The Increase in Birth Rate Can Solve Social and Economic Problems Caused by Hong Kong’s  The aging population in Hong Kong is causing a string of negative social and financial consequences and calls for immediate attention. Recent studies conducted by statistics of Census 2016 show that there is a significant increase of 65-year-olds and above in the population from 11% to 14% in the last three decades (Kao, 2017). Conversely, the population of 14 to 65-year-olds drastically dropped from 74% to 73% since 2006 (Lee, Huh, & Lee, 2013). A high aging rate will have adverse effects on the social services sector, unemployment rate and the pension system. Therefore, the government must introduce programs and benefits that boost the birth rate to tackle the direct and side effects of this aging problem in the long run. As part of the solution, the government should enact policies which will increase funding for social services towards the elderly to curb fiscal sustainability. More importantly, the government should promote the increase of fertility rates to boost the birth rate with the aim of increasing the youth in the population. Solution 1 The increase in funding for social services and infrastructure targeting the elderly can ease the social and economic problems they cause. For instance, different social adaptation programs for groups such as diabetics, disabled persons are needed. According to Schoeb (2016), the root of the problem stems from the administration of Hong Kong’s public hospitals. The infirmaries fail to cope with the increased demand for healthcare services for the country’s aging population, access to professional and quality healthcare as well as a chronic shortage of health staff (p. 52). Moreover, the childless elderly [Show Less]