=Population – Overview {{!}} Census and Statistics Department|publisher=Government of Hong Kong|access-date=3 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161017212349/http://www.censtatd.gov.hk/hkstat/sub/so20.jsp|archive-date=17 October 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> At the same time, Hong Kong has one of the world's lowest [[birth rate]]s—0.68 per woman of child-bearing age as of 2022, far below the replacement rate of 2.1. It is estimated that 26.8% of the population will be aged 65 or more in 2033, up from 12.1% in 2005. Hong Kong recorded a crude birth rate of 8.2 per 1,000 people on average annually in 2005–2010.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Guinness World Records|last=glenday|first=craig|year=2013|isbn=9781908843159|pages=[https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec0000unse_r3e7/page/121 121]|publisher=Guinness World Records Limited |url=https://archive.org/details/guinnessworldrec0000unse_r3e7/page/121}}</ref>

Ethnically, Hong Kong mainly consists of Chinese who constitute approximately 92% of the population.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite report |date=February 2016 |title=2016 Population By-census – Summary Results |url=http://www.bycensus2016.gov.hk/en/bc-mt.html |publisher=[[Census and Statistics Department (Hong Kong)|Census and Statistics Department]] |page=37 |access-date=14 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171120115053/http://www.bycensus2016.gov.hk/en/bc-mt.html |archive-date=20 November 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.had.gov.hk/rru/english/info/info_dem.html|title=Race Relations Unit – Demographics|website=www.had.gov.hk|access-date=2020-02-04|archive-date=4 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191104174727/https://www.had.gov.hk/rru/english/info/info_dem.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>  Of these, many [[Ancestral home|originate]] from various regions in [[Guangdong]]. There are also a number of descendants of immigrants from elsewhere in [[South China|Southern China]] during and after the [[Chinese Civil War]].

==Terminology==
{{main|Hongkongers}}
People from Hong Kong generally refer to themselves, in Cantonese, as ''Hèung Góng Yàhn'' ({{lang-zh|c=香港人|cy=Hèung Góng Yàhn|l=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 '[[:wikt:Hongkongers|Hongkongers]]' (or sometimes 'Hong Kongers') is also used to refer to Hong Kongese people, while the term '[[:wikt:Hongkongese|Hongkongese]]' is sometimes used as an adjective to describe people or things related to Hong Kong.<ref name="Poon and Wong">Poon Angela and Jenny Wong, Struggling for Democracy Under China: The Implications of a Politicised 'Hongkongese' Identity http://www.civic-exchange.org/publications/Intern/2004-JennyandAngela.pdf {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061007173222/http://www.civic-exchange.org/publications/Intern/2004-JennyandAngela.pdf |date=7 October 2006 }}</ref><ref name="Journal of the International Institute">Sidney Cheung, Hong Kong Handover http://www.umich.edu/~iinet/journal/vol5no1/sidney2.html {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071121232750/http://www.umich.edu/~iinet/journal/vol5no1/sidney2.html |date=21 November 2007 }}</ref>

==Population size and structure==
{{Historical populations
| title= Historical population
| percentages = pagr
| 1841 |7450
| 1851 |32983
| 1861 |119320
| 1871 |120124
| 1881 |160402
| 1891 |221441
| 1901 |368987
| 1911 |456739
| 1921 |625166
| 1931 |840473
| 1941 |1639000
| 1945 |600000
| 1951 |2070000
| 1961 |3128648
| 1971 |3936630
| 1981 |5183400
| 1991 |5752000
| 2001 |6714300
| 2011 |7071600
| 2021 |7413070
| footnote=Sources: [[Census and Statistics Department (Hong Kong)|Census and Statistics Department]],<ref>{{cite report |title=Census of Hongkong |publisher=Hongkong Register Office |date=31 December 1853 |url=http://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkgro/view/g1854/727437.pdf |via=University of Hong Kong |page=89}}</ref><ref>{{cite report |title=Hong Kong Statistics 1947–1967 |publisher=[[Census and Statistics Department (Hong Kong)|Census and Statistics Department]] |year=1969 |url=http://www.statistics.gov.hk/pub/hist/1961_1970/B10100031967AN67E0100.pdf |page=14 |access-date=7 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180707202508/https://www.statistics.gov.hk/pub/hist/1961_1970/B10100031967AN67E0100.pdf |archive-date=7 July 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>*{{cite report |title=Demographic Trends in Hong Kong 1981–2011 |publisher=[[Census and Statistics Department (Hong Kong)|Census and Statistics Department]] |date=December 2012 |url=http://www.statistics.gov.hk/pub/B1120017032012XXXXB0100.pdf |page=8 |access-date=7 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180707172408/https://www.statistics.gov.hk/pub/B1120017032012XXXXB0100.pdf |archive-date=7 July 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite report |title=June 2018 |work=Hong Kong Monthly Digest of Statistics |publisher=[[Census and Statistics Department (Hong Kong)|Census and Statistics Department]] |date=June 2018 |url=https://www.censtatd.gov.hk/fd.jsp?file=B10100022018MM06B0100.pdf&product_id=B1010002&lang=1 |page=4 }}{{Dead link|date=January 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> [[Committee for International Cooperation in National Research in Demography|CICRED]],<ref name="cicred">{{cite journal |last=Fan |first=Shuh Ching |title=The Population of Hong Kong |year=1974 |journal=World Population Year |pages=1–2 |url=http://www.cicred.org/Eng/Publications/pdf/c-c21.pdf |oclc=438716102 |access-date=7 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718182324/http://www.cicred.org/Eng/Publications/pdf/c-c21.pdf |archive-date=18 July 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Office for National Statistics]]<ref>{{cite report |title=Census of England and Wales, 1871 |publisher=[[Parliament of the United Kingdom]] |date=30 July 1873 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hms_AQAAMAAJ |via=Google Books |page=322 |access-date=7 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171230194309/https://books.google.com/books?id=hms_AQAAMAAJ |archive-date=30 December 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref>
}}
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 [[List of countries and dependencies by population density|densely populated region in the world]], after [[Macau]], [[Monaco]], and Singapore.<ref name=":0" />
[[File:Hong Kong Population.svg|thumb|Population graph of Hong Kong]]

=== Age groups ===
==== 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:<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2.htm|title=United Nations Statistics Division – Demographic and Social Statistics|publisher=United Nations|access-date=3 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161227194033/http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2.htm|archive-date=27 December 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:Hong Kong SAR (China) Population 1950-2021 Forecast 2022-2032 UN World Population Prospects 2022.svg|thumb|350px|[[Population]], [[fertility rate]] and [[net reproduction rate]], United Nations estimates]]
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right;"
|-
! width="80pt"|Age group
! width="80pt"|Male
! width="80pt"|Female
! width="80pt"|Total
! width="90pt"|%
|-
| Total
| 3,330,700
| 3,856,800
| 7,187,500
| 100
|-
| 0–4
| 134,500
| 125,700
| 260,200
| 3.62
|-
| 5–9
| 128,000
| 120,200
| 248,200
| 3.45
|-
| 10–14
| 149,100
| 139,600
| 288,700
| 4.02
|-
| 15–19
| 208,000
| 196,300
| 404,300
| 5.63
|-
| 20–24
| 226,400
| 230,700
| 457,100
| 6.36
|-
| 25–29
| 221,800
| 295,800
| 517,600
| 7.20
|-
| 30–34
| 231,900
| 343,200
| 575,100
| 8.00
|-
| 35–39
| 229,500
| 331,000
| 560,500
| 7.80
|-
| 40–44
| 239,800
| 338,700
| 578,500
| 8.05
|-
| 45–49
| 271,000
| 337,900
| 608,900
| 8.47
|-
| 50–54
| 313,500
| 341,100
| 654,600
| 9.11
|-
| 55–59
| 281,300
| 287,900
| 569,200
| 7.92
|-
| 60–64
| 220,000
| 223,100
| 443,100
| 6.16
|-
| 65–69
| 148,800
| 146,400
| 295,200
| 4.11
|-
| 70–74
| 109,600
| 103,700
| 213,300
| 2.97
|-
| 75–79
| 100,600
| 109,900
| 210,500
| 2.93
|-
| 80–84
| 69,500
| 88,400
| 157,900
| 2.20
|-
| 85+
| 47,400
| 97,200
| 144,600
| 2.01
|-
! width="50"|Age group
! width="80pt"|Male
! width="80"|Female
! width="80"|Total
! width="50"|Percent
|-
| 0–14
| 411,600
| 385,500
| 797,100
| 11.09
|-
| 15–64
| 2,443,200
| 2,925,700
| 5,368,900
| 74.70
|-
| 65+
| 475,900
| 545,600
| 1,021,500
| 14.21
|-
|}

Population Estimates by Sex and Age Group (01.VII.2020):<ref>{{cite web | url=https://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic-social/products/dyb/dyb_2020/ | title=UNSD — Demographic and Social Statistics }}</ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right;"
|-
! width="80pt"|Age Group
! width="80pt"|Male
! width="80pt"|Female
! width="80pt"|Total
! width="80pt"|%
|-
| Total
| 3 416 300
| 4 065 500 
| 7 481 800
| 100
|-
| 0–4
| 137 400
| 127 400
| 264 800
| 3.54
|-
| 5–9
| 154 600
| 144 800
| 299 400
| 4.00
|-
| 10–14
| 154 400
| 150 700
| 305 100
| 4.08
|-
| 15–19
| 140 100 
| 133 500
| 273 600
| 3.66
|-
| 20–24
| 192 600
| 191 900
| 384 500
| 5.14
|-
| 25–29
| 224 600
| 257 300
| 481 900
| 6.44
|-
| 30–34
| 229 800
| 320 400
| 550 200
| 7.35
|-
| 35–39
| 237 500
| 369 300
| 606 800
| 8.11
|-
| 40–44
| 226 300
| 343 500
| 569 800
| 7.62
|-
| 45–49
| 241 500
| 339 700
| 581 200
| 7.77
|-
| 50–54
| 241 400
| 315 400
| 556 800
| 7.44
|-
| 55–59
| 301 200
| 343 300 
| 644 500
| 8.61
|-
| 60–64
| 292 400
| 299 000
| 591 400
| 7.90
|-
| 65–69
| 223 200
| 229 900
| 453 100
| 6.06
|-
| 70–74
| 165 200
| 171 500
| 336 700
| 4.50
|-
| 75–79
| 95 100
| 95 200
| 190 300
| 2.54
|-
| 80–84
| 79 900
| 94 000
| 173 900
| 2.32
|-
| 85+
| 79 100
| 138 700
| 217 800
| 2.91
|-
! width="50"|Age group 
! width="80pt"|Male
! width="80"|Female
! width="80"|Total
! width="50"|Percent
|-
| 0–14
| 446 400
| 422 900
| 869 300
| 11.62
|-
| 15–64
| 2 327 400
| 2 913 300
| 5 240 700
| 70.05
|-
| 65+
| 642 500
| 729 300
| 1 371 800
| 18.34
|-
|}

==== Hong Kong government data ====
The Hong Kong government provides the following estimates for mid-2013:<ref>HK Census. "[http://www.censtatd.gov.hk/hong_kong_statistics/statistical_tables/index.jsp?htmlTableID=139&excelID=&chartID=&tableID=002 HK Census] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927202456/http://www.censtatd.gov.hk/hong_kong_statistics/statistical_tables/index.jsp?htmlTableID=139&excelID=&chartID=&tableID=002 |date=27 September 2007 }}." ''Statistical Table of population.'' Retrieved on 16 March 2007.</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
! age || percentage || males || females
|-
| 0–14 years || 11.0% || 408,000 || 382,600
|-
| 15–24 years || 11.7% || 424,500 || 417,900
|-
| 25–34 years || 15.2% || 454,900 || 639,700
|-
| 35–44 years || 15.9% || 471,500 || 671,800
|-
| 45–54 years || 17.7% || 587,900 || 681,700
|-
| 55–64 years || 14.2% || 503,700 || 512,600
|-
| 65 and over || 14.3% || 479,500 || 547,700
|}
: Median age: 45.0 (2013 est.)

{{GraphChart
| width = 600
| height = 150
| xAxisTitle=year
| yAxisTitle= million
| yAxisMin=
| yGrid= 0,1
| xGrid= 10
| legend=
| type = line
| x = 1950,1951,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020

| y1= 1.97, 2.04, 2.14, 2.25, 2.37, 2.49, 2.61, 2.72, 2.83, 2.95, 3.08, 3.21, 
3.34, 3.48, 3.6, 3.69, 3.76, 3.81, 3.85, 3.89, 3.94, 4.01, 4.09, 4.18, 4.28, 4.4, 4.52, 4.65, 4.79, 4.92, 5.04, 5.15, 5.24, 5.32, 5.39, 5.46, 5.51, 5.55, 5.59, 5.64, 5.7, 5.79, 5.88, 5.99, 6.1,6.21, 6.3, 6.49, 6.55, 6.61, 6.68, 6.72, 6.73, 6.75, 6.78,6.82, 6.87, 6.92, 6.95,  6.98, 7.02, 7.07, 7.16, 7.19, 7.24, 7.31, 7.34, 7.41, 7.45, 7.51, 7.48, 7.39 
 
| y1Title= population (million)
}}

{{GraphChart
| width = 600
| height = 150
| xAxisTitle=years
| yAxisTitle= ‰
| yAxisMin=
| yGrid= 0,1
| xGrid= 10
| hAnnotatonsLine=0
| hAnnotatonsLabel=
| legend=
| type = line
| x = 1950,1951,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
| y1= 21.3, 23.8, 24.7, 25.5,  27.1, 28.7, 29.6, 28.7, 30.2, 28.4, 29.9, 28.4, 29.7, 28.7, 26.5, 24.5, 21.3, 19.9, 16.9, 16.4, 14.9, 14.7, 14.3, 14.5, 14.3, 13.0, 12.3, 12.4, 12.2, 11.7, 12.1, 12.0, 11.5, 10.6, 9.7, 9.3, 8.3, 7.8, 8.5, 7.2, 6.9, 7.1, 7.1, 6.9, 7.0, 6.1, 4.8, 4.2, 3.1, 2.7, 3.1, 2.2, 2.0, 1.5, 1.9, 2.7, 4.1, 4.5, 5.3, 5.9, 6.6, 7.6, 6.7, 1.9, 2.4, 1.9, 1.9, 1.4, 0.9, 0.5, −0.9, −1.9

| y1Title=Natural change (per 1000)

