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East and Southeast Asia
Page last updated: July 24, 2024
The UK seized Hong Kong in 1841, and China formally ceded it the following year at the end of the First Opium War. The Kowloon Peninsula was added in 1860 at the end of the Second Opium War, and the UK obtained a 99-year lease of the New Territories in 1898. Pursuant to a UK-China agreement in 1984, Hong Kong became the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the People's Republic of China as of 1 July 1997. In this agreement, China promised that, under its "one country, two systems" formula, China's socialist economic and strict political system would not be imposed on Hong Kong and that Hong Kong would enjoy a "high degree of autonomy" in all matters except foreign and defense affairs for the next 50 years.
After the handover, Hong Kong continued to enjoy success as an international financial center. However, growing Chinese political influence and dissatisfaction with the Hong Kong Government in the 2010s became central issues and led to considerable civil unrest, including large-scale pro-democracy demonstrations in 2019 after the HKSAR attempted to revise a local ordinance to allow extraditions to mainland China. In response to the protests, the governments of the HKSAR and China reduced the city's autonomy and placed new restrictions on the rights of Hong Kong residents, moves that were widely criticized as contravening obligations under the Hong Kong Basic Law and the Sino-British Joint Declaration. Democratic lawmakers and political figures were arrested in a widespread crackdown, while others fled abroad. At the same time, dozens of civil society groups and several independent media outlets were closed or disbanded. In 2021, Beijing imposed a more restrictive electoral system, restructuring the Legislative Council (LegCo) and allowing only government-approved candidates to run for office. The changes ensured that virtually all seats in the 2021 LegCo election went to pro-establishment candidates and effectively ended political opposition to Beijing. In 2024, the LegCo passed a new national security law (Article 23 of the Basic Law) further expanding the Hong Kong Government's power to curb dissent.
Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China
22°15' N, 114°10' E
Southeast Asia
Total : 1,108 km²
Land: 1,073 km²
Water: 35 km²
Six times the size of Washington, DC
Total: 33 km
Regional borders (1): China 33 km
733 km
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Subtropical monsoon; cool and humid in winter, hot and rainy from spring through summer, warm and sunny in fall
Hilly to mountainous with steep slopes; lowlands in north
Highest point: Tai Mo Shan 958 m
Lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
Outstanding deepwater harbor, feldspar
Agricultural land: 5% (2018 est.)
Arable land: 3.2% (2018 est.)
Permanent crops: 0.9% (2018 est.)
Permanent pasture: 0.9% (2018 est.)
Forest: 0% (2018 est.)
Other: 95% (2018 est.)
10 km² (2012)
Population fairly evenly distributed
Occasional typhoons
Consists of a mainland area (the New Territories) and more than 200 islands
Total: 7,297,821
Male: 3,367,812
Female: 3,930,009 (2024 est.)
Comparison rankings: female 103; male 106; total 106
Noun: Chinese/Hong Konger
Adjective: Chinese/Hong Kong
Chinese 91.6%, Filipino 2.7%, Indonesian 1.9%, other 3.7% (2021 est.)
Cantonese (official) 85.4%, English (official) 4.5%, Putonghua (official) 2.2%, other Chinese dialects 2.8%, other 2%, persons under 5 or mute 3.2%; note - data represent population by usual spoken language (2021 est.)
Major-language sample(s):
世界概况, 必須擁有的基本資料参考书 (Cantonese)
The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.
Buddhist or Taoist 27.9%, Protestant 6.7%, Roman Catholic 5.3%, Muslim 4.2%, Hindu 1.4%, Sikh 0.2%, other or none 54.3% (2016 est.)
Note: many people practice Confucianism, regardless of their religion or not having a religious affiliation
0-14 years: 13.2% (male 505,718/female 459,956)
15-64 years: 64.8% (male 2,123,216/female 2,609,102)
65 years and over: 21.9% (2024 est.) (male 738,878/female 860,951)
2023 population pyramid:
Total dependency ratio: 46.6
Youth dependency ratio: 17.8
Elderly dependency ratio: 28.7
Potential support ratio: 3.5 (2021 est.)
