The Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) have announced that 59,000 candidates will sit the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) in 2018, which compares with 61,600 candidates in 2017, a decrease of -4%.
The number of day school candidates is only slightly decreased, from 52,058 last year to 51,600 this year, meaning that the market size for overseas study should be very similar. After significant decreses in student population in recent years (the last two years saw declines of -9% and -8% in the number of candidates), the trend is now flat lining, and if other factors remain constant we can look back at last year's recruitment cycle as an indication of market prospects for the coming one.
The difference between the overall candidate number and day school candidates is private candidates, of which there will be 7,400. These are mostly returning students who are repeating one or more papers as an attempt to achieve a better grade.
Most candidates take four core subjects, namely Chinese Language, English Language, Mathematics and Liberal Studies, and two elective subjects, the most popular of which are Biology, Economics and Chemistry with a candidature of over 14,000 each.
The full set of HKDSE registration statistics can be found from the HKEAA here - http://www.hkeaa.edu.hk/DocLibrary/Media/FactFigures/2018HKDSE_registra…