The number of Hong Kong women marrying mainland men reached an all-time high last year.

Figures released by the Census and Statistics Department revealed that 7,685 marriages between Hong Kong women and mainland men took place in 2014, hitting a 28-year peak.

The department said although it is only a slight increase on the previous year, the number of Hong Kong women marrying mainland men is 31 percent up on 2011.

According to local media, the surge is being driven by the growing gender gap in Hong Kong, with more female births each year leading to a shortage of suitors.

The Census revealed that in 2014 Hong Kong had 3.34 million males and 3.89 million females, meaning there are 1,000 women for every 935 men, compared to 2011 where there were 1,000 women for every 948 men.

The figures also revealed that 18,645 Hong Kong men married mainland women in 2014. However this was an eight percent drop on the previous year. In 2006 the census recorded 28,145 marriages between Hong Kong men and mainland women, this means that the 2014 figure is a 34 percent decrease from 2006.