Total: 47.2 years (2024 est.)
Male: 45.3 years
Female: 48.6 years
0.12% (2024 est.)
7.6 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
8.1 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
1.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Population fairly evenly distributed
Urban population: 100% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 0.58% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030
7.685 million Hong Kong (2023)
At birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.81 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
29.8 years (2008 est.)
Total: 2.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 2.8 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 2.2 deaths/1,000 live births
Total population: 84 years (2024 est.)
Male: 81.3 years
Female: 86.8 years
1.24 children born/woman (2024 est.)
0.6 (2024 est.)
66.7% (2017)
Improved: urban: 100% of population
Rural: NA
Total: 100% of population
Unimproved: urban: 0% of population
Rural: NA
Total: 0% of population (2020)
NA
2.04 physicians/1,000 population (2020)
4.9 beds/1,000 population (2020)
Improved: urban: 96.4% of population
Rural: NA
Total: 96.4% of population
Unimproved: urban: 3.6% of population
Rural: NA
Total: 3.6% of population (2017)
NA
47.7% (2023 est.)
4% of GDP (2021 est.)
Total population: NA
Male: NA
Female: NA
Total: 17 years
Male: 17 years
Female: 17 years (2021)
Air and water pollution from rapid urbanization; urban waste pollution; industrial pollution
Subtropical monsoon; cool and humid in winter, hot and rainy from spring through summer, warm and sunny in fall
Agricultural land: 5% (2018 est.)
Arable land: 3.2% (2018 est.)
Permanent crops: 0.9% (2018 est.)
Permanent pasture: 0.9% (2018 est.)
Forest: 0% (2018 est.)
Other: 95% (2018 est.)
Urban population: 100% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 0.58% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030
0% of GDP (2018 est.)
0% of GDP (2018 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: 43.64 megatons (2016 est.)
Municipal solid waste generated annually: 5,679,816 tons (2015 est.)
Municipal solid waste recycled annually: 1,931,138 tons (2016 est.)
Percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 34% (2016 est.)
Conventional long form: Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Conventional short form: Hong Kong
Local long form: Heung Kong Takpit Hangching Ku (Eitel/Dyer-Ball)
Local short form: Heung Kong (Eitel/Dyer-Ball)
Abbreviation: HK
Etymology: probably an imprecise phonetic rendering of the Cantonese name meaning "fragrant harbor"
Presidential limited democracy; a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China
Special administrative region of the People's Republic of China
None (special administrative region of the People's Republic of China)
None (special administrative region of China)
National Day (Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China), 1 October (1949); note - 1 July (1997) is celebrated as Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day
History: several previous (governance documents while under British authority); latest drafted April 1988 to February 1989, approved March 1990, effective 1 July 1997 (Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China serves as the constitution); note - since 1990, China's National People's Congress has interpreted specific articles of the Basic Law
Amendments: proposed by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), the People’s Republic of China State Council, or the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong; submittal of proposals to the NPC requires two-thirds majority vote by the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, approval by two thirds of Hong Kong’s deputies to the NPC, and approval by the Hong Kong chief executive; final passage requires approval by the NPC
Mixed legal system of common law based on the English model and Chinese customary law (in matters of family and land tenure); PRC imposition of National Security Law incorporates elements of Chinese civil law
See China
18 years of age in direct elections for 20 of the 90 Legislative Council seats and all of the seats in 18 district councils; universal for permanent residents living in the territory of Hong Kong for the past 7 years; note - in indirect elections, suffrage is limited to about 220,000 members of functional constituencies for the other 70 legislature seats and a 1,500-member election committee for the chief executive drawn from broad sectoral groupings, central government bodies, municipal organizations, and elected Hong Kong officials
Chief of state: President of China XI Jinping (since 14 March 2013)
Head of government: Chief Executive John LEE Ka-chiu (since 1 July 2022)
Cabinet: Executive Council or ExCo appointed by the chief executive
Elections/appointments: president indirectly elected by National People's Congress for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 10 March 2023 (next to be held in March 2028); chief executive indirectly elected by the Election Committee and appointed by the PRC Government for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 8 May 2022 (next to be held in 2027)
Election results:
2022: John LEE was the only candidate and won with over 99% of the vote by the Election Committee
