24-6  Main Indicators of Population
Item	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
Mid-year Population  (10 000 persons)	666.5	672.5	678.7	680.3	688.3
Crude Birth Rate                           (‰)	8.1	7.2	7.1	6.9	7.2
Crude Death Rate                          (‰)	5.1	5.0	5.0	5.4	5.3^
Infant Mortality Rate                     (‰)	3.0	2.6	2.3	2.3	2.5^
Rate of Natural Increase                (‰)	3.1	2.2	2.1	1.5	1.9^
Total Fertility Rate①②	1035	932	939	901	927
Registered Marriages               (couple)	30879	32825	32070	35439	41376
Divorce Decrees                       (couple)	13247	13425	12943	13829	15604
Expectation of Life at Birth      (years)
Male	78.0	78.4	78.6	78.5	78.6^
Female	83.9	84.6	84.5	84.3	84.6^
Notes : ①Per 1000 female population excluding foreign domestic helpers.
②Figures have been revised in view of the recent change in the situation of women giving births in Hong Kong. For details, please
refer to the feature article entitled "The fertility trend in Hong Kong, 1975-2004" in the April 2005 issue of the Hong Kong
Monthly Digest of Statistics.
^  Provisional figure.