Photos of Hong Kong

Introduction

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.

Visit the Definitions and Notes page to view a description of each topic.

Geography

Location

Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China

Geographic coordinates

22 15 N, 114 10 E

Map references

Southeast Asia

Area

total: 1,108 sq km

land: 1,073 sq km

water: 35 sq km

comparison ranking: total 183

Area - comparative

six times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries

total: 33 km

regional borders (1): China 33 km

Coastline

733 km

Maritime claims

territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate

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

Terrain

hilly to mountainous with steep slopes; lowlands in north

Elevation

highest point: Tai Mo Shan 958 m

lowest point: South China Sea 0 m

Natural resources

outstanding deepwater harbor, feldspar

Land use

agricultural land: 5% (2018 est.)

arable land: 3.2% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0.9% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 0.9% (2018 est.)

forest: 0% (2018 est.)

other: 95% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land

10 sq km (2012)

Population distribution

population fairly evenly distributed

Natural hazards

occasional typhoons

Geography - note

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

People and Society

Population

7,288,167 (2023 est.)

comparison ranking: 105

Nationality

noun: Chinese/Hong Konger

adjective: Chinese/Hong Kong

Ethnic groups

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

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.

Cantonese audio sample:

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

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)

2023 population pyramid:
2023 population pyramid

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 46.6

youth dependency ratio: 17.8

elderly dependency ratio: 28.7

potential support ratio: 3.5 (2021 est.)

Median age

total: 46.8 years (2023 est.)

male: 45 years

female: 48.1 years

comparison ranking: total 7

Population growth rate

0.15% (2023 est.)

comparison ranking: 182

Birth rate

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

comparison ranking: 217

Death rate

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

comparison ranking: 91

Net migration rate

1.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 est.)

comparison ranking: 57

Population distribution

population fairly evenly distributed

Urbanization

urban population: 100% of total population (2023)

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

total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030

Major urban areas - population

7.685 million Hong Kong (2023)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female

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

total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Mother's mean age at first birth

29.8 years (2008 est.)

Infant mortality rate

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

male: 2.8 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 2.2 deaths/1,000 live births

comparison ranking: total 215

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 83.8 years (2023 est.)

male: 81.1 years

female: 86.6 years

comparison ranking: total population 8

Total fertility rate

1.23 children born/woman (2023 est.)

comparison ranking: 223

Drinking water source

improved: urban: 100% of population

rural: NA

total: 100% of population

unimproved: urban: 0% of population

rural: NA

total: 0% of population (2020)

Physicians density

2.04 physicians/1,000 population (2020)

Hospital bed density

4.9 beds/1,000 population (2020)

Sanitation facility access

improved: urban: 96.4% of population

rural: NA

total: 96.4% of population

unimproved: urban: 3.6% of population

rural: NA

total: 3.6% of population (2017)

Education expenditures

4% of GDP (2021 est.)

comparison ranking: 115

Literacy

total population: NA

male: NA

female: NA

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 17 years

male: 17 years

female: 17 years (2021)

Environment

Environment - current issues

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

Climate

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

Land use

agricultural land: 5% (2018 est.)

arable land: 3.2% (2018 est.)

permanent crops: 0.9% (2018 est.)

permanent pasture: 0.9% (2018 est.)

forest: 0% (2018 est.)

other: 95% (2018 est.)

Urbanization

urban population: 100% of total population (2023)

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

total population growth rate v. urban population growth rate, 2000-2030

Revenue from forest resources

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

comparison ranking: 179

Revenue from coal

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

comparison ranking: 177

Air pollutants

carbon dioxide emissions: 43.64 megatons (2016 est.)

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.)

