Hong Kong authorities are facing calls to increase the proportion of private housing in selected districts and work more closely with developers to expand accommodation for non-local students.
The government forecasts annual demand for non-local student housing at 2,310 flats over the next decade, 45 per cent higher than last year’s estimate, according to the latest Long-Term Housing Strategy progress report released on Monday.
The Housing Bureau attributed the projection to an average annual increase of about 7,100 student visas between 2016-17 and 2025-26, noting that roughly 65 per cent of those students did not live in university-provided halls or hostels.
The latest projection comes as five public universities in Hong Kong rank among the top 100 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings.