2009 Edition
CIA World Factbook 2009 (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 the People's Republic 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: 1,104 sq km country comparison to the world: 183 land: 1,054 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: 12.2% (male 450,833/female 411,997) 15-64 years: 74.6% (male 2,551,256/female 2,713,532) 65 years and over: 13.1% (male 434,090/female 493,363) (2009 est.)
Birth rate
7.42 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 223
Death rate
6.76 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 142
Education expenditures
3.9% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 112
Ethnic groups
Chinese 95%, Filipino 1.6%, Indonesian 1.3%, other 2.1% (2006 census)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
0.1% (2003 est.) country comparison to the world: 156
HIV/AIDS - deaths
fewer than 200 (2003 est.) country comparison to the world: 113
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
2,600 (2003 est.) country comparison to the world: 134
Infant mortality rate
total: 2.92 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 220 male: 3.1 deaths/1,000 live births female: 2.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 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: 81.86 years country comparison to the world: 6 male: 79.16 years female: 84.79 years (2009 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: 42.3 years male: 41.9 years female: 42.6 years (2009 est.)
Nationality
noun: Chinese/Hong Konger adjective: Chinese/Hong Kong
Net migration rate
4.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 24
Population
7,055,071 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 100
Population growth rate
0.504% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 155
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: 1.09 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate
1.02 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 222
Urbanization
urban population: 100% of total population (2008) rate of urbanization: 1% annual rate of change (2005-10 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: Acting Consul General Christopher J. MARUT 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, New York, and San Francisco 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 Yam-kuen (since 24 June 2005) cabinet: Executive Council or ExCo consists of 15 official members and 14 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 Kah-kit 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 - pro-democracy 57%; pro-Beijing 40%, independent 3%; seats by parties - (pro-Beijing 35) DAB 13, Liberal Party 7, FTU 1, others 14; (pro-democracy 23) Democratic Party 8, Civic Party 5, CTU 3, League of Social Democrats 3, ADPL 2, The Frontier 1, NWSC 1; others 11; independents and non-voting LegCo president 2
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]; Civic Party [KUAN Hsin-chi]; Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong or DAB [TAM Yiu Cheng]; Democratic Party [Albert HO Chun-yan]; League of Social Democrats [Raymond WONG Yuk-man]; Liberal Party [Miriam LAU Kin-yee] note: political blocs include: pro-democracy - ADPL, Civic Party; Democratic Party, League of Social Democrats; pro-Beijing - DAB, Liberal Party, The Professional Forum (an informal group of three generally pro-government and pro-business LegCo members from functional constituencies and one independent elected from a geographic constituency); 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 [LEUNG Yiu-chung, LegCo member] (pro-democracy); Civic Act-up [Cyd HO Sau-lan, LegCo member] (pro-democracy)
Suffrage
direct election - 18 years of age for half the legislature and a majority of seats in 18 district councils; 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: $39.04 billion expenditures: $39.76 billion (2008 est.)
Central bank discount rate
0.5% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 77 5.75% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate
5% (31 December 2008)
Current account balance
$30.52 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 16 $25.53 billion (2007 est.)
Debt - external
$659.9 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 16 $711.1 billion (31 December 2007)
Distribution of family income - Gini index
53.3 (2007) country comparison to the world: 17
Economy - overview
Hong Kong has a free market economy highly dependent on international trade and finance, which has left it heavily exposed to the global economic slowdown that began in 2008. The total value of goods and services trade, including the sizable share of reexports, was equivalent to 404% of GDP in 2007. 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 nearly 49% of Hong Kong's exports trade by value in 2008. 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 16.9 million in 2008, 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. More than one-third of the firms listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange are now mainland Chinese companies. They account for 60% 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 more than 90% 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, but the global financial crisis caused a sharp slowdown in the second half of 2008, pushing the territory into recession. Hong Kong continues to link its currency closely to the US dollar, maintaining an arrangement established in 1983.
Electricity - consumption
44.6 billion kWh (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 48
Electricity - exports
3.553 billion kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports
11 billion kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - production
38.4 billion kWh (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 55
Exchange rates
Hong Kong dollars (HKD) per US dollar - 7.751 (2008), 7.802 (2007), 7.7678 (2006), 7.7773 (2005), 7.788 (2004)
Exports
$365.2 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 14 $345.9 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities
electrical machinery and appliances, textiles, apparel, footwear, watches and clocks, toys, plastics, precious stones, printed material
Exports - partners
China 48.5%, US 12.8%, Japan 4.3% (2008)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture: 0% industry: 7.4% services: 92.7% (2008 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$43,800 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 15 $43,000 (2007 est.) $40,600 (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - real growth rate
2.4% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 147 6.4% (2007 est.) 7% (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$215.4 billion (2008 est.)
GDP (purchasing power parity)
$307.3 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 40 $300.1 billion (2007 est.) $282.1 billion (2006 est.) note: data are in 2008 US dollars
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Imports
$388.4 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 13 $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 46.6%, Japan 9.8%, Singapore 6.4%, US 5% (2008)
Industrial production growth rate
-1.2% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 146
Industries
textiles, clothing, tourism, banking, shipping, electronics, plastics, toys, watches, clocks
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
4.3% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 71 2% (2007 est.)
Investment (gross fixed)
19.7% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 111
Labor force
3.66 million (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 91
Labor force - by occupation
manufacturing 6.1%, construction 1.9%, wholesale and retail trade, restaurants, and hotels 42.9%, financing, insurance, and real estate 21.4%, transport and communications 7.9%, community and social services 19.7% note: above data exclude public sector (2008 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares
$1.32 trillion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 15 $1.163 trillion (31 December 2007) $895.2 billion (31 December 2006 est.)
Natural gas - consumption
3.36 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 72
Natural gas - exports
0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 68
Natural gas - imports
3.36 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 39
Natural gas - production
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 178
Natural gas - proved reserves
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 170
Oil - consumption
366,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 36
Oil - exports
19,480 bbl/day (2008) country comparison to the world: 91
Oil - imports
334,900 bbl/day (2008) country comparison to the world: 33
Oil - production
0 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 188
Oil - proved reserves
0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 162
Population below poverty line
NA%
Public debt
13.9% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 107 2.1% of GDP (2004 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$182.5 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 8 $152.7 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad
$776 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 6 $1.011 trillion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home
$1.241 trillion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 3 $1.178 trillion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of domestic credit
$NA (31 December 2008) $259.7 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of money
$63.03 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 18 $51.25 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money
$352.4 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 10 $578.1 billion (31 December 2007)
Unemployment rate
3.5% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 41 4% (2007 est.)
Communications
Internet country code
.hk
Internet hosts
813,980 (2009) country comparison to the world: 44
Internet users
4.124 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 50
Radio broadcast stations
AM 6, FM 10, shortwave 0 (2008)
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
4.108 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 38
Telephones - mobile cellular
11.374 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 54
Television broadcast stations
2 (2 TV networks, each broadcasting on 2 channels) (2008)
Transportation
Airports
2 (2009) country comparison to the world: 199
Airports - with paved runways
total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2009)
Heliports
9 (2009)
Merchant marine
total: 1,114 country comparison to the world: 8 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: 2,040 km country comparison to the world: 172 paved: 2,040 km (2008)
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: 1,421,406 females age 16-49: 1,543,443 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually
male: 42,330 female: 38,797 (2009 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 (2009)
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 page last updated on November 11, 2009