2015 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 extremes

highest point

Tai Mo Shan 958 m

lowest point

South China Sea 0 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

composed of more than 200 islands

Irrigated land

NA; note - included in the total for China

Land boundaries

regional border

China 33 km

total

33 km

Land use

arable land 3.2%; permanent crops 0.9%; permanent pasture 0.9%

agricultural land

5%

forest

0%

other

95% (2011 est.)

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

Age structure

0-14 years

12.11% (male 458,458/female 406,506)

15-24 years

11.13% (male 410,701/female 383,902)

25-54 years

46.16% (male 1,408,524/female 1,887,927)

55-64 years

15.26% (male 531,684/female 557,904)

65 years and over

15.34% (male 516,255/female 579,245) (2015 est.)

Birth rate

9.23 births/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

79.5% (2007)

Death rate

7.07 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

20.6%

potential support ratio

4.8% (2015 est.)

total dependency ratio

37%

youth dependency ratio

16.4%

Education expenditures

3.8% of GDP (2013)

Ethnic groups

Chinese 93.1%, Indonesian 1.9%, Filipino 1.9%, other 3% (2011 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Infant mortality rate

female

2.46 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.)

male

2.96 deaths/1,000 live births

total

2.73 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

Cantonese (official) 89.5%, English (official) 3.5%, Putonghua (Mandarin) 1.4%, other Chinese dialects 4%, other 1.6% (2011 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

female

85.78 years (2015 est.)

male

80.24 years

total population

82.86 years

Major urban areas - population

Hong Kong 7.26 million (2014)

Median age

female

44 years (2015 est.)

male

43 years

total

43.6 years

Nationality

adjective

Chinese/Hong Kong

noun

Chinese/Hong Konger

Net migration rate

1.68 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.)

Population

7,141,106 (July 2015 est.)

Population growth rate

0.38% (2015 est.)

Religions

eclectic mixture of local religions 90%, Christian 10%

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

16 years (2013)

male

16 years

total

16 years

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.13 male(s)/female

15-24 years

1.07 male(s)/female

25-54 years

0.75 male(s)/female

55-64 years

0.95 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.89 male(s)/female

at birth

1.12 male(s)/female

total population

0.87 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.18 children born/woman (2015 est.)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

female

7.8% (2012 est.)

male

10.9%

total

9.3%

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

0.74% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

urban population

100% of total population (2015)

Administrative divisions

none (special administrative region of China)

Constitution

several previous (governance documents while under British authority); latest drafted April 1988 to February 1989, approved March 1990, promulgated 4 April 1990 (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 (2013)

Country name

abbreviation

HK

conventional long form

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region

conventional short form

Hong Kong

local long form

Heung Kong Takpit Hangching Ku (Eitel/Dyer-Ball); Xianggang Tebie Xingzhengqu (Hanyu Pinyin)

local short form

Heung Kong (Eitel/Dyer-Ball); Xianggang (Hanyu Pinyin)

Dependency status

special administrative region of China

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Consul General Clifford A. HART Jr. (since 30 July 2013); 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

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

commissioner

Clement C.M. LEUNG

FAX

[1] 202 331-8958

HKETO offices

New York, San Francisco

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

LEUNG Chun-ying elected chief executive; Election Committee vote - LEUNG Chun-ying 689, Henry TANG 285, Albert HO 76

elections/appointments

president indirectly elected by National People's Congress for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 5-17 March 2013 (next to be held in March 2018); chief executive indirectly elected by the Election Committee and appointed by the Central People's Government for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term) ; LEUNG Chun-ying [C.Y.LEUNG] elected chief executive on 25 March 2012 and took office on 1 July 2012 (next to be held in March 2017)

head of government

Chief Executive LEUNG Chun-ying [C.Y. LEUNG] (since 1 July 2012)

note

the Legislative Council voted in June 2010 to expand the electoral committee to 1,200 seats for the 2012 election

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

limited democracy

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 and 3 permanent and 1 non-permanent judges

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 and other judges, 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; members directly elected in single- and multi-seat constituencies by several majority vote methods based on the rules of the individual constituencies; members serve 4-year terms)

election results

percent of vote by block - pro-democracy 56%; pro-Beijing 41%, independent 3%; seats by block/party - pro-Beijing 43 (DAB 13, BPA 7, FTU 6, Liberal Party 5, NPP 2, other 10); pro-democracy 27 (Democratic Party 6, Civic Party 6, Labor Party 4, People Power 3, Professional Commons 2, League of Social Democrats 1, ADPL 1, PTU 1, Neo Democrats 1, NWSC 1); independent 2

elections

last held on 9 September 2012 (next to be held in September 2016)

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

Association for Democracy and People's Livelihood or ADPL [Bruce LIU Sing-lee]

Business and Professional Alliance or BPA [Andrew LEUNG]

Civic Party [EU Audrey]

Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong or DAB [TAM Yiu-chung]

Democratic Party [Emily LAU]

Labor Party [LEE Cheuk-yan]

League of Social Democrats or LSD [LEUNG Kwok-hung]

Liberal Party [Felix CHUNG Kwok-pan]

Neo Democrats [joint leaders]

New People's Party [Regina IP Lau Su-yee]

People Power [Erica YUEN Mi-ming]

Confederation of Trade Unions or CTU

Federation of Trade Unions or FTU

Neighborhood and Workers Service Center or NWSC

Professional Commons (think tank) [Charles Peter MOK]

Professional Teachers Union or PTU

note

political blocs include: pro-democracy - ADPL, Civic Party, Democratic Party, Labor Party, LSD, People Power, Professional Commons; pro-Beijing - DAB, FTU, Liberal Party, New People's Party, BPA; 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

Civic Act-up [Cyd HO Sau-lan, Legislative Council of Hong Kong member] (pro-democracy)

Confederation of Trade Unions or CTU [LEE Cheuk-yan, general secretary] (pro-democracy)

Federation of Hong Kong Industries

Federation of Trade Unions or FTU [LAM Shuk-yee, President] (pro-China)

Hong Kong Alliance in Support of the Patriotic Democratic Movement in China [LEE Cheuk-yan, chairman]

Hong Kong and Kowloon Trade Union Council (pro-Taiwan)

Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce

Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union [FUNG Wai-wah, president]

Neighborhood and Workers' Service Center or NWSC [LEUNG Yui-chung, Legislative Council of Hong Kong member] (pro-democracy)

Suffrage

18 years of age in direct elections 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; 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

$55.84 billion (2014 est.)

revenues

$57.78 billion

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

0.7% of GDP (2014 est.)

Central bank discount rate

0.5% (31 December 2013)

0.5% (31 December 2012)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

5% (31 December 2014 est.)

5% (31 December 2013 est.)

Current account balance

$4.544 billion (2014 est.)

$5.095 billion (2013 est.)

Debt - external

$171.3 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$165.6 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

53.7 (2011)

53.3 (2007)

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 re-exports, 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, hydrocarbon oil, and methyl alcohol. There are no quotas or dumping laws. Hong Kong's open economy left it exposed to the global economic slowdown that began in 2008. Although increasing integration with China, through trade, tourism, and financial links, helped it to make an initial recovery more quickly than many observers anticipated, its continued reliance on foreign trade and investment leaves it vulnerable to renewed global financial market volatility or a slowdown in the global economy. The Hong Kong government is promoting the Special Administrative Region (SAR) as the site for Chinese 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; and RMB trade settlement is allowed. The territory far exceeded the RMB conversion quota set by Beijing for trade settlements in 2010 due to the growth of earnings from exports to the mainland. RMB deposits grew to roughly 12.5% of total system deposits in Hong Kong by the end of 2014. The government is pursuing efforts to introduce additional use of RMB in Hong Kong financial markets and is seeking to expand the RMB quota. The mainland 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 has surged from 4.5 million in 2001 to 47.3 million in 2014, outnumbering visitors from all other countries combined. Hong Kong has also established itself as the premier stock market for Chinese firms seeking to list abroad. In 2014 mainland Chinese companies constituted about 50% of the firms listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and accounted for about 60.1% 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. Credit expansion and tight housing supply conditions have caused Hong Kong property prices to rise rapidly; consumer prices increased by more than 4.4% in 2014. Lower and middle income segments of the population are increasingly unable to afford adequate housing. Hong Kong continues to link its currency closely to the US dollar, maintaining an arrangement established in 1983. 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, adopted in 2003 to forge closer ties between Hong Kong and the mainland. The new measures, effective from March 2015, cover a negative list and a most-favored treatment provision, and will improve access to the mainland's service sector for Hong Kong-based companies.

Exchange rates

Hong Kong dollars (HKD) per US dollar -

7.753 (2014 est.)

7.756 (2013 est.)

7.756 (2012 est.)

7.784 (2011 est.)

7.77 (2010 est.)

Exports

$528.2 billion (2014 est.)

$535 billion (2013 est.)

Exports - commodities

electrical machinery and appliances, textiles, apparel, footwear, watches and clocks, toys, plastics, precious stones, printed material

Exports - partners

China 53.9%, US 9.3% (2014)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

GDP - composition, by end use

(2014 est.)

exports of goods and services

226.1%

government consumption

9.5%

household consumption

66.1%

imports of goods and services

-224.4%

investment in fixed capital

22.2%

investment in inventories

0.4%

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture

0.1%

industry

6.6%

services

93.3% (2014 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$54,700 (2014 est.)

$53,500 (2013 est.)

$52,000 (2012 est.)

note

data are in 2014 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

2.3% (2014 est.)

2.9% (2013 est.)

1.7% (2012 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$289.6 billion (2014 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$397.5 billion (2014 est.)

$388.5 billion (2013 est.)

$377.6 billion (2012 est.)

note

data are in 2014 US dollars

Gross national saving

25.3% of GDP (2014 est.)

25.3% of GDP (2013 est.)

26.8% of GDP (2012 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

NA%

lowest 10%

NA%

Imports

$560.2 billion (2014 est.)

$622 billion (2013 est.)

