Hong Kong births plunge below 30,000 for first time on record, despite HK$20k payouts for new parents

Fewer than 30,000 babies were born over the past year, despite the government’s monetary incentives aimed at encouraging fertility. It marks the first time mid-year births have fallen beneath 30,000. Lunchtime at a kindergarten. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. According to figures released by the Census and Statistics Department on Tuesday, a total of 29,709 babies were born from July 2025 to to the end of June this year. Ten years ago, the number of births was more than double the latest figures at 59,863. The falling birth rate comes even as the government has made encouraging fertility one of its priorities in recent years. During the policy address in 2023, authorities announced a baby bonus scheme that awards a HK$20,000 allowance to families for each newborn. The three-year scheme applies to families in which at least one parent is a Hong Kong permanent resident, and whose babies are born between October 2023 and this October. A survey by the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute (PORI) in October 2024 found that those who did not want children cited the city’s education system, political environment and living space as among their reasons. The number of births increased after the baby bonus was implemented, but has since fallen again. Handouts insufficient, lawmaker says Some Hongkongers have said the handout was not enough to encourage couples to have children. Critics pointed to insufficient childcare options as well as the high cost of raising a child in the city. It is unclear if the scheme will be continued after it expires this October. Children running around in a playground in Hong Kong. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. Lawmaker Nixie Lam, who has pushed for the government to promote fertility, said cash handouts were only a short-term measure, HK01 reported. She suggested the government look into the pressures faced by women aged between 25 and 45, and their considerations when thinking about whether to have a child, to formulate more targeted policies. Authorities have also introduced other measures aimed at boosting the birth rate, including expanding a tax allowance scheme for parents, as well as giving parents with newborns priority in the public housing rental queue. Safeguard press freedom; keep HKFP free for all readers by supporting our team Support HKFP | Policies & Ethics | Error/typo? | Contact | Newsletter | Transparency & Annual Report | Apps Make a one-off donation. Corrections:3:05pm, 20.8.26: An early version of this article's headline referred to the birth rate, as opposed to the number of births. We regret the error. Hillary Leung is a journalist at Hong Kong Free Press, where she reports on local politics and social issues, and assists with editing. Since joining in late 2021, she has covered the Covid-19 pandemic, political court cases including the 47 democrats national security trial, and challenges faced by minority communities. Born and raised in Hong Kong, Hillary completed her undergraduate degree in journalism and sociology at the University of Hong Kong. She worked at TIME Magazine in 2019, where she wrote about Asia and overnight US news before turning her focus to the protests that began that summer. At Coconuts Hong Kong, she covered general news and wrote features, including about a Black Lives Matter march that drew controversy amid the local pro-democracy movement and two sisters who were born to a domestic worker and lived undocumented for 30 years in Hong Kong. More by Hillary Leung