Fact · language · 2021
Usual language: Putonghua (aged 5+)
慣用普通話（5歲及以上）
Figure and reference date
2.3%
2.3%
Notes and definition
No English note has been written for this figure yet. The value and its source are registered, but the compilers have not yet set out what the figure covers in English. Do not treat the absence of a note as “no caveat”: read the official document linked above, or the Chinese page (which may carry a note).
There is more than one official basis
Share of the population using Putonghua
How many people in Hong Kong use Putonghua? Usual language versus ability.
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-putonghua-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: 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 English 能說英語的人口比例 | 57.7% (2021, up from 45.1% in 2011) 57.7%（2021，較2011年45.1%上升） Census language usage: ability to speak English, distinct from usual-language English at 4.6%. | 2021 | 2021 Population Census: Language Usage |
| 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: “Hong Kong Fact Sheet” (GovHK). Being in one document does not make them additive.
| Item / 項目 | Figure / 數字 | As of / 時點 | Source / 來源 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population density 人口密度 | 6,870 persons per km² 每平方公里 6 870 人 As at mid-2025. Census and Statistics Department also publishes density by Hong Kong Island, Kowloon, and the New Territories and Islands. | 2025-06 | Hong Kong Fact Sheet |
| Philippine nationals present in Hong Kong 身在香港的菲律賓國籍人士 | 195,574 195 574 人 Immigration Department movement count for one day, not the stock of foreign residents with a right of abode, and not additive with census ethnicity figures. | 2025-12 | Hong Kong Fact Sheet |
| Indonesian nationals present in Hong Kong 身在香港的印度尼西亞國籍人士 | 182,215 182 215 人 Immigration Department movement count for one day, not the stock of foreign residents with a right of abode, and not additive with census ethnicity figures. | 2025-12 | Hong Kong Fact Sheet |
| Indian nationals present in Hong Kong 身在香港的印度國籍人士 | 39,587 39 587 人 Immigration Department movement count for one day, not the stock of foreign residents with a right of abode, and not additive with census ethnicity figures. | 2025-12 | Hong Kong Fact Sheet |
| Share of population who are Chinese 華人佔人口比例 | 91.6% 91.6% 2021 Population Census. | 2021 | Hong Kong Fact Sheet |
| Crude birth rate臨時 粗出生率 | 4.1 per 1,000 population 每千名人口 4.1 人 Provisional figure. | 2025 | Hong Kong Fact Sheet |
| Number of islands 島嶼數目 | 261 islands of 500 m² or more, excluding Hong Kong Island and Lantau Island 261 個（面積 500 平方米或以上，不包括香港島及大嶼山） | 2026-07 | Hong Kong Fact Sheet |
| Country parks and special areas 郊野公園及特別地區 | About 40% of land 約佔土地 40% | 2026-07 | Hong Kong Fact Sheet |
15 more figures come from the same document; see Language.
Verified questions that cite this figure
How is Hong Kong different from mainland China?
Same sovereignty, different systems. Hong Kong keeps the common law, its own currency, a separate customs territory and its own immigration regime — the operational meaning of “one country, two systems”.
What languages do Hong Kong people speak?
Chinese and English are the official languages. Among people aged 5 and over, 88.2% usually speak Cantonese, 4.6% English, 2.3% Putonghua, 2.8% other Chinese dialects and 2.1% other languages.
What languages do Hong Kong people speak, and in what proportions?
Hong Kong’s official languages are Chinese and English. In the 2021 Population Census, about 88.2% of people aged 5+ use Cantonese as their usual language, about 4.6% English and 2.3% Putonghua. Cantonese is the dominant spoken language.
（已核對問題頁目前只有中文版；上面嘅英文標題同答案本身係資料檔嘅官方英文欄位。）
How to cite this figure
Hong Kong Story, “Usual language: Putonghua (aged 5+)”, https://hongkongstory.org/en/facts/lang-putonghua, data as at 2021 (retrieved ＿).
中文：香港紀事館，〈慣用普通話（5歲及以上）〉，https://hongkongstory.org/facts/lang-putonghua，資料時點 2021（查閱日期 ＿）。
Machine-readable: /api/v1/facts.json (id = lang-putonghua) · OpenAPI 3.1 ·/llms.txt
Registered source
GovHK
Official document dated 2026-07; last checked by this site 2026-09-05.
This site is a secondary compilation: the official text prevails. If the figure above differs from the official document, the official document is correct.