THE WORLD FACTBOOK — Reference Edition 2026

Background: 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.

Location: Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China
Geographic coordinates: 22 15 N, 114 10 E
Map references: Southeast Asia
Area: total: 1,108 sq km
land: 1,073 sq km
water: 35 sq km
Area - comparative: six times the size of Washington, D.C.
Land boundaries: total: 33 km
regional borders: China 33 km
Coastline: 733 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: subtropical monsoon; cool and humid in winter, hot and rainy from spring through summer, warm and sunny in fall
Terrain: hilly to mountainous with steep slopes; lowlands in north
Elevation: highest point: Tai Mo Shan 958 m
lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
Natural resources: outstanding deepwater harbor, feldspar
Land use: agricultural land: 3.8% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land: arable land: 1.9% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops: permanent crops: 1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture: permanent pasture: 1% (2023 est.)
forest: 0% (2022 est.)
other: 96.2% (2022 est.)
Irrigated land: 10 sq km (2012)
Population distribution: population fairly evenly distributed
Natural hazards: occasional typhoons
Geography - note: consists of a mainland area (the New Territories) and over 200 islands

Population: total: 7,305,556 (2025 est.)
male: 3,367,222
female: 3,938,334
Nationality: noun: Chinese/Hong Konger
adjective: Chinese/Hong Kong
Ethnic groups: Chinese 91.6%, Filipino 2.7%, Indonesian 1.9%, other 3.7% (2021 est.)
Languages: Languages: 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% (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.
Religions: 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.)
Age structure: 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)
Dependency ratios: total dependency ratio: 56.7 (2025 est.)
youth dependency ratio: 20.8 (2025 est.)
elderly dependency ratio: 35.8 (2025 est.)
potential support ratio: 2.8 (2025 est.)
Median age: total: 47.6 years (2025 est.)
male: 45.3 years
female: 48.6 years
Population growth rate: 0.09% (2025 est.)
Birth rate: 7.45 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Death rate: 8.16 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Net migration rate: 1.64 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Population distribution: population fairly evenly distributed
Urbanization: urban population: 100% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 0.58% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas - population: 7.685 million Hong Kong (2023)
Sex ratio: 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.)
Mother's mean age at first birth: 29.8 years (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate: total: 2.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)
male: 2.8 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 2.2 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 84 years (2024 est.)
male: 81.3 years
female: 86.8 years
Total fertility rate: 1.24 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Gross reproduction rate: 0.6 (2025 est.)
Drinking water source: improved: urban: urban: 100% of population (2022 est.)
improved: rural: rural: NA
improved: total: total: 100% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban: urban: 0% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: rural: rural: NA
unimproved: total: total: 0% of population (2022 est.)
Physician density: 2.04 physicians/1,000 population (2020)
Hospital bed density: 4.9 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility access: improved: urban: urban: 96.5% of population (2022 est.)
improved: total: total: 96.5% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: urban: urban: 3.5% of population (2022 est.)
unimproved: total: total: 3.5% of population (2022 est.)
Currently married women (ages 15-49): 49.8% (2021 est.)
Education expenditure: Education expenditure (% GDP): 3.8% of GDP (2024 est.)
Education expenditure (% national budget): 15.7% national budget (2024 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education): total: 17 years (2023 est.)
male: 17 years (2023 est.)
female: 17 years (2023 est.)

Environmental issues: air and water pollution from rapid urbanization; urban waste pollution; industrial pollution
Climate: subtropical monsoon; cool and humid in winter, hot and rainy from spring through summer, warm and sunny in fall
Land use: agricultural land: 3.8% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: arable land: arable land: 1.9% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent crops: permanent crops: 1% (2023 est.)
agricultural land: permanent pasture: permanent pasture: 1% (2023 est.)
forest: 0% (2022 est.)
other: 96.2% (2022 est.)
Urbanization: urban population: 100% of total population (2023)
rate of urbanization: 0.58% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions: total emissions: 58.433 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
from coal and metallurgical coke: 12.935 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
from petroleum and other liquids: 35.453 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
from consumed natural gas: 10.045 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
Waste and recycling: municipal solid waste generated annually: 5.68 million tons (2024 est.)
percent of municipal solid waste recycled: 34% (2016 est.)

Country name: 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"
Government type: presidential limited democracy; a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China
Dependency status: special administrative region of the People's Republic of China
Legal system: mixed system of common law based on the English model and Chinese customary law (in matters of family and land tenure); China's imposition of National Security Law incorporates elements of Chinese civil law
Constitution: 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)
amendment process: 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
Citizenship: see China
Suffrage: 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
Executive branch: 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
election/appointment process: president indirectly elected by National People's Congress for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); chief executive indirectly elected by the Election Committee and appointed by the PRC Government for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term)
most recent election date: president: 10 March 2023chief executive: 8 May 2022
election results: 2022: John LEE was the only candidate and won with over 99% of the vote by the Election Committee2017: 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)
expected date of next election: president: March 2028chief executive: 2027
Legislative branch: legislature name: Legislative Council or LegCo
legislative structure: unicameral
number of seats: 90
electoral system: 20 members directly elected; 70 members indirectly elected
scope of elections: full
most recent election date: 7 December 2025
parties elected and seats per party: Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) 20, Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Trade Unions (HKFTU) 8, Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong (BPA) 7, Liberal (LP) 4, New People's Party (NPP) 3, Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers (HKFEW) 2, Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions (HKFLU) 2, Professional Power (PP) 1, Roundtable (RT) 1, New Territories Association of Societies (NTAS) 1, Kowloon West New Dynamic (KWND) 1, Independents 40
expected date of next election: December 2029
Judicial branch: highest court(s): Court of Final Appeal (consists of the chief justice, 3 permanent judges, and 20 non-permanent judges)
judge selection and term of office: all judges appointed by the Hong Kong Chief Executive on 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
Political parties: Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong or BPA Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong or DAB Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions or HKFLU Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers or HKFEW Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions or HKFTU Kowloon West New Dynamic or KWNDLiberal Party or LP New People's Party or NPPNew Prospect for Hong Kong or NPHK New Territories Association of Societies or NTAS Professional Power or PP Roundtable or RT
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: none (Special Administrative Region of China)
HKETO offices: New York, San Francisco, Washington DC
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Consul General Julie EADEH (since August 2025); note - also accredited to Macau
embassy: 26 Garden Road, Central, Hong Kong
mailing address: 8000 Hong Kong Place, Washington DC 20521-8000
telephone: [852] 2523-9011
FAX: [852] 2845-1598
email address and website: acshk@state.govhttps://hk.usconsulate.gov/
International organization participation: ADB, APEC, BIS, FATF, ICC (national committees), IHO, IMF, IMO (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITUC (NGOs), UNWTO (associate), UPU, WCO, WMO, WTO
Independence: none (special administrative region of China)
National holiday: National Day (Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China), 1 October (1949)
Flag: description: red with a stylized white Bauhinia flower with five petals in the center of the flag; each petal has a tiny five-pointed red star with a fine red line curving toward the center of the flowermeaning: the red color is the same as the Chinese flag and represents the motherland, and the five stars also echo the Chinese flag; the Bauhinia flower was developed in Hong Kong the late 19th century and has come to symbolize the region
National symbol(s): bauhinia flower
National color(s): red, white
National anthem(s): title: "Yiyongjun Jinxingqu" (The March of the Volunteers)
lyrics/music: TIAN Han/NIE Er
history: official anthem, as a Special Administrative Region of China

