Hong Kong kindergarten numbers drop by about 40 as birth rates hit historic low

The Education Bureau’s profile for the 2026/27 school year lists about 930 kindergartens, a reduction of roughly 40 from the previous edition’s 970, the largest yearly drop recorded. Over the past five years the total has fallen from about 1,050 to one outlet level, with 32 closures and nine new registrations reported for the 2025/26 year and additional changes expected. Among the shuttered schools is Kentville Kindergarten in Kowloon Tong, which cited low birth rates, out-migration of young families and retirements.

Subsidised kindergartens, whose funding is tied to pupil numbers, are expanding to full-day programmes to retain enrolment. Births fell to 31,053 in 2025, the lowest since 1961, and provisional data for the most recent 12 months show a further decline below 30,000. The median age of first-time mothers rose to 33.1 in 2025, the highest in the department’s series. Lawmakers have called for a review of kindergarten approval criteria and greater coordination of birth-support policies.