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Objectives

It is an established practice in Hong Kong to conduct a population census every ten years and a population by-census in the middle of the intercensal period. The aim is to obtain up-to-date benchmark information on the demographic and socio-economic characteristics of the population as well as its detailed geographical distribution. The information is useful for the planning of social services and facilities both at the territory-wide level and in your community.

Survey Design

About nine-tenths of the households were subject to simple enumeration to provide basic demographic information of their household members, while the remaining one-tenth of the households were subject to more detailed enquiry on a broad range of demographic and socio-economic characteristics of their household members.

Simple enumeration covers only some basic questions. On the other hand, more detailed enquiry includes not only those questions covered in the simple enumeration, but also additional ones related to the socio-economic characteristics of the population and the characteristics of households and quarters. Taking together the common information collected in both the simple enumeration and more detailed enquiry will give the complete enumeration results on the basic characteristics of the population. It will also form the basis for estimation of the detailed socio-economic characteristics collected through the more detailed enquiry.

Data Topic

The data topics for the 2021 Population Census cover 6 aspects, including (i) demographic and social characteristics (e.g. year and month of birth and sex), (ii) educational characteristics (e.g. educational attainment and field of education), (iii) internal migration characteristics (e.g. place of residence 5 years ago), (iv) economic characteristics (e.g. income and hours of work), (v) housing characteristics (e.g. floor area of accommodation, rent and mortgage payment or loan payment) and (vi) household characteristics (e.g. relationship to head of household).

The 46 data topics for the 2021 Population Census are listed below:

    Demographic and social characteristics

  1. Year and month of birth
  2. Sex
  3. Marital status
  4. Usual spoken language
  5. Ability to speak other languages/dialects
  6. Ability to read/write languages
  7. Nationality
  8. Ethnicity
  9. Place of birth
  10. Elderly persons requiring care

    11. Educational characteristics

  11. School attendance
  12. Educational attainment (highest level attended)
  13. Educational attainment (highest level completed)
  14. Field of education
  15. Place of study
  16. Mode of transport to place of study

    17. Internal migration characteristics

  17. Whereabouts at census reference moment
  18. Duration of residence in Hong Kong
  19. Place of residence 5 years ago

    20. Economic characteristics

  20. Economic activity status
  21. Industry
  22. Occupation
  23. Whether having secondary employment
  24. Earnings from main employment
  25. Earnings from other employment
  26. Other cash income (including cash income from rent)
  27. Hours of work
  28. Place of work
  29. Mode of transport to place of work

    30. Housing characteristics

  30. Type of quarters
  31. Type of accommodation
  32. Whether the quarters is used as usual or occasional residence
  33. Whether the quarters is a subdivided unit
  34. Number of rooms in the residence (including living or dining rooms, kitchens, bathrooms or toilets, bedrooms, other rooms, cocklofts and bedspaces)
  35. Floor area of accommodation
  36. No. of households in quarters (derived)
  37. No. of occupants in quarters (derived)
  38. Tenure of accommodation
  39. Rent (including rates, government rent and management fees)
  40. Mortgage payment or loan payment

    41. Household characteristics

  41. Type of household
  42. Relationship to head of household
  43. Whether a member of household
  44. Household size (derived)
  45. Household composition (derived)
  46. Household income (derived)

Timing

The 2021 Population Census was conducted from 23 June to 4 August 2021.

Data Collection Method

The 2021 Population Census adopted a multi-modal data collection approach which was conducted in two phases.

First phase: starting on 23 June
All households received a Population Census notification letter before end June 2021. Households could provide data through the following means:

  1. Complete online questionnaire
  2. Conduct telephone interview (census hotline at 18 2021)
  3. Mail back completed questionnaire (applicable to households receiving paper questionnaire)

Second phase: starting on 18 July
Census officers visited households that had not yet completed the questionnaire so as to assist them in providing the required information. Census officers carried a Census Officer Certificate of Identity for respondents’ checking. To reduce face-to-face contact and maintain social distance, households were cordially invited to provide the required information by online or paper questionnaire or via telephone means.

Population Coverage

The 2021 Population Census covers all persons within the definition of the Hong Kong Resident Population under the “resident population” approach.

The “resident population” approach has been adopted to compile the population estimates of Hong Kong since August 2000, so as to take account of the changing residency and mobility patterns of the Hong Kong population.

History

Since 1961, a population census has been conducted in Hong Kong every ten years and a by-census in the middle of the intercensal period.

Population censuses were conducted in 1961, 1971, 1981, 1991, 2001, 2011 and 2021 while population by-censuses in 1966, 1976, 1986, 1996, 2006 and 2016.

If you would like to have more information about the past population censuses / by-censuses, please visit the following web pages: