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.
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Geography
Location
Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China
Geographic coordinates
22 15 N, 114 10 E
Map references
Southeast Asia
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
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.
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)
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio: 46.6
youth dependency ratio: 17.8
elderly dependency ratio: 28.7
potential support ratio: 3.5 (2021 est.)
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.)
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
Gross reproduction rate
0.6 (2023 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate
66.7% (2017)
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)
Currently married women (ages 15-49)
47.7% (2023 est.)
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.)
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 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
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)
total: 15% (2021 est.)
male: 16.3%
female: 13.6%
comparison ranking: total 117
Population below poverty line
19.9% (2016 est.)
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.)
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
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.)
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
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 - 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)
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