The Human Truth Foundation

Hong Kong (Special Administrative Region)

https://www.humantruth.info/hong_kong.html

By Vexen Crabtree 2013

#hong_kong

Hong Kong
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Flag
StatusA Special Administrative Region of China
Capital
Land Area 1 042km21
LocationAsia
Population7.4m2
Life Expectancy85.47yrs (2017)3
GNI$62 607 (2017)4
ISO3166-1 CodesHK, HKG, 3445
Internet Domain.hk6
CurrencyDollar (HKD)7
Telephone+8528

1. Overview

#china #UK

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 (SAR) 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 next 50 years.

CIA's The World Factbook (2013)9

Book CoverThis enigmatic city of soaring towers, ancient rituals and action movies is safe, friendly and wonderfully well organised. The tantalising neighbourhoods and curious islands that make up Hong Kong are a sensory delight awaiting exploration. You can find yourself swaying along on a double-decker tramcar one moment, then cheering with the hordes at the city-centre horse races, or simply gazing out at the magnificent harbour.

But over 70% of Hong Kong is mountains and sprawling country parks so escape the city limits on one of the world´s best transport systems and spend your day wandering in a Song-dynasty village or hiking surf-beaten beaches. Whatever your gastronomic preferences you will be sated in Hong Kong - over a bowl of noodles with beef brisket, a basket of vegetarian dim sum, your first-ever stinky tofu or a plate of freshly steamed prawns fragrant with garlic.

Shopaholics rejoice: from ready-to-wear Chinese jackets to bespoke kitchen knives, the sheer range and variety of products on Hong Kong´s shelves is mind-bending.

"The World" by Lonely Planet (2014)10

2. Hong Kong National and Social Development

#economics #human_development #wealth

UN HDI (2021)11
Pos.Higher is better
Value11
1Switzerland0.962
2Norway0.961
3Iceland0.959
4Hong Kong0.952
5Australia0.951
6Denmark0.948
7Sweden0.947
8Ireland0.945
9Germany0.942
10Netherlands0.941
11Finland0.940
12Singapore0.939
Asia Avg0.75
World Avg0.72
q=191.
Gross National Income Per-Capita (2021)11
Pos.Higher is better
PPP $11
1Liechtenstein$146 830
2Singapore$90 919
3Qatar$87 134
...
7USA$64 765
8Norway$64 660
9Brunei$64 490
10Hong Kong$62 607
11UAE$62 574
12Denmark$60 365
13Netherlands$55 979
14Iceland$55 782
Asia Avg$22 215
World Avg$20 136
q=193.

The United Nations produces an annual Human Development Report which includes the Human Development Index. The factors taken into account include life expectancy, education and schooling and Gross National Income (GNI) amongst many others..

As a territory of China I do not have many specific statistics for this territory in its own right.

3. Hong Kong's Demographics and Migration

#birth_control #demographics #fertility #health #immigration #life_expectancy #longevity #migration #overpopulation #population #yemen

Population:

Hong Kong's population is predicted to rise to 8.483 million by 2030. This rise is despite a low fertility rate, meaning, that this country is helping to alleviate problems with growing population in neighbouring countries by accepting immigrants, very likely as a requirement of maintaining an active workforce. This country has a fertility rate of 0.70. The fertility rate is, in simple terms, the average amount of children that each woman has. The higher the figure, the quicker the population will grow, although, to calculate the rate you also need to take into account morbidity - the rate at which people die. If people live healthy and long lives and morbidity is low, then, 2.0 approximates to the replacement rate (two new children for each set of parents who die), which would keep the population stable. If all countries had such a fertility rate, population growth would end. The actual replacement rate in most developed countries is around 2.1. The highest fertility rate ever detected in a single year was in Yemen in 1985, at 8.86.12

Life expectancy in Hong Kong was second best in the world throughout 2010-2019 and beyond.

