Hong Kong  - Parents in slump-hit Hong Kong may have cut back on the little luxuries in life but they still spend more than 400 US dollars a month on each of their children, a survey found Friday.

Despite a year-long recession which ended earlier this month, the average family in the wealthy city of 7 million spends 387 US dollars a month on each child.

The biggest item for parents are school-related expenses such as extra-curricular activities, sports and musical instruments which account for 40 per cent of spending on children.

In addition, parents spend another 44 US dollars per child each month on clothes and 30 US dollars on pocket money, according to the survey by market research company Nielsen.

Two-thirds of parents interviewed described their spending on their children as just right and 83 per cent said they had no plans to cut back despite the global financial slump.

High-rise Hong Kong has one of the world's lowest birth rates because of its limited space and high living costs and most couples opt to have only one child at most. (dpa)