2008 Edition
CIA World Factbook 2008 (Project Gutenberg)
Introduction
Background
Occupied by the UK in 1841, Hong Kong was formally ceded by China the following year; various adjacent lands were added later in the 19th century. Pursuant to an agreement signed by China and the UK on 19 December 1984, Hong Kong became the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China on 1 July 1997. In this agreement, China promised that, under its "one country, two systems" formula, China's socialist economic 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.
Geography
Area
total: 1,092 sq km land: 1,042 sq km water: 50 sq km
Area - comparative
six times the size of Washington, DC
Climate
subtropical monsoon; cool and humid in winter, hot and rainy from spring through summer, warm and sunny in fall
Coastline
733 km
Elevation extremes
lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: Tai Mo Shan 958 m
Environment - current issues
air and water pollution from rapid urbanization
Environment - international agreements
party to: Marine Dumping (associate member), Ship Pollution (associate member)
Geographic coordinates
22 15 N, 114 10 E
Geography - note
more than 200 islands
Irrigated land
20 sq km (1998 est.)
Land boundaries
total: 30 km regional border: China 30 km
Land use
arable land: 5.05% permanent crops: 1.01% other: 93.94% (2001)
Location
Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China
Map references
Southeast Asia
Maritime claims
territorial sea: 3 nm
Natural hazards
occasional typhoons
Natural resources
outstanding deepwater harbor, feldspar
Terrain
hilly to mountainous with steep slopes; lowlands in north
People and Society
Age structure
0-14 years: 12.6% (male 463,300/female 422,945) 15-64 years: 74.4% (male 2,535,246/female 2,684,495) 65 years and over: 13% (male 425,500/female 487,150) (2008 est.)
Birth rate
7.37 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate
6.6 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Education expenditures
3.9% of GDP (2006)
Ethnic groups
Chinese 95%, Filipino 1.6%, Indonesian 1.3%, other 2.1% (2006 census)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
0.1% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths
fewer than 200 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
2,600 (2003 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total: 2.93 deaths/1,000 live births male: 3.11 deaths/1,000 live births female: 2.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Languages
Chinese (Cantonese) 89.2% (official), other Chinese dialects 6.4%, English 3.2% (official), other 1.2% (2001 census)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 81.77 years male: 79.07 years female: 84.69 years (2008 est.)
Literacy
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 93.5% male: 96.9% female: 89.6% (2002)
Median age
total: 41.7 years male: 41.4 years female: 42 years (2008 est.)
Nationality
noun: Chinese/Hong Konger adjective: Chinese/Hong Kong
Net migration rate
4.55 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Population
7,018,636 (July 2008 est.)
Population growth rate
0.532% (2008 est.)
Religions
eclectic mixture of local religions 90%, Christian 10%
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
total: 14 years male: 14 years female: 13 years (2006)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate
1 children born/woman (2008 est.)
Government
Administrative divisions
none (special administrative region of China)
Constitution
Basic Law, approved in March 1990 by China's National People's Congress, is Hong Kong's "mini-constitution"
Country name
conventional long form: Hong Kong Special Administrative Region conventional short form: Hong Kong local long form: Xianggang Tebie Xingzhengqu local short form: Xianggang abbreviation: HK
Dependency status
special administrative region of China
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission: Consul General Joseph A. DONOVAN, Jr. consulate(s) general: 26 Garden Road, Hong Kong mailing address: PSC 461, Box 1, FPO AP 96521-0006 telephone: [852] 2523-9011
Diplomatic representation in the US
none (special administrative region of China); Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Washington and two other cities carries out normal liaison and communication with the US Government and other US entities
Executive branch
chief of state: President of China HU Jintao (since 15 March 2003) head of government: Chief Executive Donald TSANG (since 24 June 2005) cabinet: Executive Council consists of 15 official members and 16 non-official members elections: chief executive elected for five-year term by 800-member electoral committee; last held on 25 March 2007 (next to be held in 2012) election results: Donald TSANG elected chief executive receiving 84.1% of the vote of the election committee; Alan LEONG received 15.9%
FAX
[852] 2845-1598
Flag description
red with a stylized, white, five-petal bauhinia flower in the center
Government type
limited democracy
Independence
