More than a third of Hong Kong men who married last year tied the knot with a woman from the mainland, Hong Kong government statistics show.

Of the 50,300 marriages registered in Hong Kong in 2006, 18,000 Hong Kong men married mainland women. In 1996, only 2,215 Hong Kong men married mainland women, according to Hong Kong's Census and Statistics Department.

The department says another 10,000 Hong Kong men applied last year for certificates proving they are not currently married, which is a requirement of the mainland. Only 3,400 Hong Kong women married men from the mainland last year.

Earlier reports suggested the growing trend of cross-border marriages between Hong Kong men and mainland women is the result of Hong Kong women becoming better educated and financially independent, making it harder for Hong Kong men in lower income brackets to find local spouses.

Editor: Yan