}}

== Vital statistics ==
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 and 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. By 2009 it increased to 37,253 births to Mainland women (45%) out of a total of 82,095 births.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.censtatd.gov.hk/hkstat/sub/sp160.jsp?productCode=FA100090 |title=The fertility trend in Hong Kong 1981–2009 |access-date=5 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113182709/http://www.censtatd.gov.hk/hkstat/sub/sp160.jsp?productCode=FA100090 |archive-date=13 November 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Source: <ref>{{Cite web |title=Statistics – By Subject |url=https://www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/page_8000.html#menu_action4 |website=www.censtatd.gov.hk}}</ref><ref>B.R. Mitchell. International historical statistics 1750–2005: Africa, Asia and Oceania</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=United Nations Statistics Division – Demographic and Social Statistics |url=http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2.htm#2001 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161227194033/http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/dyb/dyb2.htm#2001 |archive-date=27 December 2016 |access-date=3 May 2016 |publisher=United Nations}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Jarman |first=Robert |title=Hong Kong Annual Administration Reports, 1841-1941}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Hong Kong Government Reports Online |url=https://sunzi.lib.hku.hk/hkgro/browse.jsp |access-date=2025-10-09 |website=sunzi.lib.hku.hk}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align: right;"
|-
!
! width="70pt"|Average population 
! width="70pt"|Live births
! width="70pt"|Deaths
! width="70pt"|Natural change
! width="70pt"|Crude birth rate (per 1,000)
! width="70pt"|Crude death rate (per 1,000)
! width="70pt"|Natural change (per 1,000)
! width="70pt"|TFR<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025 |title=Children per women |url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/children-born-per-woman |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190105000011/https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/children-born-per-woman |archive-date=Jan 5, 2019 |website=Our world in data}}</ref>
|-
|1900
|275,000
|style="color: red"|8,250
|style="color: blue"|3,575
|4,675
|30.0
|13.0
|17.0
|-
|1901
|283,000
|11,886
|7,924
|3,962
|style="color: blue" |42.0
|28.0
|14.0
|-
|1902
|296,828
|12,318
|8,133
|4,185
|41.5
|27.4
|14.1
|-
|1903
|311,331
|12,765
|8,344
|4,421
|41.0
|26.8
|14.2
|-
|1904
|326,543
|13,225
|8,555
|4,670
|40.5
|26.2
|14.3
|-
|1905
|342,504
|13,696
|8,767
|4,929
|40.0
|25.6
|14.4
|-
|1906
|359,254
|14,318
|8,922
|5,396
|39.9
|24.9
|15.0
|-
|1907
|376,834
|15,070
|9,083
|5,987
|39.9
|24.1
|15.8
|-
|1908
|395,289
|15,903
|9,255
|6,648
|39.8
|23.4
|16.4
|-
|1909
|414,667
|16,803
|9,448
|7,355
|39.8
|22.8
|17.0
|-
|1910
|435,018
|17,771
|9,662
|8,109
|39.8
|22.2
|17.6
|-
|1911
|456,000
|16,872
|10,032
|6,840
|37.0
|22.0
|15.0
|-
|1912
|478,171
|17,687
|9,995
|7,692
|37.0
|21.4
|15.6
|-
|1913
|501,658
|18,558
|10,196
|8,362
|36.9
|20.8
|16.1
|-
|1914
|526,504
|19,475
|10,407
|9,068
|36.9
|20.1
|16.8
|-
|1915
|552,747
|20,443
|10,628
|9,815
|36.9
|19.5
|17.4
|-
|1916
|580,431
|21,461
|10,858
|10,603
|36.9
|18.9
|18.0
|-
|1917
|609,603
|22,533
|11,098
|11,435
|36.9
|18.4
|18.5
|-
|1918
|640,311
|23,661
|11,348
|12,313
|36.9
|17.9
|19.0

