Hong Kong population shrinks for 2nd year under virus curbs

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong’s government says its population has shrunk as anti-virus controls hampered the inflow of new workers and births declined, but it made no mention of an exodus of residents following a crackdown on a pro-democracy movement. The Census & Statistics Department announced Thursday that the population as of mid-2022 declined by 1.6% from a year earlier to 7,291,600. It gave no indication how many people left due to the crackdown and a national security law that chilled free speech and left lawyers and business consultants uneasy about what they were allowed to say in public. The government said the inflow of workers might improve as anti-virus travel curbs are lifted.