Includes Hong Kong real Gross Domestic Product growth rate, with latest forecasts and historical data, GDP per capita, GDP composition and breakdown by sector.
Browse additional economic indicators and data sets, selected by Global Finance editors, to learn more about Hong Kong economic outlook, debt to GDP ratio, international trade performance and population trends. Rankings of Hong Kong best banks and safest banks are also available.
Basic Information
Government Type: Presidential limited democracy; a special administrative region of the People’s Republic of China
Capital City: Hong Kong
GDP & Economic Information
Macroeconomy & Sovereign Data
Central Bank |
Hong Kong Monetary Authority |
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Currency |
Hong Kong dollars (HKD) |
International Reserves |
USD 424.7 billion (2018) International Monetary Fund (IMF), data retrieved October 2019 |
Gross Domestic Product – GDP | USD 363.0 billion (2018, estimate) |
GDP (Purchasing Power Parity) | Intl$ 480.5 billion (2018, estimate) |
GDP Data
Real GDP growth |
2007: 6.5% 2008: 2.1% 2009: -2.5% 2010: 6.8% 2011: 4.8% 2012: 1.7% 2013: 3.1% 2014: 2.8% 2015: 2.4% 2016: 2.2% 2017: 3.8% 2018: 3.0% *Estimate |
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GDP per capita – current prices | USD 48,517.4 (2018, estimate) |
GDP per capita – PPP | Intl$ 64,215.7 (2018, estimate) |
GDP (PPP) – share of world total |
1980: 0.27% 1990: 0.38% 2000: 0.37% 2010: 0.38% 2019: 0.35% *Estimate |
GDP – composition by sector |
agriculture: 0.1% industry: 7.2% services: 88.6% (2017 estimate) |
Gross domestic expenditure on R&D; (% of GDP) | N/A |
Inflation |
2015: 3% 2016: 2.4% 2017: 1.5% 2018*: 2.4% 2019: 3% *Estimate |
Hong Kong
Inflation & Debt
Inflation |
2015: 3% 2016: 2.4% 2017: 1.5% 2018*: 2.4% 2019: 3% *Estimate |
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Government Bond Ratings |
Standard & Poor’s: AA+ Moody’s: Aa12 Standard & Poor’s / Moody’s |
Unemployment rate |
2017 13.7% 2018 12.3% 2019 11.5% 2020* 11.7% 2021* 12% *Estimate |
Household saving rates | N/A |
Public debt (General government gross debt as a % of GDP) |
2015: 0.1% 2016: 0.1% 2017: 0.1% 2018: 0.1% 2019*: 0% *Estimate |
Public deficit (General government net lending/borrowing as a % of GDP) |
2015: 0.6% 2016: 4.4% 2017: 5.5% 2018: 2.3% 2019*: 0.6% *Estimate |
Market value of publicly traded shares |
2016: USD 3,193.2 billion 2017: USD 4,350.5 billion 2018: USD 3,819.2 billion |
Largest Companies | Beijing Enterprises, China Resources Power, China Mengniu Dairy, Power Assets Holdings, Cathay Pacific Airways, Sino Biopharmaceutical, Techtronic Industries, Chow Tai Fook Jewellery, Shenzhou International Group Holdings, Nine Dragons Paper Holdings, China Mobile, CITIC, AIA Group, CNOOC, CK Hutchison, China Unicom, China Resources Land, Jardine Matheson, Sun Hung Kai Properties, CK Asset Holdings, Swire Pacific, New World Development, China Taiping Insurance, CLP Holdings, MTR, Henderson Land, Great Eagle Holdings, First Pacific, China Oriental Group, CSPC Pharmaceutical Group, China Agri-Industries, Sino Land, Yuexiu Property Co., Li & Fung, Shimao Property Holdings, Wheelock, Geely Automobile Holdings, WH Group, Link REIT, Lenovo Group, Hong Kong Exchanges, Galaxy Entertainment, Towngas, China Resources Pharmaceutical Group, Bank of East Asia, China Gas Holdings, China Jinmao, Sun Art Retail Group, Far East Horizon, Kerry Properties, China Merchants Port Holdings, Hang Lung Group, KWG Group Holdings, Hopson Development Holdings, China Resources Gas Group, Guangdong Investment, China Resources Cement Holdings, Kingboard Holdings |
Import/Export
Exports as percent of GDP (Exports of goods and services) | 188% (2018) |
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Shares in world total merchandising export | 2.92% (2018) |
Shares in world total commercial services export | 1.97% (2018) |
Total exports | USD 682.7 billion (2018 estimate) |
Export 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 |
Total imports |
USD 682.6 billion (2018 estimate) |
Import commodities | Raw materials and semi-manufactures, consumer goods, capital goods, foodstuffs, fuel (most is re-exported) |
Exports – major partners |
China 54.1%, US 7.7% (2017) |