2017: Carrie LAM elected; Election Committee vote - Carrie LAM (non-partisan) 777, John TSANG (non-partisan) 365, WOO Kwok-hing (non-partisan) 21, 23 ballots rejected (1,186 votes cast)
Note: electoral changes that Beijing imposed in March 2021 expanded the Election Committee to 1,500 members
Description: unicameral Legislative Council or LegCo (90 seats); 20 members directly elected in 2-seat constituencies, 30 indirectly elected by the approximately 220,000 members of various functional constituencies based on a variety of methods, and 50 indirectly elected by the 1,500-member Election Committee; members serve 4-year terms; note - in March 2021, China's National People's Congress amended the electoral rules and system for the LegCo; the total number of seats increased from 70 to 90, directly elected geographical constituencies were reduced from 35 to 20 seats, while trade-based indirectly elected functional constituencies remained at 30; an additional 40 seats were elected by the 1,500-member Election Commission; all political candidates are evaluated by the Candidate Eligibility Review Committee (CERC), established in April 2022; the CERC consists of the chairperson, 2-4 official members, and 1-3 non-official members, all appointed by the chief executive
Elections: last held on 19 Dec 2021 (next to be held in 2025)
Election results: percent of vote by bloc: pro-Beijing 93.8%, non-establishment 6.2%; seats by association/bloc/party - pro-Beijing 89 (DAB 19, FTU 8, BPA 7, NPP 5, Liberal Party 4, NTAS 4, HKFEW 2, HKFLU 2, CF 2, RT 1, PP 1, KWND 1, NPHK 1, NCF-1; other/independent 41), non-aligned 1 (Third Side); composition - men 73, women 17, percentage women 18.9%; note - Hong Kong's leading pro-democracy political parties boycotted the 2021 election
Note: in July 2023, Hong Kong lawmakers reduced the proportion of directly elected seats on local district councils from some 90% to about 20%; under the new law, the majority of the 470 seats are now filled by members appointed by the chief executive, rural committee chairpersons, and others elected by local committees that are packed with pro-establishment figures
Highest court(s): Court of Final Appeal (consists of the chief justice, 3 permanent judges, and 20 non-permanent judges); note - a sitting bench consists of the chief justice, 3 permanent judges, and 1 non-permanent judge
Judge selection and term of office: all judges appointed by the Hong Kong Chief Executive upon the recommendation of the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission, an independent body consisting of the Secretary for Justice, other judges, and judicial and legal professionals; permanent judges serve until normal retirement at age 65, but term can be extended; non-permanent judges appointed for renewable 3-year terms without age limit
Subordinate courts: High Court (consists of the Court of Appeal and Court of First Instance); District Courts (includes Family and Land Courts); magistrates' courts; specialized tribunals
Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong or BPA [LO Wai-kwok]
Civil Force or CF [PUN Kwok-shan]
Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong or DAB [Starry LEE Wai-king]
Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions or HKFLU [LAM Chun-sing]
Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers or HKFEW [LAU Chi-pang]
Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions or HKFTU [NG Chau-pei]
Kowloon West New Dynamic or KWND [Priscilla LEUNG]
Liberal Party or LP [Tommy CHEUNG]
New Century Forum or NCF [MA Fung-kwak]
New People's Party or NPP [Regina IP]
New Prospect for Hong Kong or NPHK [Gary ZHANG Xinyu]
New Territories Association of Societies or NTAS [CHAN Yung]
Professional Power or PP [Christine FONG Kwok Shan]
Roundtable or RT [Michael TIEN Puk-sun]
Third Side or TS [TIK Chi-yeun]
Note 1: there is no political party ordinance, so there are no registered political parties; politically active groups register as societies or companies
Note 2: by the end of 2021, the leading pro-democracy figures in Hong Kong had been effectively removed from the political arena under the provisions of Beijing's 2021 electoral changes or via charges under the 2020 national security law; in addition, dozens of pro-democracy organizations, including political parties, unions, churches, civil rights groups, and media organizations have disbanded or closed; as of 2023, nearly all politically active groups were pro-Beijing
ADB, APEC, BIS, FATF, ICC (national committees), IHO, IMF, IMO (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITUC (NGOs), UNWTO (associate), UPU, WCO, WMO, WTO
Red with a stylized, white, five-petal Bauhinia flower in the center; each petal contains a small, red, five-pointed star in its middle; the red color is the same as that on the Chinese flag and represents the motherland; the fragrant Bauhinia - developed in Hong Kong the late 19th century - has come to symbolize the region; the five stars echo those on the flag of China
Orchid tree flower; national colors: red, white
Note: as a Special Administrative Region of China, "Yiyongjun Jinxingqu" is the official anthem (see China)
High-income tourism- and services-based economy; global financial hub; COVID-19 and political protests fueled recent recession; ongoing recovery but lower-skilled unemployment remains high; investing in job-reskilling programs
$485.559 billion (2023 est.)
