2023 Edition

Background

Seized by the UK in 1841, Hong Kong was formally ceded by China 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 was further extended when Britain obtained a 99-year lease of the New Territories in 1898. Pursuant to an agreement signed by China and the UK on 19 December 1984, Hong Kong became the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) 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 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 subsequent 50 years. Since the turnover, Hong Kong has continued to enjoy success as an international financial center. However, dissatisfaction with the Hong Kong Government and growing Chinese political influence has been a central issue 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, the governments of the HKSAR and China took several actions that reduced the city's autonomy and placed new restrictions on the rights of Hong Kong residents, moves that were widely criticized to be in direct contravention of obligations under the Hong Kong Basic Law and the Sino-British Joint Declaration. Chief among these actions was a sweeping national security law for Hong Kong imposed by the Chinese Government in June 2020 that criminalized acts such as those interpreted as secession, subversion, terrorism, and collusion with foreign or external forces. The law ushered in a widespread crackdown on public protests, criticism of authorities, and freedom of speech, and was used by authorities to target pro-democracy activists, organizations, and media companies. Democratic lawmakers and political figures were arrested, while others fled abroad. At the same time, dozens of civil society groups and several independent media outlets were closed or have disbanded. In March 2021, Beijing imposed a more restrictive electoral system, including restructuring the Legislative Council (LegCo) and allowing only government-approved candidates to run for office, claiming it was to ensure a system of "patriots" governed Hong Kong. The changes ensured that virtually all seats in the December 2021 LegCo election were won by pro-establishment candidates and effectively ended political opposition to Beijing in the territory.

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

highest point

Tai Mo Shan 958 m

lowest point

South China Sea 0 m

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

China 33 km

total

33 km

Land use

agricultural land

5% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 3.2% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 0.9% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 0.9% (2018 est.)

forest

0% (2018 est.)

other

95% (2018 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

13.04% (male 495,977/female 454,723)

15-64 years

66.02% (male 2,164,667/female 2,646,774)

65 years and over

20.94% (2023 est.) (male 706,761/female 819,265)

Birth rate

7.9 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

NA

Contraceptive prevalence rate

66.7% (2017)

Current health expenditure

NA

Currently married women (ages 15-49)

47.7% (2023 est.)

Death rate

8 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

28.7

potential support ratio

3.5 (2021 est.)

total dependency ratio

46.6

youth dependency ratio

17.8

Drinking water source

improved: rural

rural: NA

improved: total

total: 100% of population

improved: urban

urban: 100% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: NA

unimproved: total

total: 0% of population (2020)

unimproved: urban

urban: 0% of population

Education expenditures

4% of GDP (2021 est.)

Ethnic groups

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

Gross reproduction rate

0.6 (2023 est.)

Hospital bed density

4.9 beds/1,000 population (2020)

Infant mortality rate

female

2.2 deaths/1,000 live births

male

2.8 deaths/1,000 live births

total

2.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)

Languages

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

female

86.6 years

male

81.1 years

total population

83.8 years (2023 est.)

Literacy

female

NA

male

NA

total population

NA

Major urban areas - population

7.685 million Hong Kong (2023)

Median age

female

48.1 years

male

45 years

total

46.8 years (2023 est.)

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 (2023 est.)

Physicians density

2.04 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

Population

7,288,167 (2023 est.)

Population distribution

population fairly evenly distributed

Population growth rate

0.15% (2023 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

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

Sanitation facility access

improved: rural

rural: NA

improved: total

total: 96.4% of population

improved: urban

urban: 96.4% of population

unimproved: rural

rural: NA

unimproved: total

total: 3.6% of population (2017)

unimproved: urban

urban: 3.6% of population

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

17 years (2021)

male

17 years

total

17 years

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.09 male(s)/female

15-64 years

0.82 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.86 male(s)/female

at birth

1.06 male(s)/female

total population

0.86 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.23 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

0.58% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

100% of total population (2023)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

female

13.6%

male

16.3%

total

15% (2021 est.)

Administrative divisions

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

Citizenship

see China

Constitution

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

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)

Dependency status

special administrative region of the People's Republic of China

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Consul General Gregory MAY (since September 2022); note - also accredited to Macau

email address and website

acshk@state.govhttps://hk.usconsulate.gov/

embassy

26 Garden Road, Central, Hong Kong

FAX

[852] 2845-1598

mailing address

8000 Hong Kong Place, Washington DC  20521-8000

telephone

[852] 2523-9011

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission

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; Eddie MAK Tak-wai (since 3 July 2018) is the Hong Kong Commissioner to the US Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; address: 1520 18th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036; telephone: [1] (202) 331-8947; FAX: [1] (202) 331-8958; email:  hketo@hketowashington.gov.hk; website: https://www.hketowashington.gov.hk/

HKETO offices

New York, San Francisco

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

2022: John LEE was the only candidate and won with over 99% of the vote by the Election Committee2017: 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)

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)

head of government

Chief Executive John LEE Ka-chieu (since 1 July 2022)

note

note: electoral changes that Beijing imposed in March 2021 expanded the Election Committee to 1,500 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 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

Legal system

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

Legislative branch

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

election results

percent of vote by bloc: pro-Beijing 93%, non-establishment 7%; seats by block/party - pro-Beijing 89 (DAB 19, FTU 8, BPA 7, NPP 5, Liberal Party 4, FEW 2, FLU 2, other 46), non-establishment 1 (Third Side); composition - men 73, women 17, percent of women 18.9%; note - Hong Kong's leading pro-democracy political parties boycotted the 2021 election  

elections

last held on 19 Dec 2021 (next to be held in 2025)

note

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 would be filled by members appointed by the chief executive, rural committee chairpersons, and others elected by local committees that are packed with pro-establishment figures

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

Bauhinia Party or BP [WONG Chau-chi and LI Shan]Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong or BPA [LO Wai-kwok]Concern Group for Tseung Kwan O People's Livelihood or CGPLTKO [N/A] Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong or DAB [Starry LEE Wai-king]Democratic Party [LO Kin-hei]Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions or HKFLU [Lam Chun-sing]Hong Kong Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood of ADPL [Bruce LIU]Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers or HKFEW [LAU Chi-pang]Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions or HKFTU [labor and political group presided over by NG Chau-pei and chaired by WONG Kwok]Kowloon West New Dynamic or KWND [Priscilla LEUNG]Labor Party [Steven KWOK Wing-kin; arrested in 2020]League of Social Democrats or LSD [CHAN Po-ying]Liberal Party or LP [led by Tommy CHEUNG; chaired by Peter SHIU]Neighborhood and Workers Service Center or NWSC [LEUNG Yui-chung]New Century Forum [MA Fung-kwak]New People's Party or NPP [Regina IP]New Prospect for Hong Kong [Gary ZHANG Xinyu]New Territories Association of Societies or NTAS [CHAN Yung]Path of Democracy [Ronny TONG] (think tank)People Power or PP [LEUNG Ka-shing]Professional Power [Christine FONG Kwok Shan]Roundtable [Michael TIEN Puk-sun]Tai Po Democratic Alliance or TPDA [N/A] Third Side or TS [TIK Chi-yeun]

note

note 1: there is no political party ordinance, so there are no registered political parties; politically active groups register as societies or companiesnote 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

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; 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

Agricultural products

pork, poultry, spinach, vegetables, pork offals, game meat, fruit, lettuce, green onions, pig fat

Average household expenditures

on alcohol and tobacco

1.2% of household expenditures (2018 est.)

on food

14.7% of household expenditures (2018 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$105.849 billion (2020 est.)

revenues

$70.124 billion (2020 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

5.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Credit ratings

Fitch rating

AA- (2020)

Moody's rating

Aa3 (2020)

note

note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.

Standard & Poors rating

AA+ (2017)

Current account balance

Current account balance 2019

$21.23 billion (2019 est.)

Current account balance 2020

$24.092 billion (2020 est.)

Current account balance 2021

$41.712 billion (2021 est.)

Debt - external

Debt - external 2018

$1,670,919,000,000 (2018 est.)

Debt - external 2019

$1,648,409,000,000 (2019 est.)

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

Exchange rates

Currency

Hong Kong dollars (HKD) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2017

7.793 (2017 est.)

Exchange rates 2018

7.839 (2018 est.)

Exchange rates 2019

7.836 (2019 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

7.757 (2020 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

7.773 (2021 est.)

Exports

Exports 2019

$645.007 billion (2019 est.)

Exports 2020

$608.159 billion (2020 est.)

Exports 2021

$751.26 billion (2021 est.)

note

note: data are in current year dollars

Exports - commodities

gold, integrated circuits, gas turbines, broadcasting equipment, silver, diamonds, telephones (2021)

Exports - partners

China 23%, India 14%, Netherlands 6%, United Kingdom 5% (2019)

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)

$365.753 billion (2019 est.)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2016

53.9 (2016 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

38.1% (2016) NA

lowest 10%

1.8% NA

Imports

Imports 2019

$639.363 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Imports 2020

$601.528 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Imports 2021

$733.459 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

Imports - commodities

integrated circuits, broadcasting equipment, office machinery, telephones, diamonds (2019)

Imports - partners

China 46%, Taiwan 7%, Singapore 7%, South Korea 5%, United States 5%, Japan 5% (2019)

Industrial production growth rate

2.08% (2021 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)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2019

2.88% (2019 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2020

0.25% (2020 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2021

1.57% (2021 est.)