|-
|1919
|672,607
|24,850
|11,608
|13,242
|36.9
|17.4
|19.5
| style="color: blue"|
|-
|1920
|706,542
|26,103
|11,878
|14,225
|36.9
|16.9
|20.0
| style="color: blue"|
|-
|1921
|625,000
|23,063
|13,125
|9,938
|37.0
|21.0
|16.0
| style="color: blue"|
|-
|1922
|655,645
|24,276
|13,768
|10,508
|37.0
|20.6
|16.4
| style="color: blue"|
|-
|1923
|687,628
|25,460
|14,239
|11,221
|37.0
|20.1
|16.9
| style="color: blue"|
|-
|1924
|721,035
|26,678
|14,507
|12,171
|37.0
|19.6
|17.4
| style="color: blue"|
|-
|1925
|755,962
|27,930
|14,803
|13,127
|36.9
|19.1
|17.8
| style="color: blue"|5.47
|-
|1926
|792,511
|29,156
|15,149
|14,007
|36.8
|18.6
|18.2
| style="color: blue"|5.43
|-
|1927
|830,793
|30,567
|15,455
|15,112
|36.8
|18.1
|18.7
| style="color: blue"|5.39
|-
|1928
|870,925
|32,069
|15,741
|16,328
|36.8
|17.8
|19.0
| style="color: blue"|5.36
|-
|1929
|913,032
|33,612
|16,134
|17,478
|36.8
|17.7
|19.1
| style="color: blue"|5.32
|-
|1930
|957,241
|35,295
|17,230
|18,065
|36.8
|18.0
|18.8
| style="color: blue"|5.28
|-
|1931
|849,000
|28,017
|15,282
|12,735
|33.0
|18.0
|15.0
| style="color: blue"|5.24
|-
|1932
|875,463
|28,929
|15,152
|13,777
|33.0
|17.7
|15.3
| style="color: blue"|5.20
|-
|1933
|903,089
|29,802
|14,995
|14,807
|33.0
|17.4
|15.6
| style="color: blue"|5.16
|-
|1934
|931,950
|30,771
|14,859
|15,912
|33.0
|17.1
|15.9
| style="color: blue"|5.12
|-
|1935
|962,120
|31,749
|14,648
|17,101
|33.0
|16.9
|16.1
| style="color: blue"|5.09
|-
|1936
|993,685
|32,780
|14,448
|18,332
|33.0
|16.6
|16.4
| style="color: blue"|5.05
|-
|1937
|1,026,735
|33,881
|14,272
|19,609
|33.0
|16.4
|16.6
| style="color: blue"|5.01
|-
|1938
|1,000,000
|33,000
|16,000
|17,000
|33.0
|16.0
|17.0
| style="color: blue"|4.97
|-
|1939
|1,115,278
|36,804
|16,829
|19,975
|33.0
|15.1
|17.9
| style="color: blue"|4.93
|-
|1940
|1,241,666
|40,986
|17,653
|23,333
|33.0
|14.2
|18.8
| style="color: blue"|4.89
|-
|1941
|1,640,000
|49,200
|22,960
|26,240
|30.0
|14.0
|16.0
| style="color: blue"|4.85
|-
|1942
|1,335,915
|35,676
|25,581
|10,095
|26.7
|19.2
|7.6
| style="color: blue" |4.82
|-
|1943
|1,056,303
|31,940
|23,332
|8,608
|30.2
|22.1
|8.1
| style="color: blue" |4.78
|-
|1944
|818,299
|21,915
|27,280
| style="color: red" | −5,365
|26.8
|33.4
| style="color: red" | −6.6
| style="color: blue" |4.74
|-
|1945
|600,000
|15,000
|19,800
| style="color: red" | −4,800
|25.0
|33.0
| style="color: red" | −8.0
| style="color: blue" |4.70
|-
|1946
|795,072
|20,871
|22,262
| style="color: red" | −1,391
|26.2
|28.0
| style="color: red" | −1.8
| style="color: blue" |4.66
|-
|1947
|1,053,565
|28,973
|24,232
|4,741
|27.5
|23.0
|4.5
| style="color: blue" |4.62
|-
|1948
|1,396,100
|40,138
|25,130
|15,008
|28.8
|18.0
|10.8
| style="color: blue" |4.59
|-
|1949
|1,850,000
|55,500
|24,050
|31,450
|30.0
|13.0
|17.0
| style="color: blue" |4.55
|-
|1950
|1,974,000
|60,600||18,465||42,135
|30.7||9.4||21.3|| style="color: blue"|4.47
|-
|1951
|2,044,000
|68,500||20,580||47,920
|34.0||style="color: red" |10.2||23.8|| style="color: blue"|4.44
|-
|1952
|2,141,000
|71,976||19,459||52,517
|33.9||9.2||24.7|| style="color: blue"|4.41
|-
|1953
|2,253,000
|75,544||18,300||57,244
|33.7||8.2||25.5|| style="color: blue"|4.42
|-
|1954
|2,371,000
|83,317||19,283||64,034
|35.2||8.2||27.1|| style="color: blue"|4.46
|-
|1955
|2,490,000
|90,511||19,080||71,431
|36.3||7.7||28.7|| style="color: blue"|4.54
|-
|1956
|2,607,000
|96,746||19,295||77,451
|37.0||7.4||29.6|| style="color: blue"|4.64
|-
|1957
|2,721,000
|97,834||19,365||78,469
|35.8||7.1||28.7|| style="color: blue"|4.75
|-
|1958
|2,834,000
|106,624||20,554||86,070
| 37.4||7.2||style="color: blue" |30.2|| style="color: blue"|4.86
|-
|1959
|2,951,000
|104,579||20,250||84,329
|35.2||6.8||28.4|| style="color: blue"|4.96
|-
|1960
|3,075,000
|110,667||19,146||91,521
|36.1||6.2||29.9||<span style="color:#0000FF">5.014</span>
|-
|1961
|3,207,000
|108,726||18,738||89,988
|34.3||5.9||28.4||<span style="color:#0000FF">5.030</span>
|-
|1962
|3,344,000
|style="color: blue"|119,166
|20,933
|  style="text-align:right; color:blue;"|98,233
|36.1||6.3||29.7||<span style="color:#0000FF">4.980</span>
|-
|1963
|3,477,000
|118,413||20,340||98,073
|34.6||5.9||28.7||<span style="color:#0000FF">4.857</span>
|-
|1964
|3,596,000
|111,436||18,657||92,779
|31.8||5.3||26.5||<span style="color:#0000FF">4.665</span>
|-
|1965
|3,692,000
|106,362
|18,160
|88,202
|29.6||5.0||24.5||<span style="color:#0000FF">4.422</span>
|-
|1966
|3,763,000
|96,436||19,261||77,175
|26.6||5.3||21.3||<span style="color:#0000FF">4.152</span>
|-
|1967
|3,812,000
|94,368||20,234||74,134
|25.3||5.4||19.9||<span style="color:#0000FF">3.887</span>
|-
|1968
|3,850,000
|83,641||19,444||64,197
|22.0||5.1||16.9||<span style="color:#0000FF">3.649</span>
|-
|1969
|3,889,000
|82,482||19,256||63,226
|21.3||5.0||16.4||<span style="color:#0000FF">3.448</span>
|-
|1970
|3,942,000
|79,132||19,996||59,136
|20.0||5.1||14.9||<span style="color:#0000FF">3.284</span>
|-
|1971
|4,009,000
|79,789||20,374||59,415
|19.7||5.0||14.7||<span style="color:#0000FF">3.459</span>
|-
|1972
|4,088,000
|80,344||21,397||58,947
|19.5||5.2||14.3||<span style="color:#0000FF">3.315</span>
|-
|1973
|4,180,000
|82,252||21,251||61,001
|19.5||5.0||14.5||<span style="color:#0000FF">3.177</span>
|-
|1974
|4,283,000
|83,589||21,879||61,710
|19.3||5.1||14.3||<span style="color:#0000FF">2.967</span>
|-
|1975
|4,396,000
|79,790||21,591||58,168
|17.9||4.9||13.0||<span style="color:#0000FF">2.666</span>
|-
|1976
|4,519,000
|78,511||22,628||55,883
|17.4||5.1||12.3||<span style="color:#0000FF">2.480</span>
|-
|1977
|4,652,000
|80,022||23,331||56,691
|17.5||5.1||12.4||<span style="color:#0000FF">2.376</span>
|-
|1978
|4,788,000
|80,957||23,816||57,141
|17.3||5.1||12.2||<span style="color:#0000FF">2.272</span>
|-
|1979
|4,919,000
|81,975||25,110||56,865
|16.8||5.1||11.7||<span style="color:#0000FF">2.120</span>
|-
|1980
|5,039,000
|85,290||24,995||60,295
|17.0||4.9||12.1||2.047
|-
|1981
|5,145,000
|86,751||24,822||61,929
|16.8||4.8||12.0||1.933
|-
|1982
|5,239,000
|86,120||25,384||60,736
|16.4||4.8||11.5||1.860
|-
|1983
|5,322,000
|83,293||26,512||56,781
|15.6||5.0||10.6||1.722
|-
|1984
|5,394,000
|77,297||25,510||51,787
|14.4||4.7||9.7||1.559
|-
|1985
|5,456,000
|76,126||25,248||50,878
|14.0||style="color: blue" |4.6||9.3||1.491
|-
|1986
|5,508,000
|71,620||25,902||45,718
|13.0||4.7||8.3||1.367
|-
|1987
|5,551,000
|69,958||26,916||43,042
|12.6||4.8||7.8||1.311
|-
|1988
|5,592,000
|75,412||27,659||47,753
|13.4||4.9||8.5||1.400
|-
|1989
|5,641,000
|69,621||28,745||40,876
|12.3||5.1||7.2||1.296
|-
|1990
|5,704,000
|67,731||29,136||38,595
|12.0||5.1||6.9||1.272
|-
|1991
|5,786,000
|68,281||28,429||39,852
|12.0||4.9||7.1||1.281
|-
|1992
|5,884,000
|70,949||30,550||40,399
|12.3||5.2||7.1||1.347
|-
|1993
|5,992,000
|70,451||30,571||39,880
|12.0||5.1||6.9||1.342
|-
|1994
|6,101,000
|71,646||29,905||41,741
|11.9||4.9||7.0||1.355
|-
|1995
|6,206,000
|68,637||31,468||37,169
|11.2||5.1||6.1||1.295
|-
|1996
|6,304,000
|63,291||32,176||31,115
|9.9||5.1||4.8||1.191
|-
|1997
|6,492,000
|59,250||31,738||27,512
|9.1||4.9||4.2||1.127
|-
|1998
|6,550,000
|52,977||32,847||20,130
|8.1||5.0||3.1||1.016
|-
|1999
|6,611,000
|51,281||33,255||18,026
|7.8||5.0||2.7||0.981
|-
|2000
|6,675,000
|54,134||33,758||20,376
|8.1||5.1||3.1||1.032
|-
|2001
|6,721,000
|48,219||33,378||14,841
|7.2||5.0||2.2||0.931
|-
|2002
|6,728,000
|48,209||34,267||13,942
|7.1||5.1||2.0||0.941
|-
|2003
|6,745,000
|46,965||36,971||9,994
|7.0||5.5||1.5||0.901
|-
|2004
|6,781,000
|49,796||36,918||12,878
|7.3||5.4||1.9||0.922
|-
|2005
|6,818,000
|57,098||38,830||18,268
|8.4||5.7||2.7||0.959
|-
|2006
|6,871,000
|65,626||37,457||28,169
|9.6||5.5||4.1||0.984
|-
|2007
|6,921,000
|70,875||39,476||31,399
|10.2||5.7||4.5||1.028
|-
|2008
|6,951,000
|78,822||41,796||37,026
|11.3||6.0||5.3||1.064
|-
|2009
|6,980,000
|82,095||41,175||40,920
|11.8||5.9||5.9||1.055
|-
|2010
|7,024,000
|88,584||42,194||46,390
|12.6||6.0||6.6||1.127
|-
|2011
|7,072,000
|95,451||42,346||53,105
|13.5||5.9||7.6||1.204
|-
|2012
|7,155,000
|91,558||43,917||47,641
|12.8||6.1||6.7||1.285
|-
|2013
|7,187,000
|57,084||43,397||13,687
|7.9||6.0||1.9||1.125
|-
|2014
|7,242,000
|62,305||45,087||17,218
|8.6||6.2||2.4||1.235
|-
|2015
|7,306,000
|59,878||46,108||13,770
|8.2||6.3||1.9||1.196
|-
|2016
|7,337,000
|60,856||46,905||13,951
|8.3||6.4||1.9||1.205
|-
|2017
|7,410,000
|56,548||46,829||9,719
|7.7||6.3||1.4||1.125
|-
|2018
|7,451,000
|53,716||47,400||6,316
|7.2||6.3||0.9||1.080
|-
|2019
|7,507,400
|52,856||48,957||3,899
|7.0||6.5||0.5||1.064
|-
|2020
|7,481,800
|43,031||50,666||style="color: red" |−7,635
|5.8||6.8||style="color: red" |−1.0||0.883
|-
|2021
|7,413,100
|36,953
|51,354
|style="color: red" | −14,401
||5.0||6.9|| style="color: red" |−1.9|||0.772
|-
|2022
|7,346,100
|32,512
|style="color: red"|62,100
|style="color: red" | −29,488
|style="color: red" | 4.4 || 8.4|| style="color: red" |−4.0|| style="color: red" |0.701
|-
|2023
|7,498,100
|33,288
|56,776
|style="color: red"|−23,488
||4.4||7.6|| style="color: red" |−3.2|||0.751
|-
|2024
|style="color: blue"|7,534,200
|36,767
|52,366
|style="color: red"|−15,599
||4.9||6.8|| style="color: red" |−1.9|||0.841
|-
|}


