2018 Edition

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 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 subsequent 50 years.

Area

land

1,073 sq km

total

1,108 sq km

water

35 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

0 m lowest point: South China Sea

note

958 highest point: Tai Mo Shan

Environment Current Issues

air and water pollution from rapid urbanization; urban waste pollution; industrial pollution

Environment International Agreements

party to

Marine Dumping (associate member), Ship Pollution (associate member)

Geographic Coordinates

22 15 N, 114 10 E

Geography Note

consists of a mainland area (the New Territories) and more than 200 islands

Irrigated Land

10 sq km (2012)

Land Boundaries

regional borders (1)

China 33 km

total

33 km

Land Use

arable land: 3.2% (2011 est.) / permanent crops: 0.9% (2011 est.) / permanent pasture: 0.9% (2011 est.)

agricultural land

5% (2011 est.)

forest

0% (2011 est.)

other

95% (2011 est.)

Location

Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China

Map References

Southeast Asia

Maritime Claims

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural Hazards

occasional typhoons

Natural Resources

outstanding deepwater harbor, feldspar

Population Distribution

population fairly evenly distributed

Terrain

hilly to mountainous with steep slopes; lowlands in north

Age Structure

0-14 years

12.38% (male 471,983 /female 420,977)

15-24 years

9.89% (male 372,991 /female 340,221)

25-54 years

43.96% (male 1,354,676 /female 1,816,303)

55-64 years

16.64% (male 571,329 /female 628,774)

65 years and over

17.14% (male 580,248 /female 655,836) (2018 est.)

Birth Rate

8.8 births/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Contraceptive Prevalence Rate

74.8% (2012)

Death Rate

7.6 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Dependency Ratios

elderly dependency ratio

20.7 (2015 est.)

potential support ratio

4.8 (2015 est.)

total dependency ratio

35.9 (2015 est.)

youth dependency ratio

15.2 (2015 est.)

Education Expenditures

3.3% of GDP (2017)

Ethnic Groups

Chinese 92%, Filipino 2.5%, Indonesian 2.1%, other 3.4% (2016 est.)

Hiv Aids Adult Prevalence Rate

NA

Hiv Aids Deaths

NA

Hiv Aids People Living With Hiv Aids

NA

Hospital Bed Density

5.33 beds/1,000 population (2016)

Infant Mortality Rate

female

2.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)

male

2.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)

total

2.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)

Languages

Cantonese (official) 88.9%, English (official) 4.3%, Mandarin (official) 1.9%, other Chinese dialects 3.1%, other 1.9% (2016 est.)

Life Expectancy At Birth

female

86 years (2018 est.)

male

80.4 years (2018 est.)

total population

83.1 years (2018 est.)

Major Urban Areas Population

7.429 million Hong Kong (2018)

Median Age

female

45.5 years (2018 est.)

male

43.7 years

total

44.8 years

Mother S Mean Age At First Birth

29.8 years (2008 est.)

Nationality

adjective

Chinese/Hong Kong

noun

Chinese/Hong Konger

Net Migration Rate

1.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.)

Physicians Density

1.91 physicians/1,000 population (2016)

Population

7,213,338 (July 2018 est.)

Population Growth Rate

0.29% (2018 est.)

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.)

note

many people practice Confucianism, regardless of their religion or not having a religious affiliation

School Life Expectancy Primary To Tertiary Education

female

16 years (2014)

male

16 years (2014)

total

16 years (2014)

Sex Ratio

0-14 years

1.12 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

15-24 years

1.08 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

25-54 years

0.74 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

55-64 years

0.94 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

65 years and over

0.89 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

at birth

1.1 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

total population

0.87 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

Total Fertility Rate

1.2 children born/woman (2018 est.)