Government

Country name

conventional long form: Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

conventional short form: Hong Kong

local long form: Heung Kong Takpit Hangching Ku (Eitel/Dyer-Ball)

local short form: Heung Kong (Eitel/Dyer-Ball)

abbreviation: HK

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

Government type

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

Dependency status

special administrative region of the People's Republic of China

Administrative divisions

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

Independence

none (special administrative region of China)

National holiday

National Day (Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China), 1 October (1949); note - 1 July (1997) is celebrated as Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day

Constitution

history: several previous (governance documents while under British authority); latest drafted April 1988 to February 1989, approved March 1990, effective 1 July 1997 (Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China serves as the constitution); note - since 1990, China's National People's Congress has interpreted specific articles of the Basic Law

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

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

Citizenship

see China

Suffrage

18 years of age in direct elections for 20 of the 90 Legislative Council seats and all of the seats in 18 district councils; universal for permanent residents living in the territory of Hong Kong for the past 7 years; 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

Executive branch

chief of state: President of China XI Jinping (since 14 March 2013)

head of government: Chief Executive John LEE Ka-chieu (since 1 July 2022)

cabinet: Executive Council or ExCo appointed by the chief executive

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)

election results:
2022: John LEE was the only candidate and won with over 99% of the vote by the Election Committee

2017:
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)

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

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

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

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


 



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

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

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

note 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

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

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

Diplomatic representation from the US

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

embassy: 26 Garden Road, Central, Hong Kong

mailing address: 8000 Hong Kong Place, Washington DC  20521-8000

telephone: [852] 2523-9011

FAX: [852] 2845-1598

email address and website:
acshk@state.gov

https://hk.usconsulate.gov/

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

National symbol(s)

orchid tree flower; national colors: red, white

National anthem

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

Economy

Economic overview

high-income tourism- and services-based economy; global financial hub; COVID-19 and political protests fueled recent recession; ongoing recovery but lower-skilled unemployment remains high; investing in job-reskilling programs

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

$444.624 billion (2021 est.)
$418.103 billion (2020 est.)
$447.385 billion (2019 est.)

note: data are in 2017 dollars

comparison ranking: 45

Real GDP growth rate

6.34% (2021 est.)
-6.55% (2020 est.)
-1.68% (2019 est.)

comparison ranking: 67

Real GDP per capita

$60,000 (2021 est.)
$55,900 (2020 est.)
$59,600 (2019 est.)

note: data are in 2017 dollars

comparison ranking: 18

GDP (official exchange rate)

$365.753 billion (2019 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

1.57% (2021 est.)
0.25% (2020 est.)
2.88% (2019 est.)

comparison ranking: 175

Credit ratings

Fitch rating: AA- (2020)

Moody's rating: Aa3 (2020)

Standard & Poors rating: AA+ (2017)

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

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 0.1% (2017 est.)

industry: 7.6% (2017 est.)

services: 92.3% (2017 est.)

comparison rankings: services 6; industry 213; agriculture 219

GDP - composition, by end use

household consumption: 67% (2017 est.)

government consumption: 9.9% (2017 est.)

investment in fixed capital: 21.8% (2017 est.)

investment in inventories: 0.4% (2017 est.)

exports of goods and services: 188% (2017 est.)

imports of goods and services: -187.1% (2017 est.)

Agricultural products

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

Industries

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

Industrial production growth rate

2.08% (2021 est.)

comparison ranking: 133

Labor force

3.842 million (2021 est.)

comparison ranking: 98

Unemployment rate

5.32% (2021 est.)
5.83% (2020 est.)
2.93% (2019 est.)

comparison ranking: 141

Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)

total: 15% (2021 est.)

male: 16.3%

female: 13.6%

comparison ranking: total 117

Average household expenditures

on food: 14.7% of household expenditures (2018 est.)

on alcohol and tobacco: 1.2% of household expenditures (2018 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 1.8% NA

highest 10%: 38.1% (2016) NA

Budget

revenues: $70.124 billion (2020 est.)

expenditures: $105.849 billion (2020 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

5.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

comparison ranking: 6

Public debt

0.1% of GDP (2017 est.)
0.1% of GDP (2016 est.)

