XN000022-1982-04-29 — Page 5

THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 1982

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PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF 1981 POPULATION CENSUS

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HONG KONG'S POPULATION IS BECOMING OLDER, WITH ITS MEDIAN AGE INCREASING FROM 22 IN 1971 TO 26 IN 1981.

THIS FACT IS AMONG THE BROAD FINDINGS OF THE 1981 POPULATION CENSUS CONTAINED IN A SPECIAL REVIEW ARTICLE IN THE JANUARY ISSUE OF THE HONG KONG MONTHLY DIGEST OF STATISTICS, WHICH IS ON SALE TODAY (TUESDAY).

THE ARTICLE PRESENTS THE SOCIAL, ECONOMIC AND DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF THE POPULATION AS REVEALED BY THE CENSUS WHICH WAS CONDUCTED IN MARCH LAST YEAR.

ACCORDING TO THE 1981 CENSUS, THERE WERE 5.11 MILLION RESIDENTS OF HONG KONG IN MARCH 1981. SOME 4 986 560 PERSONS WERE ENUMERATED IN THE CENSUS, BUT THE FIGURE EXCLUDES TRANSIENTS AND VIETNAMESE REFUGEES, AND 123 252 RESIDENTS WHO WERE AWAY FROM HONG KONG ON THE REFERENCE DATE. THE POPULATION COUNT SHOWED AN

INCREASE OF 1.05 MILLION PEOPLE OVER THE 1971 CENSUS COUNT, GIVING AN AVERAGE ANNUAL GROWTH RATE OF 2.4 PER CENT.

AS A RESULT OF CHANGES BOTH IN THE AGE-SEX STRUCTURE OF THE POPULATION AND IN THE LEVELS OF LABOUR PARTICIPATION, HONG KONG HAD A MUCH LARGER LABOUR FORCE THAN IN 1971, THE LABOUR FORCE GROWING AT AN AVERAGE ANNUAL RATE OF 4.5 PER CENT IN THE PERIOD FROM 1971 TO 1981.

THE CENSUS SHOWED ALSO THAT HONG KONG'S FAMILIES ARE

BECOMING SMALLER, WITH THE AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD SIZE DECREASING STEADILY FROM 4.5 IN 1971 TO 3.9 IN 1981.

SIMPLE NUCLEAR FAMILIES WERE MOST COMMON, COMPRISING 54 PER CENT OF ALL DOMESTIC HOUSEHOLDS,

LAST YEAR 39 PER CENT OF THE POPULATION WERE IN PUBLIC AND AIDED HOUSING AS AGAINST THE 38 PER CENT IN 1971. THE PERCENTAGE IN TEMPORARY HOUSING, HOWEVER, REMAINED EFFECTIVELY UNCHANGED DURING THE 10-YEAR PERIOD.

THE 1981 CENSUS ALSO PROVIDED A GLIMPSE OF THE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CONDITIONS OF THE CHINESE IMMIGRANT POPULATION (THOSE WHO CAME TO HONG KONG DURING THE PERIOD 1976-80). ABOUT A QUARTER OF THEM WERE LIVING IN TEMPORARY HOUSING, AS COMPARED WITH A CORRESPONDING FIGURE OF 7.5 PER CENT FOR THE LOCAL POPULATION.

IT SHOWED ALSO THAT A LARGER PROPORTION OF IMMIGRANTS THAN OF THE LOCAL POPULATION AT ALL AGES, WERE IN THE LABOUR FORCE. FOR EXAMPLE, THERE WAS A HIGHER PROPORTION OF MALE IMMIGRANTS AGED 20 TO 34 IN THE LABOUR FORCE (99 PER CENT) THAN IN THE CASE OF THEIR LOCAL COUNTERPARTS (95 PER CENT). THE DIFFERENCE WAS PARTICULARLY MARKED AMONG FEMALES.

THE CETĪVS