Fact · language · 2021
Proportion able to speak English
能說英語的人口比例
Figure and reference date
57.7% (2021, up from 45.1% in 2011)
57.7%（2021，較2011年45.1%上升）
Notes and definition
Census language usage: ability to speak English, distinct from usual-language English at 4.6%.
There is more than one official basis
Share of the population using English
How many people in Hong Kong use English? Speaking ability and usual language differ.
The same question has 2 official bases; their figures and scopes cannot be added together or swapped.
（口徑對照頁目前只有中文版：/calibre#language-english-use）
Other figures in this group (language)
Figures in the same group are not necessarily additive — check the basis note above first. Language.
| Item / 項目 | Figure / 數字 | As of / 時點 | Source / 來源 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official languages 法定語文 | Chinese and English 中文、英文 | 2026-07 | Hong Kong Fact Sheet |
| Usual language: Cantonese (aged 5+) 慣用廣東話（5歲及以上） | 88.2% 88.2% 2021 Population Census, usual language spoken at home. | 2021 | Hong Kong Fact Sheet |
| Usual language: English (aged 5+) 慣用英語（5歲及以上） | 4.6% 4.6% | 2021 | Hong Kong Fact Sheet |
| Usual language: Putonghua (aged 5+) 慣用普通話（5歲及以上） | 2.3% 2.3% | 2021 | Hong Kong Fact Sheet |
| Usual language: other Chinese dialects (aged 5+) 慣用其他中國方言（5歲及以上） | 2.8% 2.8% 2021 Population Census, usual language spoken at home. | 2021 | Hong Kong Fact Sheet |
| Usual language: other languages (aged 5+) 慣用其他語言（5歲及以上） | 2.1% 2.1% | 2021 | Hong Kong Fact Sheet |
| Proportion able to speak Putonghua 能說普通話的人口比例 | 56.5% (2021, up from 49.5% in 2011) 56.5%（2021，較2011年49.5%上升） Census: ability to speak Putonghua (56.5%) vs usual-language Putonghua (2.3%). | 2021 | 2021 Population Census: Language Usage |
Other figures from the same official source
These figures come from the same registered document: “2021 Population Census: Language Usage” (Census and Statistics Department). Being in one document does not make them additive.
| Item / 項目 | Figure / 數字 | As of / 時點 | Source / 來源 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proportion able to speak Putonghua 能說普通話的人口比例 | 56.5% (2021, up from 49.5% in 2011) 56.5%（2021，較2011年49.5%上升） Census: ability to speak Putonghua (56.5%) vs usual-language Putonghua (2.3%). | 2021 | 2021 Population Census: Language Usage |
How to cite this figure
Hong Kong Story, “Proportion able to speak English”, https://hongkongstory.org/en/facts/lang-english-ability-2021, data as at 2021 (retrieved ＿).
中文：香港紀事館，〈能說英語的人口比例〉，https://hongkongstory.org/facts/lang-english-ability-2021，資料時點 2021（查閱日期 ＿）。
Machine-readable: /api/v1/facts.json (id = lang-english-ability-2021) · OpenAPI 3.1 ·/llms.txt
Registered source
2021 Population Census: Language Usage
Census and Statistics Department
The official document carries no registered publication date, so only the retrieval date 2026-10-11 is given — no publication year is invented.
This site is a secondary compilation: the official text prevails. If the figure above differs from the official document, the official document is correct.