RODENT INDEX
Which Hong Kong District Has the Highest Rodent Index? FEHD Figures, 2016–2023
Quick answer
On FEHD's most recently published figures (2023), Wan Chai is highest at 13.0%, followed by Yau Tsim at 8.3% and Kowloon City at 5.4%, with Tai Po lowest at 0.4%. Read the ranking carefully: there are only 50 monitoring points across 19 districts, and Wan Chai has just one (Lockhart Road) — so a "district index" can literally be one street's reading. The index measures gnaw-mark share on survey boards; it is not a rodent population count and not a measure of district-wide prevalence.
2023 rodent infestation rate by district (highest to lowest)
| District | 2023 annual | H1 / H2 | 2022 annual | Year-over-year change (pp) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wan Chai | 13.0% | 17.3% / 8.9% | 2.7% | +10.3 |
| Yau Tsim | 8.3% | 10.2% / 6.5% | 5.5% | +2.8 |
| Kowloon City | 5.4% | 7.4% / 3.4% | 5.1% | +0.3 |
| Kwai Tsing | 5.1% | 2.5% / 7.7% | 4.1% | +1.0 |
| Islands | 4.8% | 4.8% / 4.8% | 2.9% | +1.9 |
| Sha Tin | 4.7% | 5.8% / 3.5% | 2.9% | +1.8 |
| Sai Kung | 4.3% | 5.5% / 3.1% | 1.5% | +2.8 |
| Tsuen Wan | 4.1% | 3.1% / 5.2% | 2.6% | +1.5 |
| North | 4.0% | 3.1% / 5.0% | 3.8% | +0.2 |
| Eastern | 3.9% | 2.8% / 5.0% | 2.4% | +1.5 |
| Mong Kok | 3.8% | 4.3% / 3.4% | 3.4% | +0.4 |
| Central & Western | 3.6% | 2.2% / 4.9% | 3.0% | +0.6 |
| Wong Tai Sin | 3.5% | 3.8% / 3.2% | 6.6% | -3.1 |
| Yuen Long | 3.2% | 4.5% / 1.9% | 3.6% | -0.4 |
| Tuen Mun | 2.5% | 3.9% / 1.1% | 3.1% | -0.6 |
| Kwun Tong | 1.6% | 1.3% / 1.9% | 3.2% | -1.6 |
| Sham Shui Po | 1.2% | 1.8% / 0.6% | 3.0% | -1.8 |
| Southern | 1.0% | 1.4% / 0.7% | 2.4% | -1.4 |
| Tai Po | 0.4% | 0.0% / 0.9% | 0.9% | -0.5 |
Source: FEHD's rodent infestation rate, compiled 2026-07-30. All 152 rows passed a consistency check: the annual figure must fall within or near the two half-year figures. Compiled by Averta; not an official FEHD page. Source: FEHD's rodent infestation rate (data checked on this page: 2026-07-30; covers 2016-2023).
Wan Chai's single-year jump
On the numbers, the standout in 2023 was Wan Chai: 2.7% in 2022 to 13.0% in 2023, a rise of 10.3 percentage points in a single year. That figure needs reading carefully, for two reasons — both visible in FEHD's own table.
First, Wan Chai has a single monitoring location (Lockhart Road), so the "district" figure simply is that street's reading: the two sets of numbers are identical (17.3% first half, 8.9% second, 13.0% annual). Across the territory there are only 50 monitoring points spread over 19 districts, so every district figure rests on very few points.
Second, FEHD re-surveys after a high reading: following Lockhart Road's 17.3% in the first half, two re-assessments recorded 9.1% and 7.1%; after the second half's 8.9%, a re-assessment recorded 1.8%. The published annual figure is therefore a pre-remediation reading.
So the accurate statement is narrower than the ranking suggests: one monitoring point in Wan Chai recorded a high reading in the first half of 2023 and came down after remedial work — not "Wan Chai has Hong Kong's worst rodent problem." We won't speculate on why it rose; FEHD doesn't publish per-district explanations. Over the same period Wong Tai Sin (6.6% → 3.5%) and Sham Shui Po (3.0% → 1.2%) fell clearly.
The territory-wide trend since 2000
On FEHD's own territory-wide figures the long trend is downward: 16.0% in 2000, 4.2% in 2019, with a low of 1.5% in 2010, 1.7% in 2011 and 2.4% in 2012, then broadly a 3–4% band from 2013 (3.1%) onward. Short-term district movements are worth reading against that long-run low base.
Methodology and limits (please read these with the numbers)
- What it measures: the share of survey boards at monitoring points showing rodent gnaw marks. A reference indicator, not a population count, and not district-wide prevalence.
- How small the sample is: in 2023 there were only 50 monitoring points across 19 districts, and some districts have just one, for example Wan Chai (Lockhart Road). District-to-district rankings are therefore highly sensitive and should not be read as a stable league table.
- District scheme: FEHD uses 19 survey districts, splitting Yau Tsim Mong into "Yau Tsim" and "Mong Kok" — not the 18 District Council districts.
- Re-assessment: since the second half of 2020, monitoring points scoring 8% or above are re-surveyed after improvement measures, with re-assessment figures shown in brackets.
- Latest year: FEHD's most recent published year is 2023. This page is a historical reference, not current conditions.
- Excluded: the 2013–2015 PDFs use a different layout and are not included in the district series — we would rather omit a year than publish a figure we might have parsed wrongly.
- Compiled by Averta Pest Control from public data; this is not an official FEHD page.
Looking for mosquitoes?
We publish a separate mosquito index tracker, updated monthly and current to 2026. The two indices use different methods and cover different years — they cannot be added together or merged into a single "risk score", and we have deliberately not done so.
Related services
Think you have rodents at home or in your premises? Photograph what you've found — droppings, gnaw marks, greasy runways — and WhatsApp it to us
Frequently asked questions
Does a high rodent index mean the district is dirty?
That's not the right read. The index measures gnaw-mark share at a small, fixed set of monitoring points, so a single location's change can move the whole district figure. It reflects survey results, not residents' hygiene habits, and it is not a rodent population count.
Why only 2023 data? Is there anything more recent?
Because 2023 is FEHD's most recently published year as of when we compiled this page (2026-07-30). We won't dress up an old figure as current, and we won't estimate the years in between ourselves. We'll update this page when FEHD publishes new figures.
My district's index is low — does that mean I don't need to worry about rodents?
No. The index is a district-level reference; it can differ a lot from the actual situation in your specific building, floor or flat. Whether rodents can get into your home comes down to entry points (pipe gaps, door gaps, drains) and food sources — neither of which is necessarily tied to the district figure.