45 h. ago Number of registered companies in Hong Kong reaches record 1.56 million in 2025

Hong Kong’s corporate landscape expanded to unprecedented levels last year, with the total number of local registered companies reaching a record of nearly 1.56 million by the end of 2025. “By the end of 2025, the total number of local companies and redomiciled companies registered under the Companies Ordinance increased by 96,609 compared with 2024, reaching 1,557,103,” the Companies Registry said in a statement on Friday, noting that it was “an all-time high figure”. Among the total in 2025,...

Politics

46 h. ago Hong Kong’s finance chief warns of market volatility, pledges support for families

Hong Kong’s capital market is likely to experience significant fluctuations this year owing to intensifying geopolitical risks, the city’s finance chief has warned, stressing the need for caution in financial management. Six weeks before the government unveils its annual budget, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po pledged to consider whether there is scope to adjust child allowance to encourage more births, after a Post report revealed that Hong Kong’s registered births hit a record low last...

Events

4 d. ago Registered births in Hong Kong hit record low in 2025, ending 2

The number of registered births in Hong Kong plunged to a record low of 31,714 in 2025, despite a range of government incentives to encourage families to have more children, ending two years of growth, the Post has learned. The figure was also well below the government’s target of increasing births by 20 per cent from the previous historic low recorded in 2022. Experts and parents said the government needed to tackle the underlying causes of the city’s low birth rates. “Those incentives were...

Events

5 d. ago Hong Kong marathon sets record with 1 in 4 of 74,000 runners from outside city

About a quarter of the runners for the coming Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon are from outside the city, a record for the annual race, the organiser has said. Authorities also warned that road closures for Sunday’s marathon will affect services along 269 bus and 40 minibus routes, and called on residents to plan their trips in advance. The Hong Kong, China Association of Athletics Affiliates, which organises the event, said on Monday that among the 74,000 people set to take part this year,...

Politics

8 d. ago Hong Kong just had its driest January day. But how does that impact your health?

Hong Kong experienced its driest January day on record earlier this week, bucking its reputation for high temperatures and humidity. Relative humidity in the city plunged to 17 per cent on Thursday, the lowest for the month since records started in 1984. To help Hongkongers adjust, the Post speaks to experts about how to manage the cold and dry weather. 1. What is the impact on the respiratory system? Dr Edmund Lam Wing-wo, a family doctor, said the sudden cold and dry weather was conducive to...

Politics

1 week ago Hongkongers shiver as winter monsoon drives temperatures down to 5.9 degrees

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Get faster notifications on the latest updates by downloading our app. A winter chill lingered over Hong Kong on Thursday morning, with temperatures dropping to 12 degrees Celsius across the city and to as low as 5.9 degrees in some northern districts under clear skies and significant radiative cooling. The Hong Kong Observatory recorded minimum temperatures...

Politics

1 week ago Hong Kong’s humidity reaches lowest level recorded for single day in January

This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Get faster notifications on the latest updates by downloading our app. The humidity in Hong Kong on Thursday dropped to the lowest level ever recorded for the month of January, the local forecaster said, while warning that Friday would bring a second consecutive day of frost. Under the influence of a winter monsoon, the relative humidity plunged to 17 per...

Politics

1 week ago Hong Kong records 72% jump in mainland Chinese tourists over long New Year break

Hong Kong welcomed nearly 660,000 mainland Chinese visitors over the New Year countdown and the subsequent three-day holiday across the border, a 72 per cent increase from the same period a year ago. Sector representatives said the surge was a boost for the hotel sector but brought limited benefits for retailers. Data released by the Immigration Department on Sunday showed 659,090 mainland visitors entered Hong Kong between New Year’s Eve and Saturday, accounting for 79 per cent of the total...

Politics

2 w. ago Back to the Past film, starring Louis Koo and Raymond Lam, smashes Hong Kong record

Historical science fiction action film Back to the Past, starring actors Louis Koo Tin-lok and Raymond Lam Fung, has broken the opening-day record for a Chinese film despite a gloomy box office last year. Hong Kong’s box office sank to a 14-year low of HK$1.13 billion (US$145.2 million) in 2025 from a year earlier amid a wave of cinema shutdowns, according to data compiled by industry body Hong Kong Box Office Limited on Friday. Last year’s best performing films – both locally produced and from...

Politics

3 w. ago Hong Kong records 10% rise in festive period visitors as outbound trips surge 22%

Hong Kong received 10 per cent more visitors during the Christmas period compared with last year, while Hongkongers made almost 1.7 million outbound trips, up 22 per cent over the same period, according to official statistics. However, the retail sector warned that the absence of New Year fireworks could affect the number of visitors in the coming days, further dampening local consumption sentiment following the deadly fire in Tai Po. “Because of the Tai Po fire, consumer sentiment weakened over...

Politics

3 w. ago Hong Kong’s new Central Kowloon Bypass records first crash 3 days after opening

Hong Kong’s transport chief has urged caution from drivers after the Yau Ma Tei section of the Central Kowloon Bypass recorded its first accident on Tuesday, just three days after opening. Police said a medium-sized truck crashed into a car at 9.16am while both vehicles were heading west towards Kwai Chung, after the truck changed lanes. No one was injured. Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan said on Tuesday that the Transport Department had promptly responded to road users’...

Events

3 w. ago Hong Kong online investment scams surge 20% as losses hit HK$3.08 billion

Hong Kong recorded a 20 per cent increase in online investment scams in the first 10 months of the year, with victims losing HK$3.08 billion (US$395.9 million), according to police. Theodora Lee Wai-see, a superintendent with the force’s Anti-Deception Coordination Centre, also revealed that 83 per cent of all fraudulent messages were disseminated through Meta-owned platforms including Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram. Overall, Hong Kong residents lost HK$6.43 billion to various scams over the...

Economics

4 w. ago West must face the facts of Jimmy Lai’s trial and conviction

On December 15, Jimmy Lai Chee-ying was found guilty on two charges of conspiring to collude with external forces and a charge of conspiracy to publish seditious materials by the High Court of Hong Kong. The verdict was welcomed in the city and, as expected, prompted another round of outcries from some Western countries. As Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of China in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, I feel obliged to set the record straight...

Politics