25% of the Population of Hong Kong Lives on Reclaimed Land

Almost immediately after the British took possession of Hong Kong Island, the colony was faced with overcrowding. The island's mountainous topography left only a very narrow band of buildable land along the coast.

In 1851, after a devastating fire destroyed 450 houses in Sheung Wan, the colonial government of Hong Kong initiated its first land reclamation policies. These measures were designed to alleviate health and safety concerns in the overpopulated neighbourhoods of Hong Kong Island, which were mainly concentrated between Kennedy Town and Causeway Bay.

Following a massive influx of Chinese refugees resulting from the Communist victory in mainland China in 1949, the government of Hong Kong ordered the construction of "new towns," relying heavily on reclaimed land to house residents.

Kwun Tong and Tsuen Wan were the first of these new towns, built in the 1950s, followed by Sha Tin and Tai Po in the 1970s. Since 1973, ten new towns have been established, six of which were largely built on reclaimed land.

As of 2026, an estimated 48% to 50% of Hong Kong's population lives in these new towns, and reclaimed land houses 25% of the total population.