Population2
Pos.2018
Population2
1China1.4b
2India1.4b
3USA327.1m
...
100Israel8.4m
101Togo7.9m
102Sierra Leone7.7m
103Hong Kong7.4m
104Laos7.1m
105Bulgaria7.1m
106Paraguay7.0m
107Lebanon6.9m
World Avg39.0m
q=195.
Life Expectancy
Higher is better
11
Pos.2021
Years11
1Monaco85.9
2Hong Kong85.5
3Japan84.8
4Australia84.5
5Switzerland84.0
6Malta83.8
7S. Korea83.7
8Liechtenstein83.3
9Norway83.2
10Spain83.0
11Sweden83.0
12Italy82.9
World Avg71.28
q=195.
Fertility Rate
2.0 is best
13
Pos.202213
1US Virgin Islands2.00
2Ecuador2.00
3Nepal2.01
...
157Namibia3.25
158Kiribati3.27
159Kenya3.30
160Hong Kong0.70
161Uzbekistan3.31
162Pakistan3.41
163Zimbabwe3.44
164Iraq3.45
World Avg2.47
q=208.
Old-Age Dependency Ratio
Lower is better
14
Pos.2016
Per 10014
1Uganda04.3
2Mali04.5
3=Chad04.7
...
178Netherlands41.9
179Slovenia42.7
180Finland43.3
181Hong Kong43.7
182Portugal44.7
183Germany47.7
184Italy48.6
185Japan53.1
World Avg18.3
q=185.

Migration:

Immigrants15
Pos.2017
%15
1UAE88.4%
2Kuwait75.5%
3Qatar65.2%
...
8Singapore46.0%
9Luxembourg45.3%
10Oman44.7%
11Hong Kong39.1%
12Saudi Arabia37.0%
13Jordan33.3%
14Nauru32.7%
15Lebanon31.9%
World Avg9.4%
q=195.
Emigrants16
Pos.2010
%16
1Dominica104.8%
2Palestine68.4%
3Samoa67.3%
...
64Andorra10.7%
65Liberia10.5%
66Uruguay10.5%
67Hong Kong10.2%
68Dominican Rep.10.1%
69Zimbabwe9.9%
70Haiti9.9%
71San Marino9.9%
World Avg11.5%
q=192.

4. Hong Kong's Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance

#china #democracy #equality #freedom #gender_equality #hong_kong #human_rights #mass_media #morals #politics #prejudice #slavery #tolerance #UK #women

Compared to Asia (2025)17
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank17
1Taiwan23.7
2Japan38.8
3Cyprus42.8
4S. Korea46.0
5Hong Kong46.8
6Mongolia58.8
7Georgia67.8
8Armenia74.5
9Philippines80.0
10Israel82.6
11Kyrgyzstan86.3
12Turkey86.7
13Singapore89.2
Asia Avg103.0
q=52.
Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2025)17
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank17
1Sweden8.5
2Denmark13.5
3Norway13.5
...
34S. Korea46.0
35Malta46.6
36Bulgaria46.8
37Hong Kong46.8
38USA47.6
39Latvia51.7
40Lithuania52.2
41Brazil54.0
World Avg87.8
q=200.

The best countries in the world at ensuring human rights, fostering equality and promoting tolerance, are Sweden, Denmark and Norway18. These countries are displaying the best traits that humanity has to offer. The worst countries are Somalia, The Vatican City and Sudan18.

The data sets used to calculate points for each country are statistics on supporting press freedom, eliminating modern slavery, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms, its average Freedom in the World rating, commentary in Human Rights Watch reports, its nominal commitment to Human Rights, speed of uptake of HR treaties, opposing gender inequality, the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators), the year from which women could participate in democracy, its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice, LGBT equality and freethought. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe18, whereas the worst are Melanesia, The Middle East and Micronesia18.

