The majority of Hong Kong residents under the age of 50 say they are unwilling to have children. The main reason, says a women’s welfare group, is high living costs. According to a survey conducted by the Hong Kong Women Development Association (HKWDA), the number of people in the city who expressed a desire to start a family in the past three years was at an all-time low as they feel their pay rises cannot match rising inflation.
Why Hongkongers Are Choosing Not to Have Children
Media reports say the HKWDA survey revealed that only 28% of Hong Kong residents want to have children. The study also found that young people are less willing to become parents — only 23% aged 19-29 and 33% in the 30-39 age group. The main reason cited was financial pressures, followed by the desire to have personal freedom, and housing shortage concerns. Respondents also said that a lack of childcare options and their busy work schedules prevented them from starting a family.
The survey was conducted from mid-January to mid-February 12 this year, when 1,320 Hongkongers under 50 years old and 960 others over that age were polled. The association also said that the number of people wanting children over the past three years hit a record low.
Fewer Children, More Kindergarten Closures
This disinclination toward parenthood among Hongkongers is likely directly responsible for the territory’s falling live-birth numbers. Fewer than 50,000 babies have been born in Hong Kong every year since 2020, which has led to a spate of kindergarten closures in the city over the past couple of years.
A report by the Education Bureau stated that there were 1,009 preschools for children aged 3-6 years old in 2023, but according to estimates in the 2024-2025 budget, that number has fallen to 980. The run-up to the current academic year therefore saw 29 kindergartens shut — the most in more than a decade. However, primary and secondary schools do not appear have been hit so hard as yet, with figures for both at 10-year highs.
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