The LAST city, HongKong

HONGKONG

The territory's population is 7.03 million. In 2009, Hong Kong had a birth rate of 11.7 per 1,000 population and a fertility rate of 1,032 children per 1,000 women.Residents from mainland China do not have the right of adobe in Hong Kong, nor are they allowed to enter the territory freely. However, the influx of immigrants from mainland China, approximating 45,000 per year, is a significant contributor to its population growth – a daily quota of 150 Mainland Chinese with family ties in Hong Kong are granted a "one way permit" Life expectancy in Hong Kong is 79.16 years for males and 84.79 years for females as of 2009, making it one of the highest life expectancies in the world.

About 95% of the people of Hong Kong are of Chinese descent, the majority of whom are Taishanese, Chiu Chow, other Cantonesse people, and Hakka. Hong Kong's Han majority originate mainly from the Guangzhou and Taishan regions in Guangdong province. The remaining 5% of the population is composed of non-ethnic Chinese. There is a South Asian population of Indians, Pakistanis and Nepalnese; some Vietnamese Refugess have become permanent residents of Hong Kong. There are also Europeans (mostly British), Americans, Canadians, Japanese, and Koreans working in the city's commercial and financial sector. In 2008, there were an estimate of 252,500 foreign Domestic Peoples from Indonesia and the Philippines working in Hong Kong.

Hong Kong's de facto official language is Cantenese, a Chinese language originating from Guangdong province to the north of Hong Kong. English is also an official language, and according to a 1996 by-census is spoken by 3.1 percent of the population as an everyday language and by 34.9 percent of the pop

ulation as a second language. Signs displaying both Chinese and English are common throughout the territory. Since the 1997 handover, an increase in immigrants from mainland China and greater integration with the mainland economy have brought an increasing number of mandarin speakers to Hong Kong.

A majority of residents of Hong Kong would claim no religious affiliation, professing a form of agnosticism or atheism. According to the U.S Department of State only 43 percent of the population practices some form of religion. Some figures put it higher, according to a Gallup poll, 64% of Hong Kong residents do not believe in any religion, and possibly 80% of Hong Kong claim no religion. In Hong Kong teaching evolution won out in curriculum dispute about whether to teach other explanations, and that creationism and intelligent design will form no part of the senior secondary biology curriculum

Hong Kong enjoys a high degree of religious freedom, guaranteed by the Basic Law. Hong Kong's main religions are Buddism, Taoism, and confucianis; a local religious scholar in contact with major denominations estimates there are approximately 1.5 million Buddhists and Taoists. A Christian community of around 600,000 forms about 8% of the total population; it is nearly equally divided between Catholics and Protestants, although smaller Christian communities exist, including the Latter Day-Saints and Jehovah Witnesses. The Anglican and Roman Catholic churches each freely appoint their own bishops, unlike in mainland China. There are also Sikh,Muslim, Jewish, Hindu and Baha'i communities. The practice of Falun Gong is tolerated.

Statistically Hong Kong's Income gap  is the greatest in Asia Pacific. According to a report by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme in 2008, Hong Kong's Gini Coefissient, at 0.53, was the highest in Asia and "relatively high by international standards". However, the government has stressed that income disparity does not equate to worsening of the poverty situation, and that the Gini coefficient is not strictly comparable between reghons. The government has named economic restructuring, changes in household sizes, and the increase of high-income jobs as factors that have skewed the Gini coefficient.

Related Data From the International Monetary Fund

Variable: Population

Note: For census purposes, the total population of the country consists of all persons falling within the scope of the census. In the broadest sense, the total may comprise either all usual residents of the country or all persons present in the country at the time of the census. [Principles and Recommendations for Population and Housing Censuses, Revision 1, paragraph 2.42]

Units: Persons

Scale: Millions

Country-specific Note: Source: CEIC Latest actual data: 2010 Primary domestic currency: Hong Kong dollars Data last updated: 08/2011

Source: International Monetary Funds - 2011 World Economic Outlook

Year	Population	Percent Change
1980	5.06
1981	5.18	2.37 %
1982	5.26	1.54 %
1983	5.35	1.71 %
1984	5.431	1.51 %
1985	5.5	1.27 %
1986	5.566	1.20 %
1987	5.597	0.56 %
1988	5.672	1.34 %
1989	5.727	0.97 %
1990	5.752	0.44 %
1991	5.815	1.10 %
1992	5.888	1.26 %
1993	5.998	1.87 %
1994	6.119	2.02 %
1995	6.27	2.47 %
1996	6.467	3.14 %
1997	6.517	0.77 %
1998	6.583	1.01 %
1999	6.638	0.84 %
2000	6.712	1.11 %
2001	6.73	0.27 %
2002	6.726	-0.06 %
2003	6.764	0.56 %
2004	6.798	0.50 %
2005	6.838	0.59 %
2006	6.91	1.05 %
2007	6.953	0.62 %
2008	7.009	0.81 %
2009	7.065	0.80 %
2010	7.122	0.81 %