Unemployment Youth Ages 15 24

female

8.6% (2016 est.)

male

11% (2016 est.)

total

9.8% (2016 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

0.82% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)

urban population

100% of total population (2018)

Administrative Divisions

none (special administrative region of the People's Republic of China)

Citizenship

note

see China

Constitution

amendments

proposed by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), the People’s Republic of China State Council, and 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

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

Country Name

abbreviation

HK

conventional long form

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

conventional short form

Hong Kong

etymology

probably an imprecise phonetic rendering of the Cantonese name meaning "fragrant harbor"

local long form

Heung Kong Takpit Hangching Ku (Eitel/Dyer-Ball)

local short form

Heung Kong (Eitel/Dyer-Ball)

note

Xianggang Tebie Xingzhengqu (Hanyu Pinyin) Xianggang (Hanyu Pinyin)

Dependency Status

special administrative region of the People's Republic of China

Diplomatic Representation From The Us

chief of mission

Consul General Kurt W. TONG (since 27 August 2016); note - also accredited to Macau

consulate(s) general

26 Garden Road, Hong Kong

FAX

[852] 2845-1598

mailing address

Unit 8000, Box 1, DPO AP 96521-0006

telephone

[852] 2523-9011

Diplomatic Representation In The Us

commissioner

Eddie MAK (since 3 July 2018)

FAX

[1] 202 331-8958

HKETO offices

New York, San Francisco

note

none (Special Administrative Region of China); Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) carries out normal liaison activities and communication with the US Government and other US entities

office

1520 18th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036

telephone

[1] 202 331-8947

Executive Branch

cabinet

Executive Council or ExCo appointed by the chief executive

chief of state

President of China XI Jinping (since 14 March 2013)

election results

Carrie LAM elected chief executive; Election Committee vote - Carrie LAM 777, John TSANG 365, WOO Kwok-hing 21, invalid 23

elections/appointments

president indirectly elected by National People's Congress for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 17 March 2018 (next to be held in March 2023); 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 26 March 2017 (next to be held in 2022)

head of government

Chief Executive Carrie LAM (since 1 July 2017)

note

the Legislative Council voted in June 2010 to expand the Election Committee to 1,200 members

Flag Description

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

Government Type

presidential limited democracy; a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China

Independence

none (special administrative region of China)

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

Judicial Branch

highest courts

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 and 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 appointed until normal retirement at age 65, but 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

Legal System

mixed legal system of common law based on the English model and Chinese customary law (in matters of family and land tenure)

Legislative Branch

description

unicameral Legislative Council or LegCo (70 seats; 35 members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies by party-list proportional representation vote; 30 members indirectly elected by the approximately 220,000 members of various functional constituencies based on a variety of methods; 5 at large "super-seat" members directly elected by all of Hong Kong’s eligible voters who do not participate in a functional constituency; members serve 4-year terms)

election results

percent of vote by block - pro-democracy 36%; pro-Beijing 40.2%, localist 19%, other 4.8%; seats by block/party - pro-Beijing 40 (DAB 12, BPA 7, FTU 5, Liberal Party 4, NPP 3, other 9); pro-democracy 23 (Democratic Party 7, Civic Party 6, PP-LSD 2, Professional Commons 2, Labor 1, NWSC 1, PTU 1, other democrats 3), localists 6 (ALLin HK 2, CP-PPI-HKRO 1, Demosisto 1, Democracy Groundwork 1, other localist 1), non-aligned independent 1; composition - men 59, women 11, percent of women 15.7%; note - 2 localists were barred from taking office in November 2016 and 4 pro-democracy legislators were removed in July 2017; two pan-democratic, two DAB, and one pro-establishment candidates won the byelections in 2018 to fill the seats vacated by the 5 legislators removed from office; one pro-democracy seat remains unfilled pending a court appeal

elections

last held on 4 September 2016; (next to be held in September 2020); note - byelection held on 11 March and 25 November 2018 to fill 5 seats left vacant after 5 legislators were removed from office

National Anthem

note

as a Special Administrative Region of China, "Yiyongjun Jinxingqu" is the official anthem (see China)

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

National Symbol S

orchid tree flower; national colors: red, white

Political Parties And Leaders

parties: ALLinHK (alliance of 6 localist groups); Business and Professional Alliance or BPA [LO Wai-kwok]; Civic Party [Alvin YEUNG]; Civic Passion or CP [CHENG Chung-tai] (part of Civic Passion-Proletariat Political Institute-Hong Kong Resurgence Order alliance or CP-PPI-HKRO that dissolved after the 2016 election); Democracy Groundwork [LAU Siu-lai]; Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong or DAB [Starry LEE Wai-king]; Democratic Party [WU Chi-wai]; Demosisto [Ivan LAM]; Federation of Trade Unions or FTU [Stanley NG Chau-pei]; Labor Party [Steven KWOK Wing-kin]; League of Social Democrats or LSD [Avery NG Man-yuen]; Liberal Party [Felix CHUNG Kwok-pan]; Neighborhood and Workers Service Center or NWSC [LEUNG Yui-chung]; New People's Party or NPP [Regina IP Lau Su-yee]; People Power or PP [Raymond CHAN]; Youngspiration [Sixtus "Baggio" LEUNG Chung-hang]; others: Professional Commons [Charles Peter MOK] (think tank); Professional Teachers Union or PTU

note

political blocks include: pro-democracy - Civic Party, Democratic Party, Labor Party, LSD, NWSC, PP, Professional Commons, PTU; pro-Beijing - DAB, FTU, Liberal Party, NPP, BPA; localist - ALLinHK, CP, Democracy Groundwork, Demosisto; there is no political party ordinance, so there are no registered political parties; politically active groups register as societies or companies

Suffrage

18 years of age in direct elections for half of the 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 half of the legislature and a 1,200-member election committee for the chief executive drawn from broad sectoral groupings, central government bodies, municipal organizations, and elected Hong Kong officials

Agriculture Products

fresh vegetables and fruit; poultry, pork; fish

Budget

expenditures

61.64 billion (2017 est.)

revenues

79.34 billion (2017 est.)

Budget Surplus Or Deficit

5.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Central Bank Discount Rate

1.75% (31 December 2017)

1% (31 December 2016)

Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate

5% (31 December 2017 est.)

5% (31 December 2016 est.)

Current Account Balance

$14.75 billion (2017 est.)

$12.71 billion (2016 est.)

Debt External

$633.6 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$1.349 trillion (31 December 2016 est.)

Distribution Of Family Income Gini Index

53.9 (2016)

53.7 (2011 est.)

Economy Overview

Hong Kong has a free market economy, highly dependent on international trade and finance - the value of goods and services trade, including the sizable share of reexports, is about four times GDP. Hong Kong has no tariffs on imported goods, and it levies excise duties on only four commodities, whether imported or produced locally: hard alcohol, tobacco, oil, and methyl alcohol. There are no quotas or dumping laws. Hong Kong continues to link its currency closely to the US dollar, maintaining an arrangement established in 1983.Excess liquidity, low interest rates and a tight housing supply have caused Hong Kong property prices to rise rapidly. The lower and middle-income segments of the population increasingly find housing unaffordable.Hong Kong's open economy has left it exposed to the global economic situation. Its continued reliance on foreign trade and investment makes it vulnerable to renewed global financial market volatility or a slowdown in the global economy.Mainland China has long been Hong Kong's largest trading partner, accounting for about half of Hong Kong's total trade by value. Hong Kong's natural resources are limited, and food and raw materials must be imported. As a result of China's easing of travel restrictions, the number of mainland tourists to the territory surged from 4.5 million in 2001 to 47.3 million in 2014, outnumbering visitors from all other countries combined. After peaking in 2014, overall tourist arrivals dropped 2.5% in 2015 and 4.5% in 2016. The tourism sector rebounded in 2017, with visitor arrivals rising 3.2% to 58.47 million. Travelers from Mainland China totaled 44.45 million, accounting for 76% of the total.The Hong Kong Government is promoting the Special Administrative Region (SAR) as the preferred business hub for renminbi (RMB) internationalization. Hong Kong residents are allowed to establish RMB-denominated savings accounts, RMB-denominated corporate and Chinese government bonds have been issued in Hong Kong, RMB trade settlement is allowed, and investment schemes such as the Renminbi Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor (RQFII) Program was first launched in Hong Kong. Offshore RMB activities experienced a setback, however, after the People’s Bank of China changed the way it set the central parity rate in August 2015. RMB deposits in Hong Kong fell from 1.0 trillion RMB at the end of 2014 to 559 billion RMB at the end of 2017, while RMB trade settlement handled by banks in Hong Kong also shrank from 6.8 trillion RMB in 2015 to 3.9 trillion RMB in 2017.Hong Kong has also established itself as the premier stock market for Chinese firms seeking to list abroad. In 2015, mainland Chinese companies constituted about 50% of the firms listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and accounted for about 66% 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. In 2014, Hong Kong and China signed a new agreement on achieving basic liberalization of trade in services in Guangdong Province under the Closer Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), adopted in 2003 to forge closer ties between Hong Kong and the mainland. The new measures, which took effect in March 2015, cover a negative list and a most-favored treatment provision. On the basis of the Guangdong Agreement, the Agreement on Trade in Services signed in November 2015 further enhanced liberalization, including extending the implementation of the majority of Guangdong pilot liberalization measures to the whole Mainland, reducing the restrictive measures in the negative list, and adding measures in the positive lists for cross-border services as well as cultural and telecommunications services. In June 2017, the Investment Agreement and the Agreement on Economic and Technical Cooperation (Ecotech Agreement) were signed under the framework of CEPA.Hong Kong’s economic integration with the mainland continues to be most evident in the banking and finance sector. Initiatives like the Hong Kong-Shanghai Stock Connect, the Hong Kong- Shenzhen Stock Connect the Mutual Recognition of Funds, and the Bond Connect scheme are all important steps towards opening up the Mainland’s capital markets and have reinforced Hong Kong’s role as China’s leading offshore RMB market. Additional connect schemes such as ETF Connect (for exchange-traded fund products) are also under exploration by Hong Kong authorities. In 2017, Chief Executive Carrie LAM announced plans to increase government spending on research and development, education, and technological innovation with the aim of spurring continued economic growth through greater sector diversification.

