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Population
THE total estimated population at the end of 1980 was 5,147,900, comprising 2,693,400 males and 2,454,500 females. This represents an increase of 29 per cent on the 1970 popula- tion estimate of 3,995,400.
The average annual rate of increase over the 10-year period was 2.6 per cent, with the rate fluctuating year by year because of changes in migration flow- particularly during the past three years, in which there has been large-scale immigration from China - both legal and illegal - and a massive inflow of boat refugees from Vietnam. This is seen more dramatically in a breakdown of the growth rate by years: the average annual growth rate from 1971 to 1977 being only 1.9 per cent, while that of the years 1978, 1979, and 1980 was 3.4 per cent, 6.3 per cent and 2.6 per cent, respectively.
At the same time, the rate of natural increase dropped steadily over the decade of the 70s from 14.9 to 12.0 per thousand. This was the result of the birth rate declining from thousand in 1970 to 16.9 per thousand in 1980, and the death rate remaining stable at about five per thousand.
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In the early part of the 10-year period, the decline in the birth rate was caused by there being fewer women in the prime child-bearing ages of 25 to 34, and by women generally having fewer children. In the later part, the decrease was mainly the result of fewer births. In recent years, later marriages also have contributed to this trend, along with improve- ments in education and job opportunities.
Reflecting the baby boom of the 1950s and early 1960s, the number of women in the fertile age group of 25 to 34 years will increase substantially from 387,800 in 1980 to 538,400 by 1990. To counter an anticipated large increase in the number of births during this period, the government is making available to those who desire them a whole range of family planning services. Continuous efforts are being made to encourage the development of small families.
Hong Kong, with a land area of only 1,060 square kilometres, is one of the most densely- populated places in the world. The overall density per square kilometre at the end of 1980 was 4,852. But this figure obscures the wide variety of density between individual areas. According to the 1976 by-census, the density for the metropolitan areas of Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, New Kowloon and Tsuen Wan was 25,400 people per square kilometre; but for the New Territories it was 554 per square kilometre. This will, of course, change with the development of new towns in the New Territories. Six new towns are currently being developed to alleviate high density in the urban areas and to help provide an increasing population with better housing and an improved living environment.
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The population of Hong Kong is still young in 1980 about 37 per cent were below the age of 20. But the median age of the population was 25.1, compared with 21.2 10 years ago. The age distribution of the population has also changed considerably. In 1970, 37.1