Labor force

3.842 million (2021 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

note: above data exclude public sector

services

54.5% (2016 est.)

Population below poverty line

19.9% (2016 est.)

Public debt

Public debt 2016

0.1% of GDP (2016 est.)

Public debt 2017

0.1% of GDP (2017 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

note

note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2019

$447.385 billion (2019 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2020

$418.103 billion (2020 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2021

$444.624 billion (2021 est.)

Real GDP growth rate

Real GDP growth rate 2019

-1.68% (2019 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2020

-6.55% (2020 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2021

6.34% (2021 est.)

Real GDP per capita

note

note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real GDP per capita 2019

$59,600 (2019 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2020

$55,900 (2020 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2021

$60,000 (2021 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2019

$441.35 billion (31 December 2019 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2020

$491.776 billion (31 December 2020 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2021

$496.867 billion (31 December 2021 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

23.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Unemployment rate

Unemployment rate 2019

2.93% (2019 est.)

Unemployment rate 2020

5.83% (2020 est.)

Unemployment rate 2021

5.32% (2021 est.)

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

female

13.6%

male

16.3%

total

15% (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions

from coal and metallurgical coke

23.557 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

from consumed natural gas

6.484 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

from petroleum and other liquids

62.451 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

total emissions

92.493 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

Coal

consumption

5.485 million metric tons (2020 est.)

exports

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

imports

5.485 million metric tons (2020 est.)

production

0 metric tons (2020 est.)

proven reserves

0 metric tons (2019 est.)

Electricity

consumption

44,183,900,000 kWh (2020 est.)

exports

0 kWh (2020 est.)

imports

12.7 billion kWh (2020 est.)

installed generating capacity

14.168 million kW (2020 est.)

transmission/distribution losses

1.622 billion kWh (2020 est.)

Electricity access

electrification - total population

100% (2021)

Electricity generation sources

biomass and waste

0.4% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

fossil fuels

99.6% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

geothermal

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

hydroelectricity

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

nuclear

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

solar

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

tide and wave

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

wind

0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Energy consumption per capita

Total energy consumption per capita 2019

172.009 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Natural gas

consumption

4,913,021,000 cubic meters (2020 est.)

exports

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

imports

4,913,021,000 cubic meters (2020 est.)

production

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

proven reserves

0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

Petroleum

crude oil and lease condensate exports

0 bbl/day (2018 est.)

crude oil and lease condensate imports

0 bbl/day (2018 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves

0 barrels (2021 est.)

refined petroleum consumption

404,600 bbl/day (2019 est.)

total petroleum production

100 bbl/day (2021 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

39 (2020 est.)

total

2,885,586 (2020 est.)

Broadcast media

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)

Internet country code

.hk

Internet users

percent of population

93% (2021 est.)

total

6.975 million (2021 est.)

Telecommunication systems

domestic

fixed-line is over 51 per 100 and mobile-cellular is 319 subscriptions per 100 (2021)

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)

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)

Telephones - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

51 (2021 est.)

total subscriptions

3,856,180 (2021 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

319 (2021 est.)

total subscriptions

23,939,650 (2021 est.)

Airports

2 (2021)

Airports - with paved runways

2

note

note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

B-H

Heliports

9 (2021)

Merchant marine

by type

bulk carrier 1,135, container ship 558, general cargo 155, oil tanker 394, other 419

total

2,661 (2022)

National air transport system

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers

12,676,720,000 (2018) mt-km

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers

47,101,822 (2018)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers

275 (registered in China)

number of registered air carriers

12 (2020) (registered in China)

Ports and terminals

container port(s) (TEUs)

Hong Kong (17,798,000) (2021)

major seaport(s)

Hong Kong

Roadways

paved

2,193 km (2021)

total

2,193 km (2021)

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of China

Military and security forces

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) (2023)

note

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

Disputes - international

the Frontier Closed Area was established in 1951 as a buffer zone between Hong Kong and mainland China to prevent illegal migration and the smuggling of goods 

Illicit drugs

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

Air pollutants

carbon dioxide emissions

43.64 megatons (2016 est.)

Climate

subtropical monsoon; cool and humid in winter, hot and rainy from spring through summer, warm and sunny in fall

Environment - current issues

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

Land use

agricultural land

5% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: arable land

arable land: 3.2% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent crops

permanent crops: 0.9% (2018 est.)

agricultural land: permanent pasture

permanent pasture: 0.9% (2018 est.)

forest

0% (2018 est.)

other

95% (2018 est.)

Revenue from coal

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Revenue from forest resources

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

0.58% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

100% of total population (2023)

Waste and recycling

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.)