December 2015 issue of Hong Kong Monthly Digest of Statistics now available
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     The Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) published today (December 15) the December 2015 issue of the Hong Kong Monthly Digest of Statistics (HKMDS).

     Apart from providing up-to-date statistics, this issue also contains two feature articles entitled "Hong Kong's Trade Involving Outward Processing in the Mainland of China, 2004 to 2014" and "The Fertility Trend in Hong Kong, 1981 to 2014".

"Hong Kong's Trade Involving Outward Processing in the Mainland of China, 2004 to 2014"

     Outward processing (OP) activities play an important role in Hong Kong's trade with the mainland of China (the Mainland). Trade of OP nature is mingled with other types of trade under the existing system of recording trade statistics. To better assess the performance of Hong Kong's trade with the Mainland, C&SD has been conducting monthly surveys to collect data on trade involving OP in the Mainland since 1988. The main objective of the surveys is to separate OP trade from the regular trade.  Starting from 2010, additional data on the arrangement for OP in the Mainland was collected in the survey.

     Feature articles addressing this subject have been published regularly in this Digest since 1995. This feature article describes Hong Kong's trade involving OP in the Mainland during the period from 2004 to 2014.

     For enquiries about this feature article, please contact the Outward Processing and Shipping Statistics Section, C&SD (Tel: 2582 4889; email: ops@censtatd.gov.hk).

"The Fertility Trend in Hong Kong, 1981 to 2014"

     Broadly speaking, Hong Kong's fertility showed a declining trend over the past 33 years. Despite the moderate re-bounce in recent years, the total fertility rate of Hong Kong has been consistently below the replacement level of 2 100.

     This feature article gives a brief account of the fertility trend in Hong Kong over the period from 1981 to 2014 and analyses the factors underlying the fertility trend.

     For enquiries about this feature article, please contact the Demographic Statistics Section, C&SD (Tel: 3903 6933; email: population@censtatd.gov.hk).

     Published in bilingual form, the HKMDS is a compact volume of official statistics containing about 140 tables. It collects up-to-date statistical series on various aspects of the social and economic situation of Hong Kong. Topics include population; labour; external trade; National Income and Balance of Payments; prices; business performance; energy; housing and property; Government accounts, finance and insurance; and transport, communications and tourism. For selected key statistical items, over 20 charts depicting the annual trend in the past decade and quarterly or monthly trend in the recent two years are also available. Users can download the Digest free of charge at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/hkstat/sub/sp140.jsp?productCode=B1010002).

     Enquiries about the contents of the Digest can be directed to the Statistical Information Services Section of the C&SD (Tel: 2582 4738; email: gen-enquiry@censtatd.gov.hk).

Ends/Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Issued at HKT 16:00

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