{{GraphChart
| width = 600
| height = 150
| xAxisTitle=years
| yAxisTitle= TFR
| yAxisMin=
| yGrid= 0,1
| xGrid= 10
| hAnnotatonsLine=2.1
| hAnnotatonsLabel=
| legend=
| type = line
| x = 1950,1951,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020

| y1= , , , , , , , , , , 5.014, 5.030, 4.980, 4.857, 4.665, 4.422, 4.152, 3.887, 3.649, 3.448, 3.284, 3.459, 3.315, 3.177, 2.967, 2.666, 2.480, 2.376, 2.272, 2.120, 2.047, 1.933, 1.860, 1.722, 1.559, 1.491, 1.367, 1.311, 1.400, 1.296, 1.272, 1.281, 1.347, 1.342, 1.355, 1.295, 1.191, 1.127, 1.016, 0.981, 1.032, 0.931, 0.941, 0.901, 0.922, 0.959, 0.984, 1.028, 1.064, 1.055, 1.127, 1.204, 1.285, 1.125, 1.235, 1.196, 1.205, 1.126, 1.072, 1.051, 0.869, 0.776 
 
| y1Title=Total Fertility Rate
}}

===Death rates by leading causes of death===

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+ style="text-align: left;" | No. of deaths per 100,000 population by leading causes of death (based on ICD 10th revision).<ref name="Centre for Health Protection 2023 w421">{{cite web | title=Death Rates by Leading Causes of Death, 2001 — 2022 | website=Centre for Health Protection | date=20 Jul 2023 | url=https://www.chp.gov.hk/en/statistics/data/10/27/117.html | access-date=15 Oct 2023}}</ref> <span style="color:crimson">Red</span>: increased compared with 2001.
! !! Cause of death !! 2001 !! 2011 !! 2021
|-
| 1. ||  Malignant neoplasms || 169.9 || 187.2 || <span style="color:crimson">203.8</span>
|-
| 2. ||  Pneumonia || 45.1 || 87.8 || <span style="color:crimson">'''132.6'''</span>
|-
| 3. ||  Diseases of heart || 70 || 89.6 || <span style="color:crimson">89</span>
|-
| 4. ||  Cerebrovascular || 46.6 || 47.2 || 42.2
|-
| 5. ||  External causes of <br />morbidity and mortality || 27.5 || 22.2 || 26.7
|-
| 6. ||  Nephritis, nephrotic <br />syndrome and nephrosis || 15.7 || 21.8 || <span style="color:crimson">24</span>
|-
| 7. ||  Dementia || 3.8 || 10.6 || <span style="color:crimson">'''20.2'''</span>
|-
| 8. ||  Septicaemia || 6.3 || 10.8 || <span style="color:crimson">16.8</span>
|-
| 9. ||  Chronic lower <br />respiratory diseases || 31.5 || 27.8 || 14.3
|-
| 10. || Diabetes mellitus || 10.1 || 6.5 || 7.4
|-
| || All other causes || 69.7 || 85 || <span style="color:crimson">118.1</span>
|-
| || All causes || 496 || 596.6 || <span style="color:crimson">695.2</span>
|}

=== Life expectancy ===
Hong Kong is the territory with the world's highest life expectancy according to the United Nations.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
!Period
!Life expectancy in<br />years
!Period
!Life expectancy in<br />years
|-
|1950–1955
|63.1
|1985–1990
|77.0
|-
|1955–1960
|65.9
|1990–1995
|78.1
|-
|1960–1965
|68.8
|1995–2000
|80.0
|-
|1965–1970
|70.9
|2000–2005
|81.4
|-
|1970–1975
|72.5
|2005–2010
|82.4
|-
|1975–1980
|73.7
|2010–2015
|83.4
|-
|1980–1985
|75.6
|
|
|}
Source: ''UN World Population Prospects''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/DataQuery/|title=World Population Prospects – Population Division – United Nations|access-date=15 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919061238/https://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/DataQuery/|archive-date=19 September 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Marriage and fertility ===
According to [[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 ====
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| Married || {{percentage bar|57.8}} || 3,423,995
|-
| Never married || {{percentage bar|32}} || 1,920,522
|-
| Divorced || {{percentage bar|3.2}} || 189,563
|-
| Separated || {{percentage bar|0.6}} || 34,722
|}

== Ethnicity ==

According to Hong Kong census data more than 90% of the population are Chinese. The largest minority are Filipino with over 200,000 in 2021, almost doubled since 2006. Other minorities include Indonesians, Indians, Nepalese and Whites.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Census data from 2006, 2011, 2016 and 2021.<ref name="HKCENSUS"/>
|-
! rowspan="2" | Ethnic<br />group
! colspan="2" | 2006 By-census
! colspan="2" | 2011 Census
! colspan="2" | 2016 By-census
! colspan="2" | 2021 Census
|-
! Number !! %
! Number !! %
! Number !! %
! Number !! %
|-
|-
!Chinese
|6,522,148 || {{percentage bar|width=50|95.0}}
|6,620,393 || {{percentage bar|width=50|93.6}}
|6,752,202 || {{percentage bar|width=50|92.0}}
|6,793,502 || {{percentage bar|width=50|91.6}}
|-
!Filipino
|112,453 || {{percentage bar|width=50|1.6}}
|133,018 || {{percentage bar|width=50|1.9}}
|184,081 || {{percentage bar|width=50|2.5}}
|201,291 || {{percentage bar|width=50|2.7}}
|-
!Indonesian
|87,840 || {{percentage bar|width=50|1.3}}
|133,377 || {{percentage bar|width=50|1.9}}
|153,299 || {{percentage bar|width=50|2.1}}
|142,065 || {{percentage bar|width=50|1.9}}
|-
!White
|36,384 || {{percentage bar|width=50|0.5}}
|55,236 || {{percentage bar|width=50|0.8}}
|58,209 || {{percentage bar|width=50|0.8}}
|61,582 || {{percentage bar|width=50|0.8}}
|-
!Indian
|20,444 || {{percentage bar|width=50|0.3}}
|28,616 || {{percentage bar|width=50|0.4}}
|36,462 || {{percentage bar|width=50|0.5}}
|42,569 || {{percentage bar|width=50|0.6}}
|-
!Nepalese
|15,950 || {{percentage bar|width=50|0.2}}
|16,518 || {{percentage bar|width=50|0.2}}
|25,472 || {{percentage bar|width=50|0.3}}
|29,701  || {{percentage bar|width=50|0.4}}
|-
!Pakistani
|11,111 || {{percentage bar|width=50|0.2}}
|18,042 || {{percentage bar|width=50|0.3}}
|18,094 || {{percentage bar|width=50|0.2}}
|24,385 || {{percentage bar|width=50|0.3}}
|-
!Thai
|11,900 || {{percentage bar|width=50|0.2}}
|11,213 || {{percentage bar|width=50|0.2}}
|10,215 || {{percentage bar|width=50|0.1}}
|12,972 || {{percentage bar|width=50|0.2 }}
|-
!Japanese
|13,189 || {{percentage bar|width=50|0.2}}
|12,580 || {{percentage bar|width=50|0.2}}
|9,976 || {{percentage bar|width=50|0.1}}
|10,291 || {{percentage bar|width=50|0.1}}
|-
!Other Asian
|12,663 || {{percentage bar|width=50|0.2}}
|12,247 || {{percentage bar|width=50|0.2}}
|19,589 || {{percentage bar|width=50|0.3}}
|10,574 || {{percentage bar|width=50|0.1}}
|-
!Others
|20,264 || {{percentage bar|width=50|0.3}}
|30,336 || {{percentage bar|width=50|0.4}}
|68,986 || {{percentage bar|width=50|0.9}}
|70,124 || {{percentage bar|width=50|0.9}}
|-
! Total
! colspan="2" |6,864,346
! colspan="2" |7,071,576
! colspan="2" |7,336,585
! colspan="2" |'''7,413,070'''
|}

