Editorial | Handouts not the only answer to birth rate in Hong Kong
Childcare and flexibility in the workplace are also important, surveys of Hong Kong women have found
The number of births in Hong Kong surged by 11 per cent to 36,700 last year, but it was still the third lowest since data began in 1961.
A big rebound after the pandemic was to be expected, helped by the introduction of a universal HK$20,000 (US$2,600) baby bonus and the impact of the Year of the Dragon, which is deemed auspicious for childbirth.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu introduced the three-year baby bonus in October 2023 to boost the birth rate and counter an ageing population.
Officials have estimated that by 2025-26, the annual number of births could reach 39,000 – a 20 per cent jump from a low of 32,500 in 2022.
That remains to be seen, given that the combined impact of the bonus, the auspicious year and end of the pandemic raised the number of births by 4,500 in 2024. It is difficult to gauge the relative impacts of the baby bonus and the Year of the Dragon.
Population expert Professor Paul Yip Siu-fai of the University of Hong Kong said the number of births would have fallen last year without government incentives, but the rise was also related to the Year of the Dragon.