Charity organisation in Hong Kong says richest residents in the city earn 81.9 times more than poorest ones

More than 1.39 million people were living in poverty in the first quarter of this year, a rate of 20.2 per cent, Oxfam says. File photo: AfriHKanews

Oxfam Hong Kong has revealed that the city's richest residents are earning 81.9 times more than its poorest residents, study showed that the difference is up from 52.7 times last year, indicating a further increase in the city’s wealth gap.

The local branch of an international charity in the city released on Wednesday showed that more than 1.39 million people were living in poverty in the first quarter of this year, a rate of 20.2 per cent.

The report said, level was higher than the 19.5 per cent recorded last year and the pre-pandemic figure of 18.3 per cent in 2019.

The charity attributed the worsening wealth inequality to the city’s rapidly ageing population and an increasing number of financially struggling elderly residents.

The organisation urged authorities to step up support for them through targeted poverty alleviation policies and help such residents return to the workforce.

“The population ageing and elderly poverty have become more serious, especially those households with elderly people living alone or only with their spouses,” said Kalina Tsang Ka-wai, director general of Oxfam Hong Kong.

“The figures have sounded the alarm. We hope the chief executive can step up efforts in terms of poverty alleviation policies.”

The organisation set the poverty line at half the median household income, the same as the one used by authorities before the current administration stopped using it.

Analysing official data between 2019 and the first quarter of this year, the charity found that the median monthly income of the poorest 10 per cent of households stood at HK$1,600 (US$200) in the first three months of this year, down by 54.3 per cent from the overall figure for 2019.

According to the findings, the wealthiest 10 per cent of households earned a median monthly income of HK$131,100 over the same period, up by 9.3 per cent from 2019.

Also, the richest earned 81.9 times more than the poorest, up from 52.7 times last year and 34.3 times in 2019.

香港慈善組織稱香港最富有居民的收入是最貧困居民的81.9倍

香港樂施會公佈，香港最富有居民的收入是最貧困居民的81.9倍，研究顯示，這一差距較去年的52.7倍有所擴大，顯示香港的貧富差距進一步擴大。

週三，該市一家國際慈善機構當地分會發布的數據也顯示，今年第一季度，超過139萬人生活在貧窮線中，貧窮率達20.2%。

報告稱，這一水準高於去年的 19.5% 和 2019 年疫情前的 18.3%。

該慈善機構將日益惡化的財富不平等歸因於該市人口迅速老化以及越來越多陷入經濟困境的老年居民。

該組織敦促相關部門透過精準扶貧政策加強對他們的支持力度，幫助他們重返勞動市場。

香港樂施會總幹事曾嘉慧表示：“人口老化和老年人貧困問題變得更加嚴重，尤其是那些有獨居或僅與配偶居住的老年人的家庭。”

「這些數字敲響了警鐘。 希望行政長官能夠加大扶貧政策力度。

該組織將貧窮線設定為家庭收入中位數的一半，與現任政府停止使用該標準之前當局使用的標準相同。

該慈善機構分析 2019 年至今年第一季的官方數據發現，今年前三個月最貧窮 10% 家庭的月收入中位數為 1,600 港元（200 美元），年減 54.3%。的總體數字少了100%。

同期最富有的10%家庭的月收入中位數為131,100港元，較2019年增長9.3%。

最富有的人的收入是最貧窮者的81.9倍，高於去年的52.7倍和2019年的34.3倍。