LCQ19: Providing support to centenarians
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Question:
A study has pointed out that the population of centenarians in Hong Kong increased from 1 890 in 2011 to 11 575 in 2021, representing an increase of over five times. There are views suggesting that with the continued increase in the number of centenarians in Hong Kong, the Government should formulate targeted support measures for them. However, due to inadequate publicity and promotion for the existing Birthday Greetings to Centenarians programme (under which the Administration sends birthday greeting letters and cards every year to Hong Kong residents who are 100 years old) (the programme), most people are even unaware of the programme, thus limiting its effectiveness. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the current number of Hong Kong residents aged 100 or above in the 18 districts of Hong Kong, with a breakdown by District Council district;
(2) of the total number of greeting letters and cards sent by the authorities since the launch of the programme; the respective total numbers of greeting letters and cards sent by the authorities to eligible persons aged (i) 100, (ii) 105 and (iii) 106 or above in each of the past five years;
(3) of the details of the major publicity and promotion work undertaken by the authorities since the launch of the programme; whether they will step up the relevant work in the future to enhance public awareness of the programme; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(4) as participation in the programme at present relies mainly on nominations of centenarians by members of the public or organisations, whether the authorities will consider making use of the information referred to in part (1) to proactively send greeting letters and cards to all eligible centenarians, introduce the presentation of birthday red packets, and arrange visits in collaboration with District Services and Community Care Teams, so as to show further care for centenarians and gain a deeper understanding of their needs; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(5) whether the Labour and Welfare Bureau and the Elderly Commission will conduct research into the physical and mental health of very elderly persons and their service needs, with a view to gaining a more precise understanding of their needs and formulating targeted support measures; if so, of the research directions and timetable; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
In consultation with the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) and the Social Welfare Department (SWD), a consolidated reply to the Member's question is as follows:
(1) The population censuses/by-censuses conducted by the C&SD every five years is the major source of data on the number of Hong Kong residents aged 100 and above. The corresponding figures for other years are not available from the C&SD due to data limitations. Furthermore, the C&SD has not compiled a breakdown of residents aged 100 and above by District Council district.
(2) to (5) Since 2002, the Elderly Commission (EC) annually invites relevant government departments, elderly service providers, and district organisations to nominate centenarians. The Secretary for Labour and Welfare and the EC Chairman respectively send birthday greeting letters and cards to Hong Kong residents aged 100, and annually thereafter on their 105th and subsequent birthdays as a token of respect. We will also make corresponding arrangements upon receipt of nominations and information of the concerned elderly persons from individual citizens or organisations. Over the past five years, the total numbers of greeting letters and cards sent to Hong Kong residents aged 100 and 105 or above are as follows:
| Number of greeting letters and cards sent to elderly persons aged 100 and 105 or above | |||||
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
| Aged 100 | 870 | 899 | 940 | 1 004 | 1 583 |
| Aged 105 or above | 242 | 433 | 639 | 462 | 192 |
| Total | 1 112 | 1 332 | 1 579 | 1 466 | 1 775 |
To strengthen support for elderly persons and carers, the SWD has extended the District Services and Community Care Teams - Scheme on Supporting Elderly and Carers to all 18 districts across the city in April 2025. Through visits and daily contacts, the Care Teams proactively identify elderly persons (including those aged 100 or above) in need and their carers to extend care, provide appropriate support to them, and refer persons in need to relevant social welfare service units for follow-up.
The Labour and Welfare Bureau (LWB) will review the overall arrangements for birthday greeting letters and cards in due course, and will continue to enhance publicity through suitable channels, including various service units under the SWD as well as the Elder Academies (EA) Clusters in five districts under the EA Scheme (www.elderacademy.org.hk) jointly launched by the LWB and the EC.
The Chief Executive announced in the 2025 Policy Address the establishment of the Working Group on Ageing Society Strategies (Working Group), with the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration leading all policy bureaux to formulate strategies to tackle challenges of an ageing society. The Working Group completed and announced the Report on Ageing Society Strategies on September 18 this year, putting forward 73 measures across 11 areas, including enhancing the collection of information on the elderly population by the C&SD to provide a solid data foundation for policy formulation. Furthermore, the C&SD has been collecting data on the health, elderly care, and social inclusion of elderly persons through thematic household surveys conducted in recent years. The LWB and the EC will continue to closely monitor the demographic changes and service demands of the elderly population. There is currently no plan to carry out specific research projects targeting the oldest-old.
Ends/Wednesday, October 14, 2026
Issued at HKT 12:26
Issued at HKT 12:26
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