Imports - commodities

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

Imports - partners

China 47.1%, Japan 6.9%, Singapore 6.2%, US 5.2%, South Korea 4.2% (2014)

Industrial production growth rate

0.2% (2014 est.)

Industries

textiles, clothing, tourism, banking, shipping, electronics, plastics, toys, watches, clocks

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

4.4% (2014 est.)

4.3% (2013 est.)

Labor force

3.871 million (2014 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

community and social services

17.1%

construction

2.8%

financing, insurance, and real estate

12.5%

manufacturing

3.8%

note

above data exclude public sector (2013 est.)

transport and communications

10.1%

wholesale and retail trade, restaurants, and hotels

53.3%

Market value of publicly traded shares

$3.082 trillion (31 December 2013 est.)

$2.814 trillion (31 December 2012)

$2.248 trillion (31 December 2011 est.)

Population below poverty line

19.6% (2012 est.)

Public debt

37% of GDP (2014 est.)

37.2% of GDP (2013 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$324 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$311.2 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Stock of broad money

$1.414 trillion (31 December 2014 est.)

$1.297 trillion (31 December 2013 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$1.439 trillion (31 December 2014 est.)

$1.352 trillion (31 December 2013 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$1.523 trillion (31 December 2014 est.)

$1.444 trillion (31 December 2013 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$827.9 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

$714 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$204.8 billion (31 December 2014 est.)

$194.9 billion (31 December 2013 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

19.7% of GDP (2014 est.)

Unemployment rate

3.1% (2014 est.)

3.1% (2013 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

88.63 million Mt (2012 est.)

Crude oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2013 est.)

Crude oil - imports

0 bbl/day (2013 est.)

Crude oil - production

100 bbl/day (2013 est.)

Crude oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2014 est.)

Electricity - consumption

44.21 billion kWh (2013 est.)

Electricity - exports

1.65 billion kWh (2013 est.)

Electricity - from fossil fuels

100% of total installed capacity (2013 est.)

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

0% of total installed capacity (2013 est.)

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2013 est.)

Electricity - from other renewable sources

0% of total installed capacity (2013 est.)

Electricity - imports

10.71 billion kWh (2013 est.)

Electricity - installed generating capacity

10.67 million kW (2013 est.)

Electricity - production

39.97 billion kWh (2013 est.)

Natural gas - consumption

2.6 billion cu m (2013 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2013 est.)

Natural gas - imports

2.8 billion cu m (2013 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2013 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2014 est.)

Refined petroleum products - consumption

354,000 bbl/day (2013 est.)

Refined petroleum products - exports

12,010 bbl/day (2013 est.)

Refined petroleum products - imports

345,900 bbl/day (2013 est.)

Refined petroleum products - production

0 bbl/day (2013 est.)

Broadcast media

2 commercial terrestrial TV networks each with multiple stations; multi-channel satellite and cable TV systems available; 3 radio networks, one of which is government funded, operate about 15 radio stations (2012)

Internet country code

.hk

Internet users

percent of population

79.2% (2014 est.)

total

5.6 million

Radio broadcast stations

AM 6, FM 10, shortwave 0 (2009)

Telephone system

domestic

microwave radio relay links and extensive fiber-optic network

general assessment

modern facilities provide excellent domestic and international services

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 (2012)

Telephones - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

62 (2014 est.)

total subscriptions

4.43 million

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

244 (2014 est.)

total

17.4 million

Television broadcast stations

2 (2 TV networks, each broadcasting on 2 channels) (2009)

Airports

2 (2013)

Airports - with paved runways

1,524 to 2,437 m

1 (2013)

over 3,047 m

1

total

2

Heliports

9 (2013)

Merchant marine

by type

barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 785, cargo 198, carrier 10, chemical tanker 149, container 288, liquefied gas 31, passenger 4, passenger/cargo 9, petroleum tanker 156, roll on/roll off 5, vehicle carrier 7

foreign-owned

976 (Bangladesh 1, Belgium 26, Bermuda 20, Canada 77, China 500, Cyprus 3, Denmark 42, France 4, Germany 10, Greece 27, Indonesia 10, Iran 3, Japan 79, Libya 1, Norway 48, Russia 1, Singapore 13, South Korea 3, Switzerland 5, Taiwan 25, UAE 1, UK 33, US 44)

registered in other countries

341 (Bahamas 3, Bermuda 4, Cambodia 10, China 18, Curacao 1, Cyprus 2, Georgia 3, India 2, Kiribati 2, Liberia 48, Malaysia 8, Malta 4, Marshall Islands 3, NZ 1, Panama 144, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5, Seychelles 1, Sierra Leone 7, Singapore 46, Thailand 1, UK 12, unknown 16) (2010)

total

1,644

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s)

Hong Kong

Roadways

paved

2,099 km (2014)

total

2,099 km

Manpower available for military service

females age 16-49

1,873,175 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49

1,704,090

Manpower fit for military service

females age 16-49

1,505,875 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49

1,387,213

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

female

36,554 (2010 est.)

male

39,579

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 (2012)

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