Imports – major partners |
China 44.6%, Singapore 6.4%, Japan 6.1%, South Korea 5.5%, US 5.2% (2017) |
Competitiveness & Trade
Current account balance | USD 15.6 billion (2018 estimate) |
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Current account balance by percentage of GDP | 4.3 % (2018 estimate) |
FDI inflows |
2016: USD 117,387 million 2017: USD 110,685 million 2018: USD 115,662 million |
FDI Outflows |
2016: USD 59,703 million 2017: USD 86,704 million 2018: USD 85,162 million |
Value of cross-border M&A, by country of purchaser |
2015: USD 19,598 million 2016: USD 11,113 million 2017: USD 23,686 million 2018: USD 13,604 million |
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2014 |
2014 CITIC Pacific Ltd, CITIC Ltd, China, USD 42.2 billion / MMG South America Management Co Ltd, Xstrata Peru SA, Peru, USD 7.0 billion / Lenovo Group Ltd, Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc, United States, USD 3.1 billion |
Cross-border M&A deals worth over $3 billion completed in 2015 | China Resources (Holdings) Co Ltd, Ondereel Ltd,Best-Growth Resources Ltd,Havensbrook Investments Ltd,China Resourc, Hong Kong, China, USD 14.0 billion / Chia Tai Bright Investment Co Ltd, CITIC Ltd, Hong Kong, China, USD 5.9 billion / China Overseas Holdings Ltd, China Overseas Land & Investment Ltd, Hong Kong, China, USD 5.5 billion / Alpha Progress Global Ltd, Celestial Domain Investments Ltd, China, USD 5.5 billion / Chia Tai Bright Investment Co Ltd, CITIC Ltd, Hong Kong, China, USD 4.4 billion |
Best countries for doing business |
Economies are ranked on their ease of doing business. A high ease of doing business ranking means the regulatory environment is more conducive to the starting and operation of a local firm. Overall ranking: 3 out of 190 countries Subcategories: Starting a Business: 5 out of 190 countries Dealing with Construction Permits: 1 out of 190 countries Getting Electricity: 3 out of 190 countries Registering Property: 51 out of 190 countries Getting Credit: 37 out of 190 countries Protecting Minority Investors: 7 out of 190 countries Paying Taxes: 2 out of 190 countries Trading across Borders: 29 out of 190 countries Enforcing Contracts: 31 out of 190 countries Resolving Insolvency: 45 out of 190 countries |
Global competitiveness ranking |
3 out of 141 countries (2019) |
Index of Economic Freedom |
Ranking: 1 / Score: 90.2 (Free) (100=totally free 0=totally repressed) |
Population & Geographic Data
Time Zone | UTC+8 |
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Total Area | 1,108 sq km |
Total Population |
1990: 5.79 million 2000: 6.71 million 2010: 7.05 million 2015: 7.31 million 2020: 7.64 million *Estimate |
Urban population as % of total population |
1960: 85.2% 1980: 91.5% 2000: 100% 2018: 100% |
Population median age | 44.8 years |
Population growth rate | 0.29% (2018 estimate) |
Life expectancy |
83.1 years (2018 estimate) |
% of population living on less than $3.10 a day |
N/A |
Inequality of wealth distribution (Gini index) |
N/A |
Freedom House rating |
Partly Free Political Rights: 5 Civil Liberties: 2 (2018) (1 represents the most free, 7 the least free rating) |
Total telephone subscribers as % of population |
Fixed: 57.2% Mobile: 259.4% (2018) (fixed-telephone subscribers and mobile-cellular subscribers) |
Internet users as % of total population | 89.42 % (2017) |
Language & Religon
Languages | Cantonese (official) 88.9%, English (official) 4.3%, Mandarin (official) 1.9%, other Chinese dialects 3.1%, other 1.9% (2016 est.) |
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Literacy | N/A |
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.) |
World Rankings
Population | 7.64 M |
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Mercer Cost of living index |
Hong Kong: 1st (2019) |
C02 Emissions per capita |
6.39 metric tons per capita (2014) |
Global Finance Rankings & Awards: Hong Kong
Global Finance Magazine holds several conferences and awards ceremonies throughout the year to recognize the winning financial institutions and companies in a host of categories including World’s Best Trade Finance Banks, World's Biggest Banks, World's Safest Banks, World's Best Developed & Emerging Markets Banks, World's Best Internet Banks, and World’s Best Investment Banks.