Fact · language · 2021
Proportion able to speak Putonghua
能說普通話的人口比例
Figure and reference date
56.5% (2021, up from 49.5% in 2011)
56.5%（2021，較2011年49.5%上升）
Notes and definition
Census: ability to speak Putonghua (56.5%) vs usual-language Putonghua (2.3%).
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: 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 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 |
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 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 |
How to cite this figure
Hong Kong Story, “Proportion able to speak Putonghua”, https://hongkongstory.org/en/facts/lang-putonghua-ability-2021, data as at 2021 (retrieved ＿).
中文：香港紀事館，〈能說普通話的人口比例〉，https://hongkongstory.org/facts/lang-putonghua-ability-2021，資料時點 2021（查閱日期 ＿）。
Machine-readable: /api/v1/facts.json (id = lang-putonghua-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.