According to a survey by the Chinese University of Hong Kong, about a third of Hongkongers would move abroad if given the chance, mainly due to the city’s bleak economic prospects. The results came from a poll conducted by the Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies last month, which also asked respondents to rate the city’s liveability and find out where they would emigrate. A little over 34% of those surveyed said they would leave Hong Kong for good, despite rating the city’s liveability at 60.8, which the report said was “statistically significantly higher” than last year’s rating of 56.5.
The main reasons cited for a desire to move from the SAR were “dismal economic situation/overcast economic future” (23.8%), “undemocratic political system” (14.9%), “excessive political disputes/unstable politics” (14.1%), and “poor living environment/congested living space” (12.5%). The most popular choice for a new life overseas is Australia (12.7%), followed by the UK (10.4%), Canada (9.7%), and Taiwan (7.9%).
Most respondents who are inclined to depart Hong Kong (48.3%) were not concerned about their life after migrating abroad. However, 21.5% are concerned about “difficulty in finding a job”, while 20.5% are worried about “insufficient income or savings”. Some who have no plans to leave the city said they made their decision because they fear they won’t be able to adapt or integrate into a new society (17.9%) or wouldn’t be able to earn or save enough (9.1%).
The survey also asked respondents whether they planned to shift to Mainland China, with 20.7% saying they would move north of the border. Over 46% of them said Hong Kong was too expensive to live in due to “excessive consumer prices”, and that lower costs (54.8%) and bigger living spaces (42.6%) were the biggest draws of the Mainland.
The population of Hong Kong has been steadily increasing since 2012 and hit a pre-pandemic high of 7,520,500 in 2019. However, the population dipped in 2020 by 1.2% and further dropped in 2021, when the Covid-19 pandemic was at its peak globally and the city’s anti-epidemic measures were at their most restrictive. The city’s population once again crossed the 7.5-million mark at the end of 2023 thanks to returning residents, and stood at 7,531,800 in mid-2024, according to the Census and Statistics Department.
Header image credits: Hong Kong International Airport
