The baby bonus application form at the Social Welfare Department counter in Sham Shui Po lists the payment at the top: HK$20,000 per live birth. The form is two pages. The government has paid out HK$180 million under the scheme this year. On Thursday, the IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook ranked Hong Kong second globally, up from fifth in 2025. A couple in Pak Tin Estate earning HK$36,000 a month between them pays roughly HK$7,500 for a two-room flat; their landlord reviewed the lease in April. The HK$20,000 covers four months of the shortfall between what the couple brings in and what the flat and the child cost together.

The IMD index weighs business efficiency, government administration, and infrastructure. It measures the city that capital and institutions pass through. It does not weigh that. The Census and Statistics Department recorded fewer registered births in Q1 2026 than in Q1 2025. The scheme's payout amount has not changed since July 2023. The Social Welfare Department's Sham Shui Po district office still lists HK$20,000 on the form.