Hong Kong

Location

• Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China
• consists of a mainland area (the New Territories) and over 200 islands

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Hong Kong	7,396,076	Capital
New Territories	3,984,077
Kowloon	2,232,339
Hong Kong Island	1,195,529
Victoria	956,800
Tuen Mun	507,900
Sha Tin	495,200
Sham Shui Po	431,090
Wong Tai Sin	425,235
Kowloon City	418,732

Size

• 422 square miles
• 1,092 square kilometers
• six times the size of Washington, D.C.

History

The UK seized Hong Kong in 1841, and China formally ceded it 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 the UK obtained a 99-year lease of the New Territories in 1898. Pursuant to a UK-China agreement in 1984, Hong Kong became the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) of the People's Republic of China as of 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 next 50 years. After the handover, Hong Kong continued to enjoy success as an international financial center. However, growing Chinese political influence and dissatisfaction with the Hong Kong Government in the 2010s became central issues 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 to the protests, the governments of the HKSAR and China reduced the city's autonomy and placed new restrictions on the rights of Hong Kong residents, moves that were widely criticized as contravening obligations under the Hong Kong Basic Law and the Sino-British Joint Declaration. Democratic lawmakers and political figures were arrested in a widespread crackdown, while others fled abroad. At the same time, dozens of civil society groups and several independent media outlets were closed or disbanded. In 2021, Beijing imposed a more restrictive electoral system, restructuring the Legislative Council (LegCo) and allowing only government-approved candidates to run for office. The changes ensured that virtually all seats in the 2021 LegCo election went to pro-establishment candidates and effectively ended political opposition to Beijing. In 2024, the LegCo passed a new national security law (Article 23 of the Basic Law) further expanding the Hong Kong Government's power to curb dissent.

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

Languages

Cantonese (official) 85.4%, English (official) 4.5%, Putonghua (official) 2.2%, other Chinese dialects 2.8%, other 2%, persons under 5 or mute 3.2% (2021 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.note: data represent population by usual spoken language

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

Government

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

• 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) amendment process: 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 NPCnote: since 1990, China's National People's Congress has interpreted specific articles of the Basic Law
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• 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 yearsnote: 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
• Legal System: mixed system of common law based on the English model and Chinese customary law (in matters of family and land tenure); China's imposition of National Security Law incorporates elements of Chinese civil law
• Executive Branch: chief of state: President of China XI Jinping (since 14 March 2013)head of government: Chief Executive John LEE Ka-chiu (since 1 July 2022)cabinet: Executive Council or ExCo appointed by the chief executiveelection/appointment process: president indirectly elected by National People's Congress for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); chief executive indirectly elected by the Election Committee and appointed by the PRC Government for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term)most recent election date: president: 10 March 2023chief executive: 8 May 2022election results: 2022: John LEE was the only candidate and won with over 99% of the vote by the Election Committee2017: Carrie LAM elected; 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)expected date of next election: president: March 2028chief executive: 2027note: electoral changes that Beijing imposed in March 2021 expanded the Election Committee to 1,500 members
• Judicial Branch: highest court(s): Court of Final Appeal (consists of the chief justice, 3 permanent judges, and 20 non-permanent judges)judge selection and term of office: all judges appointed by the Hong Kong Chief Executive on 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 limitsubordinate 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
• Legislative Branch: legislature name: Legislative Council or LegColegislative structure: unicameralnumber of seats: 90electoral system: 20 members directly elected; 70 members indirectly electedscope of elections: fullmost recent election date: 19 December 2021parties elected and seats per party: Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) 19, Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions (HKFTU) 8, Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong (BPA) 7, NPP 5, Liberal (LP) 4, New Territories Association of Societies (NTAS) 4, Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers (HKFEW) 2, Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions (HKFLU) 2, Civil Force (CF) 2, Roundtable (RT) 1, Professional Power (PP) 1, Kowloon West New Dynamic (KWND) 1, New Prospect for Hong Kong (NPHK) 1, New Century Forum (NCF-1); other/independent 41expected date of next election: December 2025note 1: all political candidates are evaluated by the Candidate Eligibility Review Committee (CERC), which was established in April 2022; CERC members are all appointed by the chief executivenote 2: Hong Kong's leading pro-democracy political parties boycotted the 2021 election

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• 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
• Budget: revenues: $70.124 billion (2020 est.)expenditures: $105.849 billion (2020 est.)
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: outstanding deepwater harbor, feldspar
• Industries: trading and logistics, financial services, professional services, tourism, cultural and creative, clothing and textiles, shipping, electronics, toys, clocks and watches
• Agricultural Products: pork, chicken, spinach, vegetables, pork offal, game meat, beef, fruits, onions, pork fat (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 3.8% (2022 est.)arable land: 1.9% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 1% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 1% (2022 est.)forest: 0% (2022 est.)other: 96.2% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: integrated circuits, broadcasting equipment, gold, machine parts, jewelry (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: China 40%, Taiwan 10%, Singapore 7%, Japan 5%, S. Korea 4% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: gold, integrated circuits, gas turbines, broadcasting equipment, jewelry (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: China 22%, Vietnam 12%, S. Korea 8%, Netherlands 5%, Switzerland 4% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports