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香港人 | |
|---|---|
| Total population | |
| c. 8.95 million[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Hong Kong | 7,413,070[2] |
 Mainland China | 472,900[3] |
 United Kingdom | 280,000[needs update][4] |
 United States | 248,024[5] |
 Canada | 213,855[needs update][a][7] |
 Australia | 100,148[8] |
 Taiwan | 87,719[needs update][9] |
 Singapore | 66,000[10] |
 Macau | 19,355[11] |
 Netherlands | 18,363[12] |
 Japan | 18,210[needs update][13] |
 New Zealand | 12,000[10] |
 South Korea | 9,929[14] |
 Costa Rica | 4,000[10] |
 Ireland | 2,000[10] |
 South Africa | 2,000[10] |
 France | 1,000[10] |
 Brunei | 1,000[10] |
 Venezuela | 1,000[10] |
| Languages | |
| Hong Kong Cantonese (94.6%), Hong Kong English (53.2%), Mandarin (48.6%) | |
| Religion | |
| Non-religious withancestral worship,Christianity,Chinese folk religion,Confucianism,Taoism,Buddhism, minorityIslam and other faiths | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Cantonese people,Macau people,Hoklos,Hakkas,Teochew people,Shanghainese people,Tankas | |
| Hongkongers | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Chinese | 香港人 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Demographics and culture of Hong Kong |
|---|
| Demographics |
| Culture |
| Other Hong Kong topics |
Hongkongers (Chinese:香港人;Jyutping:Hoeng1gong2 jan4),Hong Kongers,Hong Kong citizens[b] andHong Kong people aredemonyms that refer to aresident of Hong Kong, although they may also refer to others who were born and/or raised in the territory.
The earliest inhabitants of Hong Kong wereindigenous villagers such as thePunti andTanka, who inhabited the area prior toBritish colonization.
Though Hong Kong is home to anumber of people of different racial and ethnic origins, the overwhelming majority of Hongkongers are ofChinese descent. Many areYue–speakingCantonese people and trace theirancestral home to the adjacent province ofGuangdong.
The territory is also home to othergroups of Chinese peoples including theTaishan Yue,Hakka,Hoklo,Teochew,Shanghainese,Sichuanese and Shandong people. Meanwhile, non-Chinese Hongkongers such as theBritish,Filipinos,Indonesians,Thais,South Asians andVietnamese make up six percent of Hong Kong's population.[16]
The termsHongkonger andHong Kongese are used to denote aresident of Hong Kong, including permanent and non-permanent residents. According to theOxford English Dictionary, the wordHongkonger first appeared in the English language in an 1870 edition ofThe Daily Independent, an American-based newspaper.[17] In March 2014, both the termsHongkonger andHong Kongese were added to theOxford English Dictionary.[18][19][20]
In contrast, theMerriam-Webster Dictionary ofAmerican English adopts the formHong Konger instead.[21][22] The formHong Konger also seems to be preferred by governments around the world. In 2008, theU.S. Government Publishing Office decided to includeHong Konger as a demonym for Hong Kong in its officialStyle Manual.[23][24] TheCompanies House of theUK government similarly addedHong Konger to its standard list of nationalities in September 2020.[24]
The aforementioned terms all translate to the same term inCantonese, 香港人 (Cantonese Yale:Hèung Góng Yàhn). The direct translation of this isHong Kong person.
During theBritish colonial era, terms likeHong Kong Chinese andHong Kong Britons were used to distinguish the British and Chinese populations that lived in the territory.
The termHongkongers most often refers to legal residents of Hong Kong, as recognised underHong Kong Basic Law. Hong Kong Basic Law gives a precise legal definition of a Hong Kong resident. Under Article 24 of the Basic Law, Hong Kong residents can be further classified as permanent or non-permanent residents. Non-permanent residents are those who have the right to hold aHong Kong Identity Card, but do not have theright to abode in Hong Kong. Permanent residents are those who have the right to hold a Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card as well as the right of abode.
The Basic Law allows residents to acquire right of abode by birth in Hong Kong, or in someother ways. For example, residents of China may settle in Hong Kong for family reunification purposes if they obtain aone-way permit (for which there may be a waiting time of several years). As of 2024, the average waiting time for a one-way permit has been reported to range from 3 to 5 years, depending on individual circumstances and quotas set by the Mainland authorities.
Formally speaking, the government of Hong Kong does not confer its own citizenship, although the termHong Kong citizen is used colloquially to refer to permanent residents of the city.[b] Hong Kong does not require a language or civic test for permanent residency. However, for Chinese nationality applications through naturalisation, basic proficiency in Cantonese and knowledge of local customs may be considered as part of the discretionary process.[25] However, Hong Kong migrants and residents are assumed to understand their obligation under Article 24 of theHong Kong Basic Law to abide by the laws of Hong Kong.
As of 2025, discussions have emerged regarding potential amendments to clarify residency status, especially in light of geopolitical shifts and emigration trends. No official changes have been implemented yet, but reviews are ongoing.
According to Hong Kong's 2021 census, 91.6 per cent of its population is Chinese,[26] with 29.9 per cent having been born inmainland China,Taiwan orMacau.[26] Historically, much of the Han Chinese trace their ancestral origins from Southern China asChaoshan,Canton,Taishan,Fujian,Jiangxi, andZhejiang. For example, in the 1850s–60s as a result of theTaiping Rebellion[27][28] and in the 1940s prior to the establishment of the People's Republic of China in 1949. Thus, immigrants from Guangdong and their descendants have long constituted the majority of the ethnic Chinese residents of Hong Kong, which accounts for the city's broadCantonese culture. TheCantonese language, a form ofYue Chinese, is the primary language of Hong Kong and that used in the media and education.[29] For that reason, while there are groups with ancestral roots in more distant parts of China, such asShanghai andShandong, as well as members of other Han Chinese subgroups, such as theHakka,Hokkien, andTeochew,[30][31][32][33] residents who are Hong Kong-born and/or raised often assimilate into the mainstream Cantonese identity of Hong Kong and typically adopt Cantonese as their first language.[34] Cantonese continues to remain the dominant language, spoken by 93.7% of the population in 2021. However, Mandarin has become increasingly important in daily life, with more residents speaking it due to growing ties with the Mainland. This change in linguistic trends is shaping the territory's cultural future and its role within the greater Chinese-speaking world.
Simultaneously, there has been an increase in the number of new immigrants frommainland China, influencing both demographic composition and linguistic trends in the territory. At the same time Mainland China holds the largest number of Hong Kong residents outside of Hong Kong.
In addition to theChinese supermajority,[26] Hong Kong's minority population also comprises many other different ethnic and national groups, with the largest non-Chinese groups being the Southeast Asian communities which include theFilipinos (2.7 per cent),Indonesians (1.9 per cent), as well as theThais andVietnamese.[30][35][26] In 2021, 0.8 per cent of Hong Kong's population were ofEuropean ancestry, many (48.9 per cent) of whom resided onHong Kong Island, where they constitute 2.5 per cent of the population.[26] There are long-establishedSouth Asian communities, which comprise both descendants of 19th and early 20th-century migrants as well as more recent short-term expatriates. There are small pockets of South Asian communities who live in Hong Kong includingIndians,Nepalese, andPakistanis, who respectively made up 0.6 per cent, 0.4 per cent, and 0.3 per cent of Hong Kong's population in 2021.[26] Smaller diaspora groups from theAnglosphere includeAmericans,Britons,Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders. There are also small pockets of East Asian communities, such as theJapanese andKoreans, living in Hong Kong.
| Ancestry | 1961 | 1971 | 1981 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | |
| Hong Kong | 260,505 | 8.3 | 185,699 | 4.7 | 124,279 | 2.5 |
| Guangzhou and Macau | 1,521,715 | 48.6 | 2,072,083 | 52.6 | 2,455,749 | 49.2 |
| Sze Yap | 573,855 | 18.3 | 684,774 | 17.4 | 814,309 | 16.3 |
| Chaozhou | 257,319 | 8.2 | 391,454 | 9.9 | 566,044 | 11.4 |
| Other parts of Guangdong | 244,237 | 7.8 | 250,215 | 6.4 | 470,288 | 9.4 |
| Fujian, Taiwan,Jiangsu, Zhejiang | 178,626 | 5.7 | 235,872 | 6.0 | 351,454 | 7.0 |
| Other parts of China | 43,644 | 1.4 | 48,921 | 1.2 | 103,531 | 2.1 |
| Foreigners[clarification needed] | 49,747 | 1.6 | 67,612 | 1.7 | 100,906 | 2.0 |
| Total | 3,129,648 | 3,936,630 | 4,986,560 | |||
| 2006[36] | 2011[36] | 2016[36] | 2021[26] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | % | |
| Cantonese | 96.5 | 95.8 | 94.6 | 93.7 |
| English | 44.7 | 46.1 | 53.2 | 58.7 |
| Mandarin | 40.2 | 47.8 | 48.6 | 54.2 |
| Hakka | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.2 | 3.6 |
| Hokkien | 3.4 | 3.5 | 3.6 | 3.1 |
| Tagalog | 1.4 | 1.7 | 2.7 | 2.8 |
| Chiu Chow | 3.9 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 2.8 |
| Bahasa Indonesia | 1.7 | 2.4 | 2.7 | 2.5 |
| Japanese | 1.2 | 1.5 | 1.8 | 2.1 |
| Shanghainese | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0.8 |
| Region | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2016 | 2021 |
| Buddhists | > 1 million | > 1 million | > 1 million | > 1 million | > 1 million | > 1 million | > 1 million | > 1 million |
| Taoists | ≈ 1 million | ≈ 1 million | ≈ 1 million | ≈ 1 million | > 1 million | > 1 million | > 1 million | > 1 million |
| Protestant | 320,000 | 320,000 | 480,000 | 480,000 | 480,000 | ≈ 500,000 | 500,000 | 500,000 |
| Catholics | 350,000 | 350,000 | 353,000 | 363,000 | 363,000 | 368,000 | 384,000 | 401,000 |
| Muslims | 220,000 | 220,000 | 220,000 | 220,000 | 270,000 | 300,000 | 300,000 | 300,000 |
| Hindu | 40,000 | 40,000 | 40,000 | 40,000 | 40,000 | 40,000 | 100,000 | 100,000 |
| Sikhs | 10,000 | 10,000 | 10,000 | 10,000 | 10,000 | 10,000 | 12,000 | 12,000 |
Hong Kong culture is primarily a mix ofChinese andWestern influences, stemming fromLingnanCantonese roots and later fusing withBritish culture due to Britishcolonialism (Chinese:粵英薈萃; Jyutping:jyut6 jing1 wui6 seoi6).
From 26 January 1841 to 30 June 1997, Hong Kong was formally aBritish crown colony and later aBritish dependent territory,[c] except for abrief period of Japanese occupation duringWorld War II between 1941 and 1945. English was introduced as an official language of Hong Kong duringBritish colonial rule alongside the indigenousChinese language, notablyCantonese. While it was an overseas territory, Hong Kong participated in a variety of organisations from theCommonwealth Family network. Hong Kong ended its participation with most Commonwealth Family organisations after the handover of Hong Kong in 1997; although it still participates in theAssociation of Commonwealth Universities and theCommonwealth Lawyers Association.[citation needed] Moreover, Hong Kong also hasindigenous people andethnic minorities fromSouth andSoutheast Asia, whose cultures all play integral parts in modern-day Hong Kong culture. As a result, after the 1997transfer of sovereignty to thePeople's Republic of China, Hong Kong has continued to develop a unique identity under the rubric ofOne Country Two Systems.[39] Nonetheless, the historical memories and legacies related to legal frameworks and schooling systems, as well as the privileged status of the English language as a cultural and symbolic capital, complicate Chinese national identity despite the return of sovereignty.[40]
After the handover of Hong Kong, theUniversity of Hong Kong surveyed Hong Kong residents about how they defined themselves. The number of Hong Kong residents identifying as "Hong Kongers" slowly increased over the decade of the 2010s, reaching a high watermark during and immediately following the2019–2020 Hong Kong protests, with over 55 percent of all respondents identifying as "Hong Konger" in a poll conducted in December 2019, with the most notable spike occurring amongst younger residents.[41] Following the passage of the2020 Hong Kong National Security Law and a subsequent wave of emigrants from Hong Kong, that percentage has declined; in its latest poll published in June 2022, 39.1% of respondents identified as Hong Konger, 31.4% as Hong Konger in China, 17.6% as Chinese, 10.9% as Chinese in Hong Kong, and 42.4% as mixed identity.[42]
Apart from mainland China, where the largest number of Hongkongers are found outside the territory, the Hong Kong diaspora can be found inTaiwan and severalEnglish-speaking countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Most Hongkongers living outside ofGreater Chinaform a part of the largeroverseas Chinese community.[dubious –discuss] Waves of the migration of Hongkongers to other parts of the world took place following the Sino-British Joint Declaration in 1984, following 1989, and in the years prior to theterritory's transfer to China in 1997, though a significant percentagereturned in the years following. A new emigration wave occurred following the2019–2020 Hong Kong protests and the United Kingdom's enactment of theBN(O) visa scheme.
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