Hong Kong experiences largest population decline since records began

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Rain in Hong Kong: The typhoon season in the region is underway

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The population in the former British colony of Hong Kong is shrinking significantly.

As media unanimously reported, citing government data, the population fell by 121,500 between mid-2021 and mid-2022.

According to this, 7.291 million people still live in the big city, a decrease of 1.6 percent.

According to CNN, it is the largest population decline since statistics began in 1961.

According to the authorities, the decline has a “natural” cause: more people died than were born during the period.

But according to CNN, experts express doubts about this version.

According to this, the strict measures against the corona pandemic, including restrictions on air traffic, drastic quarantine rules after entry and restrictions on gastronomy, would still have existed when the rest of the world was relaxed again across the board.

Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce criticizes - city wants to react

According to the report, business representatives had already warned during the peak phase of the pandemic that the drastic measures could drive foreigners and tourists living in the city out of the city.

The measures also had a significant impact on the city's economy.

"More than two and a half years of restrictions due to Covid-19 have weighed heavily on companies and the economy," said Hong Kong's Chamber of Commerce recently.

According to CNN, the authorities recently admitted that the corona measures had an impact on population development.

Accordingly, the influx of population was smaller due to the restrictions on flying.

At the same time, the authorities pointed out that the population in the city had always been "mobile" and that there had been constant population declines over the past ten years.

With the lifting of the measures, the development should be reversed.

Opposition withdraws abroad

Many people may have left the city for political reasons.

Beijing had continuously expanded its influence on the special administrative region in recent years.

Democracy activists are being prosecuted with the draconian "security law" and some are being sentenced to long terms. 

Most recently, John Lee, a particularly loyal official to Beijing, came to power as the new Hong Kong head of government.

As head of security, he was already largely responsible for the suppression of the pro-democracy movement.

Fleeing repression, many pro-democracy activists have fled abroad, many to London and the UK because of a passport regime. 

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