Feb. 16 (UPI) -- Hong Kong's population is declining. It dropped by 68,300 people between the end of 2021 and the end of 2022.
Hong Kong's Census and Statistics Department said Thursday that the city's population was 7,333,200 at the end of 2022. That compares with 7,401,500 at the end of 2021.
Fewer people are living in Hong Kong due to a natural decrease from deaths surpassing births, accounting for 29,500 people. There was also a "net outflow" of 38,800 people who decided to leave the city, according to Hong Kong's government.
The city's fertility rate is "persistently among the lowest in Asian economies," Hong Kong's Census and Statistics Department said in a statement.
Related
Births dropped significantly in Hong Kong from 52,900 in 2019 to 32,500 in 2022. Deaths, meanwhile, edged up from 49,000 to 62,100 "under the fifth wave of the epidemic in 2022 and in tandem with aging trend of the population."
"Amidst the continued impact of COVID-19, cross-boundary travel has been interrupted. It is observed that the inflow of people into Hong Kong has remained at a low level for most of the time in 2022 before seeing a slight rebound near the end of 2022, subsequent to the gradual relaxation of anti-epidemic control measures," the statement said.
To help counteract the population decline, Hong Kong is trying broad policy initiatives aimed at reversing a "brain drain" of talent that has shrunk its worker population.
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said in October 2022 that population declines in the city reduced the workforce by 140,000 since 2020. He said them the city will spend $3.8 billion to draw both more people and greater business investment.
In Thursday's statement Hong Kong's government said, "In terms of pooling of talents, the Government has announced in the 2022 Policy Address various talent attraction measures and set performance indicator on trawling for outside talents, with the aim to admit at least 35,000 talents annually with an intended duration of stay of at least 12 months through the talent admissions schemes from 2023 to 2025."