===Chinese===
{{bar box
|title=Ethnic groups in Hong Kong (2021)<ref name="HKCENSUS">{{cite web|title=Main Tables|url=http://www.bycensus2016.gov.hk/en/bc-mt.html|access-date=13 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171120115053/http://www.bycensus2016.gov.hk/en/bc-mt.html|archive-date=20 November 2017|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite report|url=https://www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/data/stat_report/product/B1120106/att/B11201062021XXXXB01.pdf|title=2021 Population Census: Summary Results|access-date=2022-09-04|date=February 2022|pages=43}}</ref>
|titlebar=#ddd
|left1=Ethnic groups (alone)
|float=left
|bars=
{{bar percent|[[Hong Kong people|Chinese]]|yellow|91.6}}
{{bar percent|[[Filipinos in Hong Kong|Filipino]]|red|2.7}}
{{bar percent|[[Indonesians in Hong Kong|Indonesian]]|blue|1.9}}
{{bar percent|[[South Asians]]|purple|1.4}}
{{bar percent|Other|orange|3}}
}}
Historically, the major [[Chinese peoples|Chinese groups]] in Hong Kong include the [[Cantonese people|Cantonese]] (including [[Punti]] and [[Taishanese people|Toishanese]]), [[Hakka]], [[Hoklo people|Hoklo]],<ref>Kelly, Margaret. ''Fodor's China''. [[Fodor's Travel Publications]], 2011. {{ISBN|0307480534}}, 9780307480538. p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=6Fz4-_8xe3sC&pg=PA392 392].</ref> and [[Tanka people|Tanka]] (mostly Cantonese speakers).<ref>Ng Lun, Ngai-ha. In: Ring, Trudy, Robert M. Salkin, Sharon La Boda (editors). ''International Dictionary of Historic Places: Asia and Oceania'' (Volume 5 of International Dictionary of Historic Places, Trudy Ring, {{ISBN|1884964052}}, 9781884964053). [[Taylor & Francis]], 1996. {{ISBN|1884964044}}, 9781884964046. p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=vWLRxJEU49EC&pg=PA358 358].</ref> The [[Punti]], and [[Tanka people]] in Hong Kong are largely descendants of the indigenous population, while the [[Hakka]] and [[Hoklo people|Hoklo]] groups are composed of both indigenous groups and more recent migrants.

Most [[Teochew Min|Teochew]]-speaking migrants immigrated to Hong Kong between the late 1940s and early 1970s, while migrants from [[Fujian]] (previously [[Southern Min]] speakers, and increasingly more [[Central Min]] and [[Northern Min]] speakers) have constituted a growing number of migrants since 1978.<ref>{{cite book|last=Hu-DeHart|first=Evelyn|author-link=Evelyn Hu-DeHart|title=Voluntary organizations in the Chinese Diaspora|publisher=Hong Kong University Press|year=2006|pages=122–125|isbn=978-962-209-776-6}}</ref> Many Yue-speaking people such as Taishanese and Cantonese also migrated after 1949.

According to the 2016 by-census, 92% of the Hong Kong population belongs to a Chinese ethnicity.<ref name="auto1"/> The Hong Kong census does not currently categorise Han Chinese subgroups nor does it differentiate other Chinese ethnicities, although in the past the census would collect information on language and dialect use.<ref>{{cite journal| url = https://www.persee.fr/doc/clao_0153-3320_1984_num_13_1_1144| title = The Hong Kong cantonese speech community – Persée| journal = Cahiers de Linguistique Asie Orientale| year = 1984| volume = 13| issue = 1| pages = 57–90| doi = 10.3406/clao.1984.1144| last1 = Bauer| first1 = Robert Stuart}}</ref> However, the majority of Hongkongers of Chinese descent trace their ancestry to various parts of Southern China: the [[Guangzhou]] area, followed by [[Siyi]] ([[Taishanese people|Toishanese people]]), [[Chaoshan]] (a region of Eastern Guangdong home to [[Teochew dialect|Teochew speakers]]), [[Fujian]], and [[Shanghainese people in Hong Kong|Shanghai]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Ng Sek Hong|title=Labour Law in Hong Kong|publisher=Kluwer Law International|year=2010|pages=19|isbn=978-90-411-3307-6}}</ref> Some [[Cantonese people]] also originate from [[Hakka]]-speaking villages in the [[New Territories]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of diasporas: immigrant and refugee cultures around the world. Diaspora communities|editor1=Melvin Ember |editor2=Carol R. Ember |editor3=Ian Skoggard |publisher=Springer|year=2005|volume=2|pages=94–95|isbn=978-0-306-48321-9}}</ref>

[[File:Stanley Market 6, Mar 06.JPG|thumb|300px|[[Stanley Market]]]]

===Ethnic minorities===
8% of the population of Hong Kong are categorised as "ethnic minorities", including a large number of [[Filipinos in Hong Kong|Filipinos]] and [[Indonesians in Hong Kong|Indonesians]], who together make up approximately 4.6% of the population.<ref>{{Cite report |date=February 2012 |title=2011 Population Census – Summary Results |url=http://www.census2011.gov.hk/pdf/summary-results.pdf |publisher=[[Census and Statistics Department (Hong Kong)|Census and Statistics Department]] |page=37 |access-date=14 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522023912/http://www.census2011.gov.hk/pdf/summary-results.pdf |archive-date=22 May 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.census2011.gov.hk/pdf/EM.pdf#Page=28 |title=Thematic Report : Ethnic Minorities |access-date=14 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202184333/http://www.census2011.gov.hk/pdf/EM.pdf#Page=28 |archive-date=2 December 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Immigration Autonomy|url=http://www.immd.gov.hk/a_report_09-10/eng/ch1/index.htm|work=Immigration Department Annual Report 2009-2010|access-date=7 July 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120623220528/http://www.immd.gov.hk/a_report_09-10/eng/ch1/index.htm|archive-date=23 June 2012}}</ref> However, the majority of the Filipinos and Indonesians population are short-termed foreign domestic helpers. After excluding foreign domestic helpers, the number of ethnic minorities was 263,593 in 2016, making up 3.6% of the whole Hong Kong population.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Statistical Product|url=https://www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/EIndexbySubject.html?pcode=B1120100&scode=459|access-date=2021-11-28|website=www.censtatd.gov.hk}}</ref>

Circa 2018 there were about 2,000 people of African origins with about 800–1,000 in [[Yuen Long]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Zheng, Mandy|author2=Rachel Leung|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2156199/hong-kong-racist-prejudice-against-ethnic-minorities|title=Chinese woman threatens to sue another accused of throwing her dog out 6th floor window|newspaper=[[South China Morning Post]]|date=2018-01-17|access-date=2020-05-12}}</ref> [[Chungking Mansions]] is another area of settlement and employment. Some Africans seeking to asylum travelled to Hong Kong as of June 2020.<ref>{{cite web|author=Sun, Fiona|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3090797/black-lives-matter-hong-kong-too-african-migrants-say-racism|title=Black lives matter in Hong Kong too: African migrants say racism leaves them feeling alienated, shunned|newspaper=[[South China Morning Post]]|date=2020-06-27|access-date=2020-08-02 }}</ref> According to [[Lingnan University]] professor Lisa Leung Yuk-ming, African settlement began in the 1990s. The Hong Kong African Association (香港非洲人協會) is an ethnic association for those people.<ref>{{cite web|author=Lee, Chermaine|author2=Miguel Candela|url=https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/3095154/what-its-be-black-and-african-hong-kong-there|title=What it's like to be black and African in Hong Kong: 'there is racism literally in every corner'|work=[[Post Magazine]]|date=2020-08-02|access-date=2020-08-02}}</ref>

A Thai community began in Hong Kong when Thai women travelled with their husbands, of [[Chaozhou]] (Chiu Chow) origin, to Hong Kong in the 1970s. In 2016, Hong Kong had about 10,215 Thai residents, with around 33% residing in [[Kowloon City]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bangkokpost.com/life/social-and-lifestyle/2321638/goodbye-little-thailand-in-hong-kong-|title=Goodbye 'Little Thailand' in Hong Kong?|agency=[[South China Morning Post]]|newspaper=[[Bangkok Post]]|date=2022-06-06|accessdate=2022-06-08}}</ref>

==Nationality==
Due to its history as trading, business, and tourism hub, a large number of expatriates live in [[Hong Kong]], representing 8% of the population.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=2021 Population Census |url=https://www.census2021.gov.hk/en/main_tables.html |access-date=8 May 2023}}</ref> The following lists ethnic groups with significant presence in Hong Kong in alphabetical order by category:

* [[Africans in Hong Kong|Africa]]
* East Asia
** [[Japanese people in Hong Kong|Japan]]
** [[Koreans in Hong Kong|Korea]]
* Europe
** [[British in Hong Kong|Britain]]
** [[French people in Hong Kong|France]]
** [[Russians in Hong Kong|Russia]]
* North America
** [[Americans in Hong Kong|United States]]
** [[Canadians in Hong Kong|Canada]]
* Oceania
** [[Australians in Hong Kong|Australia]]
* [[South Asians in Hong Kong|South Asia]]
**[[Indians in Hong Kong|India]]
**[[Nepalis in Hong Kong|Nepal]]
**[[Pakistanis in Hong Kong|Pakistan]]
* Southeast Asia
** [[Filipinos in Hong Kong|The Philippines]]
** [[Indonesians in Hong Kong|Indonesia]] (mainly [[Javanese people|Javanese]])
** [[Thais in Hong Kong|Thailand]]
** [[Vietnamese people in Hong Kong|Vietnam]]

== Language ==
{{main|Languages of Hong Kong}}
As a former British colony, Hong Kong has 2 official languages: [[English language|English]], and [[Chinese language|Chinese]], although the specific variety of Chinese is not specified. The majority of the population uses [[Cantonese]] as their usual spoken language. However, due to Hong Kong's role as an international trade and finance hub, there are also a wide variety of minority groups speaking dozens of languages present in the territory.
<div style="overflow:auto">
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: right;"
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! rowspan="2" | Language usually spoken at home (5+)
! colspan="2" | 1961<ref>{{Cite report |url=https://www.statistics.gov.hk/pub/hist/1961_1970/B10100031967AN67E0100.pdf |title=Hong Kong Statistics 1947–1967 |date=1969 |location=Hong Kong |access-date=2025-03-14}}</ref>
! colspan="2" | 1971<ref>{{Cite report |url=https://www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/data/stat_report/product/B1129010/att/B11290101971XXXXE0100.pdf |title=Hong Hong Population and Housing Census 1971 Main Report |date=1972 |publisher=Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department |place=Hong Kong}}</ref>
! colspan="2" | 1991<ref>{{Cite journal|date=1991|title=Hong Kong 1991 Population Census – Main tables|url=https://www.statistics.gov.hk/pub/hist/1991_2000/B11200721991XXXXB0100.pdf|journal=Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong|access-date=23 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181013112025/https://www.statistics.gov.hk/pub/hist/1991_2000/B11200721991XXXXB0100.pdf|archive-date=13 October 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>
! colspan="2" | 1996<ref>{{Cite journal|date=1996|title=1996 Population By-census – Main Report|url=https://www.statistics.gov.hk/pub/hist/1991_2000/B11200831996XXXXE0100.pdf|journal=Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong|access-date=23 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181013094501/https://www.statistics.gov.hk/pub/hist/1991_2000/B11200831996XXXXE0100.pdf|archive-date=13 October 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>
! colspan="2" | 2001<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal|date=2001|title=2001 Population Census – Main report|url=https://www.statistics.gov.hk/pub/B11200272001XXXXB0400.pdf|journal=Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong|access-date=23 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181013094434/https://www.statistics.gov.hk/pub/B11200272001XXXXB0400.pdf|archive-date=13 October 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>
! colspan="2" | 2006<ref name=lang_06-16>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bycensus2016.gov.hk/en/bc-mt.html|title=Main Tables {{!}} 2016 Population By-census|website=www.bycensus2016.gov.hk|language=en-GB|access-date=2018-11-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181008214316/https://www.bycensus2016.gov.hk/en/bc-mt.html|archive-date=8 October 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>
! colspan="2" | 2011<ref name=lang_06-16 />
! colspan="2" | 2016<ref name=lang_06-16 />
! colspan="2" |2021<ref name=":3" />
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
!Number
!%
!Number
!%
!Number
!%
!Number
!%
!Number
!%
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
! Number
! %
!Number
! %
|-
! align="left" |[[Cantonese]]
| 2,076,210
| 79.0
| 3,469,235
| 88.1
| 4,583,322
| 88.6
| 5,196,240
| 88.7
| 5,726,972
| 89.2
| 6,030,960|| 90.8|| 6,095,213|| 89.5|| 6,264,700|| 88.9
|6,382,947
|88.2
|-
! align="left" |[[Mandarin Chinese|Mandarin]]
|26,021
|1.0
| rowspan="2" |405,147
| rowspan="2" |10.2
|57,577
|1.1
|65,892
|1.1
|55,410
|0.9
| 60,859|| 0.9|| 94,399|| 1.4|| 131,406|| 1.9
|165,541
|2.3
|-
! align="left" |[[Sinitic languages|Other Chinese languages]]
|348,544
|13.3
|364,694
|7.1
|340,222
|5.8
|352,562
|5.5
| 289,027|| 4.4|| 273,745|| 4.0|| 221,247|| 3.1
|204,571
|2.8
|-
! align="left" |[[English language|English]]
| 31,824
| 1.2
| 41,119
| 1.1
| 114,084
| 2.2
| 184,308
| 3.1
| 203,598
| 3.2
| 187,281|| 2.8|| 238,288|| 3.5|| 300,417|| 4.3
|330,782
|4.6
|-
! align="left" |Other languages
| 17,911
| 0.7
| 21,129
| 0.6
| 49,232
| 1.0
| 73,879
| 1.3
| 79,197
| 1.2
| 72,217|| 1.1|| 106,788|| 1.6|| 131,199|| 1.9
|149,376
|2.1
|- bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
! align="left" | Total
! colspan="2" |2,628,942
! colspan="2" |3,936,630
! colspan="2" |5,168,909
! colspan="2" |5,860,541
! colspan="2" |6,417,739|| colspan="2" |6,640,344|| colspan="2" |6,808,433|| colspan="2" |7,048,969
! colspan="2" |7,179,127
|}

However, a very large proportion of the population in Hong Kong are able to communicate in multiple languages. The school system is separated into English-medium and Chinese-medium school, both of which teach English and Mandarin.

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Proportion of population (5+) able to speak selected languages<ref name=lang_06-16 />
|-
!
!1991<ref name=":2" />
!1996<ref name=":2" />
!2001<ref name=":2" />
!2006<ref name=lang_06-16 />
!2011<ref name=lang_06-16 />
!2016<ref name=lang_06-16 />
!2021<ref name=":3" />
|-
!
! %
! %
! %
! %
! %
! %
! %
|-
! Cantonese
|{{percentage bar|95.8}}
|{{percentage bar|95.2}}
|{{percentage bar|96.1}}
|{{percentage bar|96.5}}
|{{percentage bar|95.8}}
|{{percentage bar|94.6}}
|{{percentage bar|93.7}}
|-
! English
|{{percentage bar|31.6}}
|{{percentage bar|38.1}}
|{{percentage bar|43.0}}
|{{percentage bar|44.7}}
|{{percentage bar|46.1}}
|{{percentage bar|53.2}}
|{{percentage bar|58.7}}
|-
! Mandarin
|{{percentage bar|18.1}}
|{{percentage bar|25.3}}
|{{percentage bar|34.1}}
|{{percentage bar|40.2}}
|{{percentage bar|47.8}}
|{{percentage bar|48.6}}
|{{percentage bar|54.2}}
|-
! Hakka
|{{percentage bar|5.3}}
|{{percentage bar|4.9}}
|{{percentage bar|5.1}}
|{{percentage bar|4.7}}
|{{percentage bar|4.7}}
|{{percentage bar|4.2}}
|{{percentage bar|3.6}}
|-
! Hokkien
|{{percentage bar|3.6}}
|{{percentage bar|3.9}}
|{{percentage bar|3.9}}
|{{percentage bar|3.4}}
|{{percentage bar|3.5}}
|{{percentage bar|3.6}}
|{{percentage bar|3.1}}
|-
! Tagalog
|{{percentage bar|1.1}}
|{{percentage bar|1.8}}
|{{percentage bar|1.9}}
|{{percentage bar|1.4}}
|{{percentage bar|1.7}}
|{{percentage bar|2.7}}
|{{percentage bar|2.8}}
|-
! Chiu Chow
|{{percentage bar|5.4}}
|{{percentage bar|5.0}}
|{{percentage bar|4.8}}
|{{percentage bar|3.9}}
|{{percentage bar|3.8}}
|{{percentage bar|3.4}}
|{{percentage bar|2.8}}
|-
! Bahasa Indonesia
|{{percentage bar|0.7}}
|{{percentage bar|0.9}}
|{{percentage bar|1.3}}
|{{percentage bar|1.7}}
|{{percentage bar|2.4}}
|{{percentage bar|2.7}}
|{{percentage bar|2.5}}
|-
! Japanese
|{{percentage bar|1.0}}
|{{percentage bar|1.2}}
|{{percentage bar|1.4}}
|{{percentage bar|1.2}}
|{{percentage bar|1.5}}
|{{percentage bar|1.8}}
|{{percentage bar|2.1}}
|-
! Shanghainese
|{{percentage bar|1.8}}
|{{percentage bar|1.6}}
|{{percentage bar|1.5}}
|{{percentage bar|1.2}}
|{{percentage bar|1.1}}
|{{percentage bar|1.1}}
|{{percentage bar|0.8}}
|}</div>

