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According to the statistics released by the Census and Statistics Department today (August 13), the provisional estimate of the Hong Kong Population was 7 136 300 at mid-2012, representing an increase of 64 700 or 0.9% from 7 071 600 in mid-2011 (Table 1).
Obtained by subtracting the number of deaths of 43 100 from the number of births of 93 200, the natural increase of the population from mid-2011 to mid-2012 amounted to 50 100. Over the same period, there was a net movement (i.e. inflow less outflow) of 14 600 Hong Kong residents.
Births and inflow of One-way Permit holders (OWPHs) were important constituents of the overall population increase. The number of births, which comprised births born to Hong Kong residents and non-Hong Kong residents, from mid-2011 to mid-2012 was 93 200 and its ratio to the overall population increase was 144%. As for the inflow of OWPHs in the same period, the ratio of the number, at 52 100, to the overall population increase was 80%.
Deaths during the period offset part of the increase. The ratio of the number of deaths, at 43 100, to the overall population increase was 67%. Besides, if OWPHs were excluded, there was a net outflow of 37 400 persons, bearing a ratio of 58% to the overall population increase.
The Hong Kong Population is measured on the definition of Resident Population, which comprises Usual Residents and Mobile Residents. Among the total population at mid-2012, 6 935 500 (provisional) were Usual Residents and 200 800 (provisional) were Mobile Residents.
"Usual Residents" include two categories of people: (1) Hong Kong Permanent Residents who have stayed in Hong Kong for at least three months during the six months before or for at least three months during the six months after the reference time-point, regardless of whether they are in Hong Kong or not at the reference time-point; and (2) Hong Kong Non-permanent Residents who are in Hong Kong at the reference time-point.
"Mobile Residents" are Hong Kong Permanent Residents who have stayed in Hong Kong for at least one month but less than three months during the six months before or for at least one month but less than three months during the six months after the reference time-point, regardless of whether they are in Hong Kong or not at the reference time-point.
The revised figure for the year-end population for 2011 was 7 112 400. The number of Usual Residents was revised to 6 889 700 and the number of Mobile Residents to 222 700. The population growth rate from end-2010 to end-2011 was also revised to 0.9%.
The population figures for recent years are shown in Table 2.
Under the current practice, the latest population figure is released on a provisional basis in each round. The revised figure will be released six months later. In other words, while the provisional population figure for mid-2012 is released today, the corresponding revised figure will be released in February 2013.
Ends/Monday, August 13, 2012
Issued at HKT 16:30
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