It marks the steepest single-year population decline since Hong Kong started maintaining records in 1961, reported.
Students and parents have expressed worries about the latest education reform, which includes the promotion of national security and an overhaul of liberal studies in schools.
As of 2021, the population of Hong Kong is projected at 7.
A number of international banks have announced plans to expand operations and increase hiring in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong has kept coronavirus infections low by closing itself off to non-residents for most of the pandemic.
The local newspaper observed on Monday that seven Hong Kong kindergartens recently announced their permanent closing by the end of the current academic year.