An increasing number of Hong Kong women have married men from the Chinese mainland over the years, according to Hong Kong's Census and Statistics Department, which said the figure increased tenfold between 1986 and 2013, People's Daily reported on Monday.

A report released by the department on Thursday said 7,507 Hong Kong women married mainland Chinese men in 2013, up from 657 in 1986.

People's Daily reported a gender imbalance in Hong Kong may contribute to the phenomenon as the current ratio of women-to-men is 1,000 to 864.

Another reason may be that more and more Hong Kong women are working on the mainland.

According to the statistics, 40,000 Hong Kong women were working on the mainland in 2014. These women are more likely to meet well-educated and high-quality mainland men, People's Daily said.