comparison ranking: 208

Taxes and other revenues

23.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

comparison ranking: 63

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

Current account balance

$41.712 billion (2021 est.)
$24.092 billion (2020 est.)
$21.23 billion (2019 est.)

comparison ranking: 15

Exports

$751.26 billion (2021 est.)
$608.159 billion (2020 est.)
$645.007 billion (2019 est.)

note: data are in current year dollars

comparison ranking: 9

Exports - partners

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

Exports - commodities

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

Imports

$733.459 billion (2021 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$601.528 billion (2020 est.) note: data are in current year dollars
$639.363 billion (2019 est.) note: data are in current year dollars

comparison ranking: 8

Imports - partners

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

Imports - commodities

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

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$496.867 billion (31 December 2021 est.)
$491.776 billion (31 December 2020 est.)
$441.35 billion (31 December 2019 est.)

comparison ranking: 7

Debt - external

$1,648,409,000,000 (2019 est.)
$1,670,919,000,000 (2018 est.)

comparison ranking: 15

Exchange rates

Hong Kong dollars (HKD) per US dollar -

Exchange rates:
7.773 (2021 est.)
7.757 (2020 est.)
7.836 (2019 est.)
7.839 (2018 est.)
7.793 (2017 est.)

Energy

Electricity access

electrification - total population: 100% (2021)

Electricity

installed generating capacity: 14.168 million kW (2020 est.)

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

exports: 0 kWh (2020 est.)

imports: 12.7 billion kWh (2020 est.)

transmission/distribution losses: 1.622 billion kWh (2020 est.)

comparison rankings: transmission/distribution losses 95; imports 20; exports 110; consumption 55; installed generating capacity 56

Electricity generation sources

fossil fuels: 99.6% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

solar: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

wind: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

biomass and waste: 0.4% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Coal

production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)

consumption: 5.485 million metric tons (2020 est.)

exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)

imports: 5.485 million metric tons (2020 est.)

proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)

Petroleum

total petroleum production: 100 bbl/day (2021 est.)

refined petroleum consumption: 404,600 bbl/day (2019 est.)

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 products - production

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

comparison ranking: 158

Refined petroleum products - exports

13,570 bbl/day (2015 est.)

comparison ranking: 76

Refined petroleum products - imports

402,100 bbl/day (2015 est.)

comparison ranking: 22

Natural gas

production: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

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

exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

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

proven reserves: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions

92.493 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

from coal and metallurgical coke: 23.557 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

from petroleum and other liquids: 62.451 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

from consumed natural gas: 6.484 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

comparison ranking: total emissions 46

Energy consumption per capita

172.009 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

comparison ranking: 27

Communications

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 3,856,180 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 51 (2021 est.)

comparison ranking: total subscriptions 33

Telephones - mobile cellular

total subscriptions: 23,939,650 (2021 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 319 (2021 est.)

comparison ranking: total subscriptions 53

Telecommunication systems

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)

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

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)

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 users

total: 6.975 million (2021 est.)

percent of population: 93% (2021 est.)

comparison ranking: total 81

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

total: 2,885,586 (2020 est.)

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 39 (2020 est.)

comparison ranking: total 47

Transportation

National air transport system

number of registered air carriers: 12 (2020) (registered in China)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 275 (registered in China)

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 47,101,822 (2018)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 12,676,720,000 (2018) mt-km

Airports

2 (2021)

comparison ranking: total 208

Airports - with paved runways

2

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.)

Heliports

9 (2021)

Roadways

total: 2,193 km (2021)

paved: 2,193 km (2021)

comparison ranking: total 170

Merchant marine

total: 2,661 (2022)

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

comparison ranking: total 9

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s): Hong Kong

container port(s) (TEUs): Hong Kong (17,798,000) (2021)

Military and Security

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: 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

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of China

Transnational Issues

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