Gender gap widens in Hong Kong

The Census and Statistics Department published on Sunday the "Women and Men in Hong Kong – Key Statistics (2024 Edition)", which showed a widening gender gap in the city.

The statistics revealed that there were 4,102,600 women and 3,425,300 men in Hong Kong in 2023, with only 834 men for every 1,000 women, excluding foreign domestic helpers.

The gap has widened compared to 2022 when there were 839 men for every 1,000 women.

Meanwhile, Hongkongers are living longer, with life expectancy for women and men rising from 86.8 and 80.7 years to 87.9 and 82.5 years respectively. The number of deaths in 2023 has also decreased to some 54,000 from 63,000.

The document noted that cancer remains the number one killer in Hong Kong. The standardized case-specific mortality rate for malignant neoplasms in both females and males, calculated per 100,000 population, are 65.5 and 102.7 respectively. Following closely are pneumonia, heart disease, and cerebrovascular disease.

Last year, there were 19,000 new cases of cancer in women, with the top three cancers being breast cancer, lung cancer, and colorectal cancer. For males, there were 18,900 new cases of cancer, with the top three cancers being lung cancer, colorectal cancer, and prostate cancer.