Hong kong's population has passed the seven million mark.
The number of people living here was 7,008,900 at the end of 2008,up 56,100 or 0.8 percenton the previous year,according to the Cencus and Statistics Department.
The figure included 78,700births,41,300 deaths and 18,700 newcomers,mostly from the mainland.
Births and inflows of one-way permit holders were up to 74 percent year on year at 41,600.
The numbers of births and deaths increased last year.The 78,700births represented a 140 percent year-on-year increase,while the 41,300 deaths were 74 percent more than in 2007.
Hong kong has one of the world's lowest fertility rates,with less than one baby born for every woman of chlid-bearing age.
The population has grown by 211,200 over the pass five years,and the government says it could hit 8.38 million by 2033.
Hong kong university social work and social administration professor Joe Lung Cho-bun urged the government to formulate population policies.
He said most new mainland residents come from lower social strata,while more Hong kong people are moving across the border.
"The overall quality of Hong kong population is deteriorating and cannot cater to the needs of the economy.We need of the comprehensive population policy to maintain our competitiveness in asia,"he said.
POPULATION IN HONG KONG
