25 POPULATION AND IMMIGRATION
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HONG KONG's population was an estimated 6 421 300 at the end of 1996 up 2.4 per cent from a year earlier. This was due to 32 800 more births than deaths and a net inflow of 118 500 people. It represented an increase of 15 per cent over the 1986 population of 5 565 700. The annual growth rate over the decade averaged 1.4 per
cent.
The birth rate continued to decline, from 13 per 1000 in 1986 to 10 per 1 000 in 1996, while the death rate remained at about five per 1 000. Consequently, the rate of natural increase dropped from eight to five per 1 000 over the decade. The proportion of the population aged under 15 years fell from 23 per cent in 1986 to 19 per cent in 1996, while that aged 65 years and over rose from 8 per cent to 10 per cent. The age dependency ratio the ratio of the young and the aged to people of age 15 to 64 dropped from 443 per 1 000 in 1986 to 407 per 1 000 in 1996.
With its land area of only 1 095 square kilometres, Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated places in the world. The overall population density per square kilometre was 5 990 in 1996. Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, which represent the territory's older urban areas, had 26 460 people per square kilometre, while the New Territories, which includes most of the new towns, had only 3 070 people per square kilometre. More statistics appear in Appendix 32.
Immigration Department
Apart from controlling the movement of people into and out of Hong Kong, the Immigration Department provides services to local residents including the issue of travel documents; visas and identity cards; naturalisation; and the registration of births, deaths and marriages. Considerable effort also goes into detecting and prosecuting immigration law offenders, and removing illegal immigrants.
Policies are framed to limit to an acceptable level population growth brought about by immigration, and to control the entry of foreign workers. Immigration procedures for Hong Kong residents, tourists and businessmen are streamlined. Effort is also made to prevent the entry of undesirable persons and the departure of persons wanted for criminal offences.
The department has implemented a long-term information systems strategy through the application of advanced technology. Immigration officers pay regular visits overseas to maintain close liaison with their counterparts abroad.