Hong Kong’s wealth gap widens as almost 23% of households living in poverty, Oxfam study finds
Hong Kong Free Press
Hong Kong’s wealth gap has widened, with 619,000 households found to be living below the poverty line and the city’s richest earning 81 times more than its poorest, a study by Oxfam’s local office has found.
More than 1.39 million people in Hong Kong were living in poverty in the first quarter of 2024, marking a poverty rate of 20.2 per cent, Oxfam Hong Kong said on Wednesday in its latest poverty report based on data from the Census and Statistics Department.
Although the poverty rate among Hongkongers in the labour force had dropped, the poverty rate among those “not economically active” had increased, reaching 33.1 per cent.
The number of poor households in the city also rose to 619,000, accounting for 22.7 per cent of all households.
The median monthly income of the poorest 10 per cent of households in Hong Kong stood at HK$1,600 in the first quarter of 2024, while the wealthiest 10 per cent were earning a median monthly income of HK$131,000. It resulted in a disparity of 81.9 times, Oxfam found.
Hong Kong poverty line in 2024 first quarter
| Household size | Monthly median income |
| One-person household | HK$5,000 |
| Two-person household | HK$11,300 |
| Three-person household | HK$19,500 |
| Four-person household | HK$25,200 |
| Five-person household | HK$25,800 |
| Household of six people or above | HK$26,000 |
More than 580,000 residents aged 65 or above were living in poverty, including 558,000 elderly who were retired, unemployed and homemakers. That represented a 42.9 per cent increase compared to 2019, which Oxfam described as “staggering.”
The NGO went on to say that seniors in Hong Kong only made up of 13.9 per cent of the city’s labour force, despite many elderly still having the ability and willingness to work.
“Oxfam Hong Kong believes that the above data highlights that the composition of Hong Kong’s poor population has changed after the pandemic, with the number of poor elderly continuing to rise,” a statement from the NGO read.
Chief Executive John Lee is set to announce his third policy address on October 16. In his address last year, the Hong Kong leader said the current administration hoped to tackle poverty by directing resources to those most in need.
Lee proposed supporting single or double elderly households by mobilising community resources, and suggested launching a pilot scheme to engage care teams to help households in need to seek relevant government support services.
Kalina Tsang, director general of Oxfam, said on Wednesday that while the city’s population was ageing, it did not necessarily have to lead to a demographic crisis. Hong Kong should work towards “active ageing” by developing an elderly-friendly living environment, and address the needs of the senior community using technological and social innovations, she said.
“[I]f the government provides adequate policy incentives to ‘enable’ motivated seniors with opportunities to re-engage in society and the job market, then seniors can become important social capital as well,” Tsang said.
The NGO called on the government to review the poverty line and include targets for encouraging labour market participation. Able and willing elders should be encouraged to take on job positions that allow more flexible hours and less physical labour, computer and language skills, it said.
Incentives for elderly employment may also be boosted by lowering the threshold for elders to receive subsidies under the Working Family Allowance Scheme. Full subsidies should be awarded to the elders who work part-time for less than 144 hours and do not receive the Old Age Living Allowance, Oxfam said.
To better understand the situation of single and double elderly households in the city, a database integrating data from the Housing Authority, Social Welfare Department, Hospital Authority and other government departments should be created, Oxfam suggested.
The NGO added that the pilot scheme for supporting elderly people and carers should be expanded to all 18 districts to provide targeted home visits and emotional support.
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