Exchange Rates

Hong Kong dollars (HKD) per US dollar -

7.82 (2017 est.)

7.76 (2016 est.)

7.762 (2015 est.)

7.752 (2014 est.)

7.754 (2013 est.)

Exports

$537.8 billion (2017 est.)

$460 billion (2016 est.)

Exports Commodities

electrical machinery and appliances, textiles, apparel, watches and clocks, toys, "jewelry, goldsmiths' and silversmiths' wares, and other articles of precious or semi-precious materials"; Hong Kong plays an important role as entrepot to the Chinese mainland; in 2017, 58% of Hong Kong’s re-exports originated in mainland China, and 54% were destined for the Chinese mainland

Exports Partners

China 54.1%, US 7.7% (2017)

Fiscal Year

1 April - 31 March

Gdp Composition By End Use

exports of goods and services

188% (2017 est.)

government consumption

9.9% (2017 est.)

household consumption

67% (2017 est.)

imports of goods and services

-187.1% (2017 est.)

investment in fixed capital

21.8% (2017 est.)

investment in inventories

0.4% (2017 est.)

Gdp Composition By Sector Of Origin

agriculture

0.1% (2017 est.)

industry

7.6% (2017 est.)

services

92.3% (2017 est.)

Gdp Official Exchange Rate

$341.4 billion (2017 est.) (2017 est.)

Gdp Per Capita Ppp

$61,500 (2017 est.)

$59,500 (2016 est.)

$58,800 (2015 est.)

note

data are in 2017 dollars

Gdp Purchasing Power Parity

$455.9 billion (2017 est.)

$439.2 billion (2016 est.)

$429.9 billion (2015 est.)

note

data are in 2017 dollars

Gdp Real Growth Rate

3.8% (2017 est.)

2.2% (2016 est.)

2.4% (2015 est.)

Gross National Saving

26.6% of GDP (2017 est.)

25.5% of GDP (2016 est.)

24.9% of GDP (2015 est.)

Household Income Or Consumption By Percentage Share

highest 10%

NA

lowest 10%

38.1% NA (2016)

Imports

$561.8 billion (2017 est.)

$518.2 billion (2016 est.)

Imports Commodities

raw materials and semi-manufactures, consumer goods, capital goods, foodstuffs, fuel (most is reexported)

Imports Partners

China 44.6%, Singapore 6.4%, Japan 6.1%, South Korea 5.5%, US 5.2% (2017)

Industrial Production Growth Rate

1.7% (2017 est.)

Industries

trading and logistics, financial services, professional services, tourism, cultural and creative, clothing and textiles, shipping, electronics, toys, clocks and watches

Inflation Rate Consumer Prices

1.5% (2017 est.)

2.4% (2016 est.)

Labor Force

3.965 million (2017 est.)

Labor Force By Occupation

agriculture

3.8% (2013 est.)

agriculture/fishing/forestry/mining

10.1% (2013)

industry

2% (2016 est.)

industry and services

12.5% (2013 est.)

manufacturing

17.1% (2013 est.)

note

above data exclude public sector

services

54.5% (2016 est.)

