Only 23% of Hongkongers want children, survey shows

Only 23 per cent of Hongkongers want children, a survey has shown, with the majority of respondents citing economic pressure as the biggest obstacle.

The Hong Kong Women Development Association on April 13, 2026. Photo: The Hong Kong Women Development Association.

The Hong Kong Women Development Association (HKWDA) said at a press conference on Monday that 98.7 per cent of respondents identified economic pressure as the biggest barrier to having children.

Meanwhile, 92.7 per cent mentioned housing problems as an obstacle, followed by a busy work schedule at 80.6 per cent.

The group said it surveyed a total of 2,413 people aged 19 to 49 between January 26 and February 23 this year.

The results showed that 33 per cent of those aged 30 to 39 wanted to have children – the highest share compared with other age groups. For the 19 to 29 and the 40 to 49 age groups, the figure was 16 per cent.

The HKWDA said the share of respondents expressing interest in having children was lower than in previous years. Since 2022, the figure had hovered between 24 and 31 per cent.

An infant’s hand. File photo: jianfeng lai, via Pexels.

The survey results come as Hong Kong continues to struggle with declining fertility despite cash handouts and tax relief in recent years to boost childbirth.

In 2023, the government announced HK$20,000 handouts for families with newborns.

See also: ‘Not all about money’: Hong Kong’s low birth rate needs more than cash to convince couples to have kids

The following year, the number of registered births increased to 36,767, up from 33,288.

But it fell again in 2025 to 31,714, a record low.

A newborn baby. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

Karen Law, a vice-president of the group and a Sha Tin district councillor, said during the press conference that the rise in births in 2024 was only “surface-level,” boosted by the handouts and the fact that it was the Year of the Dragon, known as an auspicious year to have children.

During the budget address in February, Financial Secretary Paul Chan announced some tax relief measures for families with children, although some lawmakers said this was still insufficient.

Chan did not say whether the HK$20,000 cash handout, initially announced as a three-year scheme set to expire this year, would be extended.