XN000022-1980-08-18 — Page 2

MONDAY, AUGUST 18, 1980

5 067 900 POPULATION AT END OF JUNE

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HONG KONG'S ESTIMATED POPULATION AT THE END OF JUNE 1980 WAS 5 067 900, ACCORDING TO FIGURES RELEASED BY THE CENSUS AND STATISTICS DEPARTMENT.

THIS REPRESENTS AN INCREASE OF 50 900 PEOPLE OR 1.0 PER CENT OVER END-1979, AS COMPARED TO A TOTAL INCREASE OF 167 900 OR 3.4 PER CENT OVER MID-1979.

THE SLOWER RATE OF INCREASE IN THE FIRST HALF-YEAR OF 1980 WAS BROUGHT ABOUT BY LESS IMMIGRATION FROM CHINA AND A NET OUTFLOW OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES.

THE NUMBER OF LEGAL CHINESE IMMIGRANTS WHO ARRIVED IN THE FIRST SIX MONTHS OF 1980 WAS 26 900, COMPARED WITH 40 800 IN THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR.

THE ESTIMATED NUMBER OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS SUCCESSFULLY ENTERING HONG KONG WAS 32 700, WHICH WAS HALF THE CORRESPONDING NUMBER FOR 1979.

THE LARGEST CONSTITUENT IN THE GROWTH RATE WAS STILL NET IMMIGRATION, THAT IS THE BALANCE OF TOTAL ARRIVALS OVER TOTAL DEPARTURES, WHICH ACCOUNTED FOR 42 700 OR 0.8 PER CENT.

THE NATURAL INCREASE IN POPULATION WAS 25 700 OR 0.5 PER CENT. THIS INCLUDED 618 HONG KONG-BORN BABIES OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES AND 75 DEATHS OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES.

THE BALANCE OF ARRIVALS OVER DEPARTURES OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES REPRESENTED A DECREASE OF 17 500 OR 0.3 PER CENT.

THE TOTAL NUMBER OF BIRTHS (EXCLUDING 618 BIRTHS GIVEN BY VIETNAMESE REFUGEES) FOR THE FIRST HALF OF 1980 WAS 38 700, WHICH WAS 3.6 PER CENT HIGHER THAN THE NUMBER FOR THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR. THIS WAS ATTRIBUTABLE TO THE GRADUAL INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF WOMEN IN THE CHILDBEARING AGES 15 - 49.

THE TOTAL NUMBER OF DEATHS (EXCLUDING 75 DEATHS OF VIETNAMESE REFUGEES), AT 13 500, WAS HIGHER BY 5.5 PER CENT. THE INCREASE WAS ASSOCIATED MAINLY WITH THE GROWING NUMBER OF OLD PEOPLE IN THE POPULATION.

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