== Religion ==
{{main|Religion in Hong Kong}}
{{Pie chart
|thumb = left
|caption = Religion in Hong Kong (2016)<ref name=CIA>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/hong-kong/|title=CIA – The World Factbook – Hong Kong|publisher=Cia.gov |access-date=21 August 2021}}</ref>
|label1 = [[Irreligion|No religion]]
|value1 = 54.3
|color1 = Crimson
|label2 = Organised [[Buddhism]] and [[Taoism]]
|value2 = 27.9
|color2 = Gold
|label3 = [[Protestantism]]
|value3 = 6.7
|color3 = DodgerBlue
|label4 = [[Catholic Church|Catholicism]]
|value4 = 5.3
|color4 = Purple
|label5 = [[Islam]]
|value5 = 4.2
|color5 = DarkGreen
|label6 = [[Hinduism]]
|value6 = 1.4
|color6 = DarkOrange
|label7 = [[Sikhism]]
|value7 = 0.2
|color7 = DarkKhaki
}}
[[File:Hong Kong Budha.jpg|thumb|150px|The [[Tian Tan Buddha]] on [[Lantau Island]].]]
[[File:DaJiuFestival.jpg|thumb|150px|People honouring gods in a ''[[dajiao]]'' celebration, the [[Cheung Chau Bun Festival]].]]
Over half of all people (56.1% as of 2010) are not religious.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|url=https://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2014/01/global-religion-full.pdf|title=The Global Religious Landscape: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Major Religious Groups as of 2010|last=Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life|publisher=Pew Research Center|year=2012|access-date=5 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180323215026/http://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2014/01/global-religion-full.pdf|archive-date=23 March 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> Religious people in Hong Kong follow a diverse range of religions, among which [[Taoism|Taoist]] and [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] (specifically [[Chinese Buddhism]]) faiths are common for people of Chinese descent.

[[Confucianism|Confucian]] beliefs are popular in Hong Kong, but it is arguable whether Confucianism can be considered as a religion.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Berling|first=Judith A.|date=1982|title=Confucianism|url=https://www2.kenyon.edu/Depts/Religion/Fac/Adler/Reln270/Berling-Confucianism.htm|journal=Focus on Asian Studies|volume=2|issue=1|pages=5–7|access-date=5 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190605173016/https://www2.kenyon.edu/Depts/Religion/Fac/Adler/Reln270/Berling-Confucianism.htm|archive-date=5 June 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> As such, Confucianism is excluded in some studies.<ref name=":1" />

The Christian beliefs of [[Protestantism]] (with 500,000 members) and [[Catholicism]] (401,000 members) are also common, as well as non-organised Chinese [[folk religion]]s, whose followers may state that they are not religious.

Traditional religions including Chinese Buddhism were discouraged under [[British Hong Kong|British rule]], which officially represented Christianity.<ref name="Chan">Chan, Shun-hing. Leung, Beatrice. [2003] (2003). Changing Church and State Relations in Hong Kong, 1950–2000. Hong Kong: HK university press. Page 24. {{ISBN|962-209-612-3}}</ref> The handover of sovereignty from Britain to China has led to a resurgence of Buddhist and Chinese religions.<ref name="Chan" />

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: right;"
|+Estimated number of adherents in Hong Kong by religion<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.yearbook.gov.hk/2016/en/pdf/E21.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=9 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170812133130/https://www.yearbook.gov.hk/2016/en/pdf/E21.pdf |archive-date=12 August 2017 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Religion and Custom |url=https://www.yearbook.gov.hk/2021/en/pdf/E21.pdf |access-date=8 May 2023}}</ref>
|-bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
| align="center" |Region || 2008 || 2009 || 2010 || 2011 || 2012 || 2013 || 2016
|2021
|-bgcolor="#e0e0e0"
|-
| align="left" |Buddhists || > 1 million || > 1 million || > 1 million || > 1 million || > 1 million || > 1 million || > 1 million
|> 1 million
|-
| align="left" |Taoists || ≈ 1 million || ≈ 1 million ||≈ 1 million || ≈ 1 million || > 1 million || > 1 million || > 1 million
|> 1 million
|-
| align="left" |Protestant || 320,000 || 320,000 || 480,000 || 480,000 || 480,000 || ≈ 500,000 || 500,000
|500,000
|-
| align="left" |Catholics || 350,000 || 350,000 || 353,000 || 363,000 || 363,000 || 368,000 || 384,000
|401,000
|-
| align="left" |Muslims || 220,000 || 220,000 || 220,000 || 220,000 || 270,000 || 300,000 || 300,000
|300,000
|-
| align="left" |Hindu || 40,000 || 40,000 || 40,000 || 40,000 || 40,000 || 40,000 || 100,000
|100,000
|-
| align="left" |Sikhs || 10,000 || 10,000 || 10,000 || 10,000 || 10,000 || 10,000 || 12,000
|12,000
|-
|}

==See also==
{{Demographics of Hong Kong}}
{{Ethnicity in Hong Kong}}
{{portal|Hong Kong}}
*[[Hong Kong drifter]]
*[[Hong Kong Kids phenomenon]]
*[[Hongkongers|Hong Kongers]]
*[[Hong Kongers in the United Kingdom]]
*[[Indigenous inhabitants of the New Territories]]
*[[Right of abode in Hong Kong]]
*[[Emigration from Hong Kong]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite web|last=Fan|first=Shuh Ching|url=http://www.cicred.org/Eng/Publications/pdf/c-c21.pdf|title=The Population of Hong Kong|publisher=[[Committee for International Coordination of National Research in Demography]]|year=1974|access-date=7 July 2018|archive-date=18 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718182324/http://www.cicred.org/Eng/Publications/pdf/c-c21.pdf|url-status=dead}}
* {{cite journal|last1=Saw|first1=Swee-Hock|last2=Chiu|first2=Wing Kin|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/24489946|title=Population Growth and Redistribution in Hong Kong, 1841–1975|journal=[[Southeast Asian Journal of Social Science]]|volume=4|issue=1|year=1975|pages=123–131|publisher=[[Brill Publishers]]|doi=10.1163/080382476X00101|jstor=24489946|pmid=12263200|url-access=subscription}}
* {{cite web | last=Yiu | first=William | title=19,000 children arrive in Hong Kong with parents recruited under talent scheme | website=South China Morning Post | date=15 Oct 2023 | url=https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3237948/nearly-19000-children-arrive-hong-kong-parents-recruited-under-talent-scheme-not-all-schools-are | access-date=15 Oct 2023}}

==External links==
*[http://www.demographia.com/db-hkhist.htm Hong Kong Population History]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20061201061822/http://www.info.gov.hk/hkfacts.htm HK Facts]
*[http://www.topnews.in/baby-boom-pushes-hong-kong-population-above-7-million-2201664 TopNews.in – Baby boom pushes Hong Kong population above 7 million]
*Census and Statistics Department – [https://web.archive.org/web/20080519100835/http://www.censtatd.gov.hk/hong_kong_statistics/statistics_by_subject/index.jsp?subjectID=1&charsetID=1&displayMode=T Latest Official HK Population Statistics]
*[https://www.hkafricanassociation.com Hong Kong African Association (香港非洲人協會)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201202091956/https://www.hkafricanassociation.com/ |date=2 December 2020 }}
{{Hong Kong topics}}
{{Hong Kongers}}
{{Asia topic|Demographics of}}
{{Asia topic|Ethnic groups in}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Demographics Of Hong Kong}}
[[Category:Demographics of Hong Kong| ]]
[[Category:Demographics by city|Hong Kong]]