Market Value Of Publicly Traded Shares

$4.359 trillion (31 December 2017 est.)

$3.175 trillion (31 December 2016 est.)

$3.165 trillion (31 December 2015 est.)

Population Below Poverty Line

19.9% (2016 est.)

Public Debt

0.1% of GDP (2017 est.)

0.1% of GDP (2016 est.)

Reserves Of Foreign Exchange And Gold

$431.4 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$386.2 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

Stock Of Broad Money

$311.1 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$285.5 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

Stock Of Direct Foreign Investment Abroad

$2.036 trillion (31 December 2017 est.)

$1.538 trillion (31 December 2016 est.)

Stock Of Direct Foreign Investment At Home

$2.2 trillion (31 December 2017 est.)

$1.616 trillion (31 December 2016 est.)

Stock Of Domestic Credit

$825.3 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$676.5 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

Stock Of Narrow Money

$311.1 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$285.5 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

Taxes And Other Revenues

23.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Unemployment Rate

3.1% (2017 est.)

3.4% (2016 est.)

Carbon Dioxide Emissions From Consumption Of Energy

102.5 million Mt (2017 est.)

Crude Oil Exports

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Crude Oil Imports

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Crude Oil Production

0 bbl/day (2017 est.)

Crude Oil Proved Reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2018 est.)

Electricity Access

electrification - total population

100% (2016)

Electricity Consumption

41.84 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity Exports

1.205 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity From Fossil Fuels

100% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)

Electricity From Hydroelectric Plants

0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity From Nuclear Fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity From Other Renewable Sources

0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity Imports

11.62 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity Installed Generating Capacity

12.63 million kW (2016 est.)

Electricity Production

35.97 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Natural Gas Consumption

3.37 billion cu m (2017 est.)

Natural Gas Exports

0 cu m (2017 est.)

Natural Gas Imports

3.37 billion cu m (2017 est.)

Natural Gas Production

0 cu m (2017 est.)

Natural Gas Proved Reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2016 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Consumption

403,100 bbl/day (2016 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Exports

13,570 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Imports

402,100 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Production

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Broadband Fixed Subscriptions

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

37 (2017 est.)

total

2,645,752 (2017 est.)

Broadcast Media

4 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 (2018)

Internet Country Code

.hk

Internet Users

percent of population

85% (July 2016 est.)

total

6.066 million (July 2016 est.)

Telephone System

domestic

microwave radio relay links and extensive fiber-optic network; fixed-line is 59 per 100 and mobile-cellular is 255 per 100 (2017)

general assessment

modern facilities provide excellent domestic and international services; some of the highest peak average broadband speeds in the world; HK will be the earliest adopters of 5G mobile technology in 2020; almost all households have access to high-speed broadband connectivity; in the next five years the government has organized the development of 'smart cities' in six areas - "smart mobility", "smart living", and "smart envirnoment" by 2022 (2017)

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 (2015)

Telephones Fixed Lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

59 (2017 est.)

total subscriptions

4,266,837 (2017 est.)

Telephones Mobile Cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

255 (2017 est.)

total subscriptions

18,340,347 (2017 est.)

Airports

2 (2013)

Airports With Paved Runways

1,524 to 2,437 m

1 (2017)

over 3,047 m

1 (2017)

total

2 (2017)

Civil Aircraft Registration Country Code Prefix

B-H (2016)

Heliports

9 (2013)

Merchant Marine

by type

bulk carrier 1142, container ship 471, general cargo 226, oil tanker 346, other 391 (2017)

total

2,576 (2017)

National Air Transport System

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers

11.294 billion mt-km (2015)

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers

41,867,157 (2015)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers

253 (registered in China) (2015)

number of registered air carriers

7 (registered in China) (2015)

Ports And Terminals

container port(s) (TEUs)

Hong Kong (19,813,000) (2016)

major seaport(s)

Hong Kong

Roadways

paved

2,100 km (2015)

total

2,100 km (2015)

Military Branches

no regular indigenous military forces; 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 (2018)

Military Note

defense is the responsibility of China

Disputes International

Hong Kong plans to reduce its 2,800-hectare Frontier Closed Area (FCA) to 400 hectares by 2015; the FCA was established in 1951 as a buffer zone between Hong Kong and mainland China to prevent illegal migration from and the smuggling of goods

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