 |
| Fewer people having babies in Hong Kong these days |
In another sign that Hongkongers are leaving the city in droves is the birth rate... which has increased in England and Wales. Almost 2,000 babies were born in these two places as opposed to the parents' hometown, due to migration using BNO pathways.
"When the young people left, they also took their fertility to other places," said Paul Yip Siu-fai, a population expert at the University of Hong Kong. "We are very likely to fall into a low-fertility trap and have little chance of escaping it."
 |
| The red line shows birth rate, black death rate |
The figures were for England and Wales, while Scotland and Northern Ireland record their own statistics.
The BNO migration pathway came into effect after the national security law was implemented in 2020. Successful applicants and their dependants can live, work and study in the UK for up to five years, and then are eligible to apply for citizenship.
Between January 2021 and June this year, 176,407 Hong Kong applications were approved, a 97 percent success rate.
Meanwhile in Hong Kong, the number of births plunged from 52,900 in 2019 to 43,000 in 2020, 37,000 in 2021, and only 32,500 last year, a decline of almost 40 percent over four years.
 |
| Yip urges govt to help families |
Yip says Hong Kong's falling birthrate is due to "a basket of reasons."
He urged the government to give baby bonuses and provide families with more childcare support, and emphasised the need to improve the education system.
This is not news... Yip has been sounding the alarm for years, while Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu says he is looking into it...
No comments:
Post a Comment