Population Decline After Hong Kong Security Law Enforcement... 90,000 People Left in One Year

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] It has been revealed that 90,000 people left Hong Kong within one year after the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law (Hong Kong Security Law).

On the 13th, the Hong Kong South China Morning Post (SCMP) cited data released by the Hong Kong government the previous day, reporting that the population of Hong Kong decreased by 1.2% over one year from mid-last year to mid-this year, with 89,200 residents leaving Hong Kong. This figure is more than four times higher than the previous year.

The population of Hong Kong decreased from 7.5 million in mid-last year to 7.39 million currently. SCMP stated, "Since mid-2003, the population of Hong Kong had shown an increasing trend every year, but it has entered a declining trend since mid-last year."

A spokesperson for the Hong Kong government said regarding the scale of residents leaving Hong Kong, "It is conceptually different from immigration," and claimed, "It is due to border closures caused by COVID-19 and the impact of overseas studies and employment."

However, Professor Paul Yip of the University of Hong Kong analyzed, "The population decline is due to a sharp increase in emigration in addition to low birth rates."

Professor Yip pointed out, "Of course, many people go abroad every year for studies and employment, but the government needs to investigate why the number has sharply increased this year."

He added, "Some people are concerned about freedom of expression and changes in the education system in a situation where the red line (a line not to be crossed) is unclear. Under such concerns, if there is a choice, they will choose to emigrate. The government needs to consider their concerns."

Professor Yip also added, "Due to the increase in emigration, Hong Kong will continue to experience population decline over the next one to two years."

The amount of early withdrawals from the Hong Kong pension, which can only be terminated early in the case of permanent emigration, recorded a historic high of HKD 6.6 billion (approximately KRW 986.4 billion) last year. This is a 27% sharp increase compared to the previous year.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.