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Emigration file.
175266 MDLIAN 8751
8
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FM HONG KONG
TO PRIORITY F C O
TELNO 1392
OF 070345Z MAY 91
INFO PRIORITY PEKING
RECEIVED IN DECISTRY
HKD
341
- 7 JUN 1991
TOP COPY Q DIST?
DESK OFFICER INDEX
PA
ACTH
THE 1991 POPULATION CENSUS TOOK PLACE FROM 15 TO 24 MARCH
THIS IS THE FIRST FULL CENSUS SINCE 1981. RESULTS OF THE PRELIMINARY COUNT ARE SUMMARISED BELOW:
1991.
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)
THE 1991 POPULATION CENSUS ENUMERATED A RESIDENT POPULATION OF 5,698,000 AS AT 15 MARCH 1991, REPRESENTING AN INCREASE OF 588,000 OVER 1981.
THE AVERAGE ANNUAL GROWTH RATE OF THE POPULATION
SLOWED DOWN FROM 1.5 PER CENT IN 1981-86 TO 0.7 PER CENT
IN 1986-91.
THERE HAS BEEN A DECREASE IN THE NUMBER OF BIRTHS IN RECENT YEARS, FROM AN AVERAGE OF 82,000 PER YEAR IN 1981-85 TO AN AVERAGE OF 71,000 PER YEAR IN 1986-90. HOWEVER, THE NUMBER OF DEATHS PER YEAR HAS REMAINED QUITE STABLE, AT AROUND 26,500 THROUGHOUT THE DECADE.
THIS HAS RESULTED IN A LOWER NATURAL INCREASE.
AS A RESULT OF THE CONTINUING DEVELOPMENT OF THE NEW TOWNS, THERE WAS A SUBSTANTIAL REDISTRIBUTION OF THE POPULATION FROM KOWLOON AND NEW KOWLOON TO THE NEW TERRITORIES DURING THE PAST DECADE. THE SHARE OF THE POPULATION ON HONG KONG ISLAND, HOWEVER, SHOWED NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE. TOTAL RESIDENT POPULATION NOW
DISTRIBUTED 22 PER CENT ON HONG KONG ISLAND, 36 PER CENT IN KOWLOON AND NEW KOWLOON AND 42 PERCENT
IN THE NEW TERRITORIES.
MAIN OBSERVATIONS
(A)
THE AVERAGE ANNUAL GROWTH RATE OF 0.7 PER CENT OVER 1986-1991 IS STILL HIGHER THAN THE POPULATION GROWTH RATES FOR JAPAN (0.5) AND U.K. (0.3), BUT LOWER THAN THE CORRESPONDING GROWTH RATES FOR U.S.A. (0.9), SINGAPORE (1.2), TAIWAN (1.2) AND CHINA (1.3).
1
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