$470.434 billion (2022 est.)
$488.412 billion (2021 est.)
Note: data in 2021 dollars
3.22% (2023 est.)
-3.68% (2022 est.)
6.45% (2021 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency
$64,400 (2023 est.)
$64,000 (2022 est.)
$65,900 (2021 est.)
Note: data in 2021 dollars
$382.055 billion (2023 est.)
Note: data in current dollars at official exchange rate
2.1% (2023 est.)
1.88% (2022 est.)
1.57% (2021 est.)
Note: annual % change based on consumer prices
Fitch rating: AA- (2020)
Moody's rating: Aa3 (2020)
Standard & Poors rating: AA+ (2017)
Note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.
Agriculture: 0.1% (2017 est.)
Industry: 7.6% (2017 est.)
Services: 92.3% (2017 est.)
Comparison rankings: services 6; industry 213; agriculture 219
Household consumption: 67% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 9.9% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 21.8% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0.4% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 188% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -187.1% (2017 est.)
Pork, chicken, spinach, vegetables, game meat, pork offal, fruits, onions, lettuce, pork fat (2022)
Note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
Trading and logistics, financial services, professional services, tourism, cultural and creative, clothing and textiles, shipping, electronics, toys, clocks and watches
5.06% (2022 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency
3.825 million (2023 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work
3.93% (2023 est.)
4.32% (2022 est.)
5.17% (2021 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment
Total: 15% (2021 est.)
Male: 16.3%
Female: 13.6%
19.9% (2016 est.)
53.9 (2016 est.)
On food: 12.1% of household expenditures (2021 est.)
On alcohol and tobacco: 0.7% of household expenditures (2021 est.)
Lowest 10%: 1.8%
Highest 10%: 38.1% (2016)
0.11% of GDP (2023 est.)
0.12% of GDP (2022 est.)
0.12% of GDP (2021 est.)
Note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities
Revenues: $70.124 billion (2020 est.)
Expenditures: $105.849 billion (2020 est.)
5.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
0.1% of GDP (2017 est.)
0.1% of GDP (2016 est.)
23.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
$35.366 billion (2023 est.)
$36.525 billion (2022 est.)
$43.659 billion (2021 est.)
Note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars
$673.305 billion (2023 est.)
$697.583 billion (2022 est.)
$752.621 billion (2021 est.)
Note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
China 21%, India 13%, Netherlands 6%, Switzerland 4%, US 3% (2022)
Note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
Gold, integrated circuits, gas turbines, broadcasting equipment, machine parts (2022)
Note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
$670.085 billion (2023 est.)
$682.881 billion (2022 est.)
$732.087 billion (2021 est.)
Note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
China 44%, Taiwan 11%, Singapore 8%, South Korea 5%, Japan 4% (2022)
Note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
Integrated circuits, broadcasting equipment, machine parts, gold, jewelry (2022)
Note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
$425.553 billion (2023 est.)
$424.025 billion (2022 est.)
$496.856 billion (2021 est.)
Note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars
$1,648,409,000,000 (2019 est.)
$1,670,919,000,000 (2018 est.)
Hong Kong dollars (HKD) per US dollar -
Exchange rates:
7.83 (2023 est.)
7.831 (2022 est.)
7.773 (2021 est.)
7.757 (2020 est.)
7.836 (2019 est.)
Electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.)
Installed generating capacity: 13.388 million kW (2022 est.)
Consumption: 44.677 billion kWh (2022 est.)
Imports: 12.573 billion kWh (2022 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 3.834 billion kWh (2022 est.)
Comparison rankings: transmission/distribution losses 152; imports 21; consumption 56; installed generating capacity 56
Fossil fuels: 99.4% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Solar: 0.2% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Biomass and waste: 0.4% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Consumption: 6.217 million metric tons (2022 est.)
Exports: 800 metric tons (2022 est.)
Imports: 5.681 million metric tons (2022 est.)
Total petroleum production: 96 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 414,000 bbl/day (2022 est.)
Consumption: 4.835 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
Imports: 4.835 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)
87.498 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 14.039 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 63.975 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 9.484 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
167.815 million Btu/person (2022 est.)
Total subscriptions: 3.673 million (2022 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 49 (2022 est.)
Total subscriptions: 21.861 million (2022 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 292 (2022 est.)
General assessment: Hong Kong’s telecommunications sector continues to stay near the top of world rankings for the industry; it has kept its #1 spot in the Asian region in terms of the maturity of its telecom market – a reflection of the high penetration rates across mobile, mobile broadband, and fixed broadband; even fixed-line teledensity in Hong Kong is impressive at over 50%, although it too has started a gradual decline in keeping with most other telecom markets around the world, as consumers slowly transition over to the mobile platform for all of their communication needs (2022)
Domestic: fixed-line is over 51 per 100 and mobile-cellular is 319 subscriptions per 100 (2021)
International: country code - 852; landing points for the AAE-1, AAG, APCN-2, APG, ASE, FEA, FNAL, RNAL, H2HE, SeaMeWe-3, SJC and TGN-IA submarine cables that provide connections to Asia, US, Australia, the Middle East, and Europe; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Pacific Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean); coaxial cable to Guangzhou, China (2022)
34 commercial terrestrial TV networks each with multiple stations; multi-channel satellite and cable TV systems available; 3 licensed broadcasters of terrestrial radio, one of which is government funded, operate about 12 radio stations; note - 4 digital radio broadcasters operated in Hong Kong from 2010 to 2017, but all digital radio services were terminated in September 2017 due to weak market demand (2019)
.hk
Total: 6.975 million (2021 est.)
Percent of population: 93% (2021 est.)
Total: 2,885,586 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 39 (2020 est.)
Number of registered air carriers: 12 (2020) (registered in China)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 275 (registered in China)
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 47,101,822 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 12,676,720,000 (2018) mt-km
B-H
3 (2024)
94 (2024)
Total: 2,193 km
Paved: 2,193 km (2021)
Total: 2,537 (2023)
By type: bulk carrier 1,047, container ship 560, general cargo 144, oil tanker 394, other 392
Total ports: 1 (2024)
Large: 1
Medium: 0
Small: 0
Very small: 0
Ports with oil terminals: 1
Key ports: Hong Kong
No regular indigenous military forces; Hong Kong Police Force (specialized units include the Police Counterterrorism Response Unit, the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Bureau, the Special Duties Unit, the Airport Security Unit, and the VIP Protection Unit) (2024)
Note: the Hong Kong garrison of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) includes elements of the PLA Army, PLA Navy, and PLA Air Force; these forces are under the direct leadership of the Central Military Commission in Beijing and under administrative control of the adjacent Southern Theater Command
Defense is the responsibility of China
Modern banking system provides conduit for money laundering; groups involved in money laundering range from local street organizations to sophisticated international syndicates involved in assorted criminal activities, including drug trafficking; major source of precursor chemicals used in the production of illicit narcotics