Economic overview: 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
Real GDP (purchasing power parity): Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2024: $497.88 billion (2024 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2023: $485.541 billion (2023 est.)
Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2022: $470.42 billion (2022 est.)
Real GDP growth rate: Real GDP growth rate 2024: 2.5% (2024 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2023: 3.2% (2023 est.)
Real GDP growth rate 2022: -3.7% (2022 est.)
Real GDP per capita: Real GDP per capita 2024: $66,200 (2024 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2023: $64,400 (2023 est.)
Real GDP per capita 2022: $64,000 (2022 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate): $407.107 billion (2024 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024: 1.7% (2024 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023: 2.1% (2023 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022: 1.9% (2022 est.)
GDP - composition, by sector of origin: agriculture: 0% (2023 est.)
industry: 6.3% (2023 est.)
services: 91.4% (2023 est.)
GDP - composition, by end use: household consumption: 67.4% (2024 est.)
government consumption: 12.8% (2024 est.)
investment in fixed capital: 16.2% (2024 est.)
investment in inventories: -0.5% (2024 est.)
exports of goods and services: 181.7% (2024 est.)
imports of goods and services: -177.7% (2024 est.)
Agricultural products: pork, chicken, spinach, vegetables, pork offal, game meat, beef, fruits, onions, pork fat (2023)
Industries: trading and logistics, financial services, professional services, tourism, cultural and creative, clothing and textiles, shipping, electronics, toys, clocks and watches
Industrial production growth rate: 3.4% (2024 est.)
Labor force: 3.836 million (2024 est.)
Unemployment rate: Unemployment rate 2024: 2.8% (2024 est.)
Unemployment rate 2023: 3% (2023 est.)
Unemployment rate 2022: 4.4% (2022 est.)
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24): total: 8.4% (2024 est.)
male: 10.5% (2024 est.)
female: 6.3% (2024 est.)
Average household expenditures: on food: 11.5% of household expenditures (2023 est.)
on alcohol and tobacco: 0.7% of household expenditures (2023 est.)
Remittances: Remittances 2024: 0.1% of GDP (2024 est.)
Remittances 2023: 0.1% of GDP (2023 est.)
Remittances 2022: 0.1% of GDP (2022 est.)
Budget: revenues: $70.124 billion (2020 est.)
expenditures: $105.849 billion (2020 est.)
Public debt: Public debt 2016: 0.1% of GDP (2016 est.)
Current account balance: Current account balance 2024: $52.475 billion (2024 est.)
Current account balance 2023: $32.338 billion (2023 est.)
Current account balance 2022: $36.525 billion (2022 est.)
Exports: Exports 2024: $739.915 billion (2024 est.)
Exports 2023: $673.738 billion (2023 est.)
Exports 2022: $697.583 billion (2022 est.)
Exports - partners: China 22%, Vietnam 12%, S. Korea 8%, Netherlands 5%, Switzerland 4% (2023)
Exports - commodities: gold, integrated circuits, gas turbines, broadcasting equipment, jewelry (2023)
Imports: Imports 2024: $723.397 billion (2024 est.)
Imports 2023: $671.492 billion (2023 est.)
Imports 2022: $682.881 billion (2022 est.)
Imports - partners: China 40%, Taiwan 10%, Singapore 7%, Japan 5%, S. Korea 4% (2023)
Imports - commodities: integrated circuits, broadcasting equipment, gold, machine parts, jewelry (2023)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2023: $425.554 billion (2023 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2022: $424.03 billion (2022 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 2021: $496.867 billion (2021 est.)
Exchange rates: Currency: Hong Kong dollars (HKD) per US dollar -
Exchange rates 2024: 7.804 (2024 est.)
Exchange rates 2023: 7.83 (2023 est.)
Exchange rates 2022: 7.831 (2022 est.)
Exchange rates 2021: 7.773 (2021 est.)
Exchange rates 2020: 7.757 (2020 est.)

Electricity access: electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.)
Electricity: installed generating capacity: 13.3 million kW (2023 est.)
consumption: 45.54 billion kWh (2023 est.)
imports: 11.593 billion kWh (2023 est.)
transmission/distribution losses: 3.684 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Electricity generation sources: fossil fuels: 99.1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
solar: 0.5% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
biomass and waste: 0.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Coal: consumption: 5.567 million metric tons (2023 est.)
exports: 16,000 metric tons (2023 est.)
imports: 5.884 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Petroleum: total petroleum production: 96 bbl/day (2023 est.)
refined petroleum consumption: 233,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Natural gas: consumption: 5.12 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
imports: 5.12 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Energy consumption per capita: Total energy consumption per capita 2023: 116.811 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Telephones - fixed lines: total subscriptions: 3.487 million (2023 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 47 (2023 est.)
Telephones - mobile cellular: total subscriptions: 27.1 million (2024 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 365 (2024 est.)
Broadcast media: 34 commercial terrestrial TV networks, each with multiple stations; multi-channel satellite and cable TV systems available; 3 licensed broadcasters, one of which is government-funded, operate about 12 radio stations (2019)
Internet country code: .hk
Internet users: percent of population: 96% (2023 est.)
Broadband - fixed subscriptions: total: 2.97 million (2023 est.)
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 40 (2023 est.)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: B-H
Airports: 2 (2025)
Heliports: 142 (2025)
Merchant marine: total: 2,537 (2023)
by type: bulk carrier 1,047, container ship 560, general cargo 144, oil tanker 394, other 392
Ports: total ports: 1 (2024)
large: 1
medium: 0
small: 0
very small: 0
ports with oil terminals: 1
key ports: Hong Kong

Military and security 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)China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) Hong Kong Garrison is responsible for defense duties; the garrison includes elements of the PLA Army, PLA Navy, and PLA Air Force and are under the direct leadership of the Central Military Commission in Beijing and under administrative control of the adjacent Southern Theater Command (2025)

Refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees: 260 (2024 est.)
Trafficking in persons: tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List — the government did not demonstrate overall increasing efforts to eliminate trafficking compared with the previous reporting period, therefore Hong Kong remained on Tier 2 Watch List for the second consecutive year; for more details, go to: https://www.state.gov/reports/2025-trafficking-in-persons-report/hong-kong/
Illicit drugs: USG identification: major precursor-chemical producer (2025)

Hong Kong