HONG KONG: Hong Kong’s population rose 2.1 per cent from the middle of last year to June this year, provisional government figures showed on Tuesday (Aug 15), marking the first significant uptick since a downward trend began in 2020 due to stringent COVID-19 measures.
The number of people living in the city increased by 152,000 in the period, pushing the special Chinese administrative region’s population to 7,498,100 in mid-2023.
It was the highest figure since 2019 when the city’s mid-year population hit 7,507,900.
The government attributed the rise to the relaxation of COVID-19 measures since the second half of 2022 and the resumption of normal travel between Hong Kong, the Chinese mainland and the rest of the world.
“Many Hong Kong residents who stayed abroad during the epidemic have returned to Hong Kong, while some mainland and overseas persons have also been admitted to Hong Kong through various schemes,” the government said.