ETHNIC GROUPS IN HONGKONG

Residents of Hong Kong are sometimes referred to as Hongkongers. The territory's population increased sharply throughout the 1990s, reaching 6.99 million in 2006. Hong Kong has a fertility rate of 0.95 children per woman, one of the lowest in the world and far below the 2.1 children per woman required to sustain the current population. However, the population in Hong Kong continues to grow due to the influx of immigrants from mainland China, approximating 45,000 per year. Life expectancy in Hong Kong is 81.6 years as of 2006, the sixth highest in the world.
About 95% of the people of Hong Kong are Chinese by ethnicity, the majority of which is Cantonese or from linguistic groups such as Hakka and Chiu Chow. The remaining 5% of the population is composed of non-ethnic Chinese forming a highly visible group despite their smaller numbers. A South Asian population of Sindhis, Indians, Pakistanis and Nepalese are found. Some Vietnamese refugees have become permanent residents of Hong Kong. There are also a number of Europeans, Americans, Australians, Canadians, Japanese, and Koreans working in Hong Kong's commercial and financial sector.
Hong Kong's de-facto official language is Cantonese, a Chinese language originating from Guangdong Province to the north of Hong Kong (of which Hong Kong was part of before British colonial rule), and is spoken by 95% of the population as a first language. English is also an official language, and according to a 1996 by-census is spoken by 3.1% of the population as an everyday language and by 34.9% of the population 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.
Religion in Hong Kong enjoys a high degree of freedom, guaranteed by the Basic Law. 90% of Hong Kong's population practises a mix of local religions, most prominently Buddhism (mainly Chinese Mahayana) and Taoism. A Christian community of around 600,000 exists, forming about 8% of the total population, and is nearly equally divided between Catholics and Protestants, although other, smaller Christian communities exist such as Latter-Day Saints and Jehovah's Witnesses. There are also Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Sikh and Bahá'í communities. Concerns over a lack of religious freedom after the 1997 handover have largely subsided, with Falun Gong adherents free to practice in Hong Kong, and the Anglican Church and Roman Catholic Church each freely appointing its own bishops, unlike in mainland China.