none (special administrative region of China)
International organization participation
ADB, APEC, BIS, ICC, IHO, IMF, IMO (associate), IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITUC, UNWTO (associate), UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WMO, WTO
Judicial branch
Court of Final Appeal in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Legal system
based on English common law
Legislative branch
unicameral Legislative Council or LEGCO (60 seats; 30 seats indirectly elected by functional constituencies, 30 elected by popular vote; members serve four-year terms) elections: last held 7 September 2008 (next to be held in September 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by parties - pro-Beijing 37; pro-democracy 23
National holiday
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
Political parties and leaders
Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood or ADPL [Frederick FUNG Kin-kee]; Citizens Party [Alex CHAN Kai-chung]; Civic Party [KUAN Hsin-chi]; Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong or DAB [TAM Yiu Cheng]; Democratic Party [Albert HO]; Frontier Party [Emily LAU Wai-hing]; League of Social Democrats [Raymond WONG]; Liberal Party [James TIEN Pei-chun] note: political blocs include: pro-democracy - ADPL, Democratic Party, Frontier Party, League of Social Democrats; pro-Beijing - DAB, Liberal Party, The Alliance (a group of five generally pro-government and pro-business Legco members from functional constituencies); there is no political party ordinance, so there are no registered political parties; politically active groups register as societies or companies
Political pressure groups and leaders
Chinese General Chamber of Commerce (pro-China); Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong; Confederation of Trade Unions or CTU (pro-democracy) [LAU Chin-shek, president; LEE Cheuk-yan, general secretary]; Federation of Hong Kong Industries; Federation of Trade Unions or FTU (pro-China) [CHENG Yiu-tong, executive councilor]; Hong Kong Alliance in Support of the Patriotic Democratic Movement in China [Szeto WAH, chairman]; Hong Kong and Kowloon Trade Union Council (pro-Taiwan); Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce; Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union [CHEUNG Man-kwong, president]; Neighborhood and Workers' Service Center or NWSC (pro-democracy); The Alliance [Bernard CHARNWUT, executive committee member]
Suffrage
direct election - 18 years of age for a number of non-executive positions; universal for permanent residents living in the territory of Hong Kong for the past seven years; indirect election - limited to about 220,000 members of functional constituencies and an 800-member election committee drawn from broad regional groupings, central government bodies, and municipal organizations
Economy
Agriculture - products
fresh vegetables; poultry, pork; fish
Budget
revenues: $36.9 billion expenditures: $29.4 billion (FY07-08 est.)
Central bank discount rate
5.75% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate
6.75% (31 December 2007)
Currency (code)
Hong Kong dollar (HKD)
Currency code
HKD
Current account balance
$28.04 billion (2007 est.)
Debt - external
$588 billion (2007 est.)
Distribution of family income - Gini index
53.3 (2007)
Economic aid - recipient
$6.95 million (2004)
Economy - overview
Hong Kong has a free market economy highly dependent on international trade. In 2006, the total value of goods and services trade, including the sizable share of reexports, was equivalent to 400% of GDP. The territory has become increasingly integrated with mainland China over the past few years through trade, tourism, and financial links. The mainland has long been Hong Kong's largest trading partner, accounting for 46% of Hong Kong's total trade by value in 2006. As a result of China's easing of travel restrictions, the number of mainland tourists to the territory has surged from 4.5 million in 2001 to 13.6 million in 2006, when they outnumbered visitors from all other countries combined. Hong Kong has also established itself as the premier stock market for Chinese firms seeking to list abroad. Bolstered by several successful initial public offerings in early 2007, by September 2007 mainland companies accounted for one-third of the firms listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, and more than half of the Exchange's market capitalization. During the past decade, as Hong Kong's manufacturing industry moved to the mainland, its service industry has grown rapidly and now accounts for 91% of the territory's GDP. Hong Kong's natural resources are limited, and food and raw materials must be imported. GDP growth averaged a strong 5% from 1989 to 2007, despite the economy suffering two recessions during the Asian financial crisis in 1997-98 and the global downturn in 2001-02. Hong Kong continues to link its currency closely to the US dollar, maintaining an arrangement established in 1983.
