ENG-1957 — Page 47

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HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT

the end of 1946 it was believed that the immediately pre-war level of 1,600,000 had been reached. An assessment of the population in September 1949 by the then Department of Statistics put the total at 1,857,000.

Estimates for subsequent years have been based mainly on the birth and death registration figures and on the arrival and departure figures modified, where necessary, by addi- tional information available at the time of making the estimate.

The population problem is-complicated by illegal immi- gration, and by the fact that in any one year the number of journeys made and recorded both ways across the frontiers is equal to or greater than the estimated total number of the population.

The population increased during 1957 by some 142,000 to reach an estimated total of 2,677,000. Of this increase 78,469 was due to the excess of registered births over registered deaths, and 63,813 to recorded immigration. The actual number of registered births was 97,834 in 1957 compared with 96,746 in 1956, and of registered deaths was 19,365 compared with 19,295 in 1956. These figures yield for 1957 a birth rate of 37.9 per mille and a death rate of 7.5 per mille.

URBAN!POPULATION

The majority of urban residents originally came from Kwangtung. As a result of economic and political changes in China during the past several years, a large number of people from Shanghai and the neighbouring area have established themselves in the Colony.

At the end of 1957 the number of British subjects from the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, excluding Service personnel and their dependents, numbered about 15,000. The total of non-Chinese residents, excluding British nationals, was about 8,450; of these the most numerous national communities were: American, 2, 190; Portuguese, 1,680;