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Figures announced on Aug. 12 revealed that Hong Kong's population had declined by 1.2 per cent over the past year.

What's more, the difference in residents leaving the city as opposed to moving there declined by 90,000.

This is the most significant decline since Hong Kong began keeping records in 1961.

The city had only recorded a population decline once before, after the SARS epidemic in 2003. The population went down by 0.2 per cent.

Rise in net outflows

According to AFP, mid-year population estimates for 2021 show that the city's population stood at 7,394,700, a decrease of 87,100 (1.2 per cent) from the same time last year.

End-of-year figures in 2020 also show the same 1.2 per cent decline, which means there has been no drop-off in the population decline over the past few months.

Over the past year, there has been a net outflow of 89,200 people, which is more than four times the figure recorded last year (20,900).

Possible causes

Hong Kong is an ageing society, with 11,800 more deaths than births in 2020.

A government spokesperson quoted by Bloomberg said the residents leaving Hong Kong is "conceptually different" from immigration and emigration, as this number included those leaving the city to work and study, and might return.

The spokesperson also cited the stringent travel restrictions in place due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which resulted in fewer people arriving in Hong Kong.

However, Hong Kong has also seen the departure of residents who decided to leave after the implementation of a national security law, pushed through despite months of protests in 2019 and 2020.

A significant number have taken up residence in the UK, after it announced a "path to citizenship" for anyone with a British national overseas passport, The Guardian reported.

Following this, China said it would not recognise the passport as a legitimate travel document. China says the path to citizenship is a violation of international law and interferes with its internal affairs.

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Top image from Brand Hong Kong Facebook page.

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