Source: Hong Kong Information Services
The Census & Statistics Department announced today that the 2026 Population Census will be conducted from January 1 to December 31, 2026.
At a press conference this afternoon, Commissioner for Census & Statistics Leo Yu introduced the new initiatives that will be implemented in the next Population Census.
Mr Yu said: “We will implement several re-engineering initiatives with a view to streamlining and improving workflows. Firstly, every five years, we will randomly select only 10% of households in Hong Kong for detailed enquiry. In addition, data collection will be conducted throughout the year, instead of concentrated within one and a half months as in the past. Sampled households are required to submit only one questionnaire within the data collection period.”
He highlighted that government administrative data will also be used more extensively to simplify the content of the questionnaire.
About 10% of households in Hong Kong, ie some 300,000 households, will be selected through random sampling to participate in the 2026 Population Census. Notification letters will be sent to the sampled households in batches starting from the end of this month.
“We will issue notification letters in purple envelopes to about 10% of households in Hong Kong. They are encouraged to complete the online questionnaire. They can also call the census hotline at 182 026 to conduct a telephone interview. Census officers will also visit households with outstanding response and assist them in completing the questionnaire. Information collected in the census will be kept in strict confidence,” Mr Yu explained.
When visiting households, census officers will wear a grey vest uniform, and carry an Enumerator Identity Card and a Census Officer Certificate of Identity issued by the department for identification purposes.
Mr Yu emphasised that the department strives to protect the data privacy of all people and households. All completed questionnaires will also be destroyed by December 31, 2027.
He reminded households to be aware of scamming activities, noting that households will not be required to provide in the census their Hong Kong identity card numbers or information about their bank accounts or credit cards.
If households have not provided the department with their contact information, the department will not initiate calls, send emails or SMS messages to them. The caller ID “18 2026” or SMS sender ID “#C&SD” will be displayed when the department calls or sends SMS messages to households in Hong Kong.
The Census Hotline will operate from 9 am to 10 pm from Monday to Friday throughout the data collection period, from January to December 2026. Citizens can call the hotline at 18 2026 if they require assistance in completing the questionnaire.