Electricity - consumption
38.02 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports
4.035 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports
10.96 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production
36.61 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source
fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Exchange rates
Hong Kong dollars (HKD) per US dollar - 7.802 (2007), 7.7678 (2006), 7.7773 (2005), 7.788 (2004), 7.7868 (2003)
Exports
$345.9 billion f.o.b., including reexports (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities
electrical machinery and appliances, textiles, apparel, footwear, watches and clocks, toys, plastics, precious stones, printed material
Exports - partners
China 48.7%, US 13.7%, Japan 4.5% (2007)
Fiscal year
1 April - 31 March
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture: 0.1% industry: 8.1% services: 91.7% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$42,000 (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
6.4% (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$206.7 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (purchasing power parity)
$293.3 billion (2007 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Imports
$365.6 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities
raw materials and semi-manufactures, consumer goods, capital goods, foodstuffs, fuel (most is re-exported)
Imports - partners
China 46.3%, Japan 10%, Taiwan 7.1%, Singapore 6.8%, US 4.9%, South Korea 4.2% (2007)
Industrial production growth rate
-0.8% (2007 est.)
Industries
textiles, clothing, tourism, banking, shipping, electronics, plastics, toys, watches, clocks
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
2% (2007 est.)
Investment (gross fixed)
20.3% of GDP (2007 est.)
Labor force
3.64 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation
manufacturing 6.5%, construction 2.1%, wholesale and retail trade, restaurants, and hotels 43.3%, financing, insurance, and real estate 20.7%, transport and communications 7.8%, community and social services 19.5% note: above data exclude public sector (2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares
$2.97 trillion (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption
2.69 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports
2.69 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - production
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves
0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
Oil - consumption
293,100 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports
22,420 bbl/day (2006)
Oil - imports
314,700 bbl/day (2006)
Oil - production
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - proved reserves
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line
NA%
Public debt
12.5% of GDP (2007 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$152.7 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad
$1.027 trillion (2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home
$1.185 trillion (2007 est.)
Stock of domestic credit
$259.7 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of money
$51.25 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money
$578.1 billion (31 December 2007)
Unemployment rate
4% (2007 est.)
Communications
Internet country code
.hk
Internet hosts
817,766 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
17 (2000)
Internet users
3.961 million (2007)
Radio broadcast stations
AM 5, FM 9, shortwave 0 (2004)
Radios
4.45 million (1997)
Telephone system
general assessment: modern facilities provide excellent domestic and international services domestic: microwave radio relay links and extensive fiber-optic network international: country code - 852; multiple international submarine cables provide connections to Asia, US, Australia, the Middle East, and Western Europe; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Pacific Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean); coaxial cable to Guangzhou, China
Telephones - main lines in use
3.875 million (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular
10.55 million (2007)
Television broadcast stations
55 (2 TV networks, each broadcasting on 2 channels) (2007)
Televisions
1.84 million (1997)
Transportation
Airports
2 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways
total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)
Heliports
5 (2007)
Merchant marine
total: 1,114 by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 525, cargo 142, carrier 3, chemical tanker 68, combination ore/oil 2, container 205, liquefied gas 22, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 114, roll on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 9, vehicle carrier 7 foreign-owned: 703 (Belgium 3, Canada 44, China 324, Denmark 24, France 1, Germany 6, Greece 22, Indonesia 7, Iran 15, Japan 111, South Korea 3, Norway 40, Philippines 1, Portugal 1, Russia 2, Singapore 18, Syria 1, Taiwan 11, UAE 1, UK 39, US 29) registered in other countries: 357 (Bahamas 30, Bermuda 4, Cambodia 8, China 12, Cyprus 2, Georgia 2, Honduras 1, India 1, Jamaica 1, Kiribati 4, Liberia 44, Malaysia 14, Malta 1, Marshall Islands 4, Mexico 1, Netherlands Antilles 2, Norway 20, Panama 130, Philippines 1, Portugal 2, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 6, Seychelles 1, Sierra Leone 1, Singapore 47, Tuvalu 7, UK 2, Vietnam 1, unknown 8) (2008)
Ports and terminals
Hong Kong
Roadways
total: 2,009 km paved: 2,009 km (2007)
Military and Security
Manpower available for military service
males age 16-49: 1,772,820 females age 16-49: 1,941,448 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service
males age 16-49: 1,438,165 females age 16-49: 1,561,252 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually
male: 42,173 female: 38,753 (2008 est.)
Military - note
defense is the responsibility of China
Military branches
no regular indigenous military forces; Hong Kong garrison of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) includes elements of the PLA Ground Forces, 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 Guangzhou Military Region (2007)
Military expenditures
NA
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international
none
Illicit drugs
despite strenuous law enforcement efforts, faces difficult challenges in controlling transit of heroin and methamphetamine to regional and world markets; modern banking system provides conduit for money laundering; rising indigenous use of synthetic drugs, especially among young people This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008