For more, see:

Human Rights & Tolerance:

Press Freedom
Lower is better
19
Pos.201319
1Finland638
2Netherlands648
3Norway652
...
54Moldova2601
55Hungary2609
56Italy2611
57Hong Kong2616
58Senegal2619
59Chile2624
60Sierra Leone2635
61Mauritius2647
Asia Avg4378
World Avg3249
q=178.
Slavery
Lower is better
20
Pos.2018
% Victims20
1Japan0.03
2=Canada0.05
2=Taiwan0.05
...
9Costa Rica0.13
10=USA0.13
10=Argentina0.13
12Hong Kong0.14
13=Kuwait0.15
13=Luxembourg0.15
13=Qatar0.15
16Denmark0.16
Asia Avg0.79
World Avg0.65
q=167.
Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom
Lower is better
21
Pos.2014
Rank21
1Hong Kong1
2Switzerland2
3New Zealand3
4Ireland4
5Denmark5
6=UK6
6=Canada6
6=Australia6
9Finland9
10Netherlands10
11=Luxembourg11
11=Austria11
Asia Avg94.6
World Avg79.7
q=159.

China's continuing erosion of the human rights gained during Hong Kong's rule by the UK continued in 201722; "Hong Kong courts disqualified four pro-democracy lawmakers in July and jailed three prominent pro-democracy student leaders in August"22.

Freedom in the World
Lower is better
Pos.2024
Score
1=Norway1.0
1=Canada1.0
1=Cape Verde1.0
...
152Puerto Rico5.5
153=Oman5.5
153=S. Ossetia5.5
153=Hong Kong5.5
153=Guinea5.5
153=Haiti5.5
153=Macau5.5
153=Zimbabwe5.5
Asia Avg5.0
World Avg3.7
q=205.

Amnesty International's 2023-23 summary on human rights in Hong Kong stated:

[Hong Kong's Chinese] authorities continued their crackdown against pro-democracy activists, journalists, human rights defenders and others. The 2020 National Security Law (NSL) and other repressive laws were widely used to target people exercising their rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association. The UN Human Rights Committee urged the Hong Kong government to repeal the NSL and sedition provisions of the Crime Ordinance, and in the meantime to refrain from applying them.

In July, John Lee, former Hong Kong security chief who oversaw the police crackdown on the 2019 protests and the implementation of the NSL, took over as Chief Executive of Hong Kong, having been selected by the central government in Beijing as the sole candidate in the May elections.

"The State of the World's Human Rights 2022/23" by Amnesty International (2023)23

Gender Equality:

See:

Gender Biases
Lower is better
24
Pos.2022
%24
1Sweden31.825
2New Zealand34.426
3Australia37.026
...
24Estonia78.325
25Uruguay78.625
26Chile79.926
27Hong Kong80.826
28Poland81.425
29Cyprus81.826
30Ukraine86.126
31Brazil86.326
Asia Avg94.24
World Avg83.93
q=88.

5. Hong Kong's Health

#birth_control #demographics #health #hong_kong #life_expectancy #longevity #mental_health #overpopulation #parenting #population #smoking #spain #suicide

Compared to Asia (2020)27
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank27
1Maldives41.7
2Sri Lanka43.1
3Malaysia53.1
4Bhutan57.9
5Hong Kong58.0
6Kuwait58.1
7Bangladesh58.5
8Brunei59.1
9N. Korea60.0
10Singapore60.3
11Saudi Arabia63.0
12Qatar64.6
13Nepal65.0
Asia Avg80.9
q=50.
Health (2020)27
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank27
1Monaco13.0
2Maldives41.7
3Sri Lanka43.1
4Liechtenstein50.0
5Malaysia53.1
6Bhutan57.9
7Hong Kong58.0
8Kuwait58.1
9Bangladesh58.5
10Brunei59.1
11N. Korea60.0
12Singapore60.3
World Avg95.1
q=198.

The countries with the best overall approach to public health, in terms of both public policy and individual lifestyle choices, are Monaco, The Maldives and Sri Lanka28. These countries are worth emulating. And, although often through no fault of the average citizen, the worst countries are S. Sudan, The Marshall Islands and Nigeria28.

The data sets used to calculate points for each country are its average life expectancy, its alcohol consumption rate, its fertility rate, its smoking rate, its suicide rate, its food aid and health contributions and WHO compliance, the prevalence of overweight adults, its adolescent birth rate and its immunizations take-up. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Asia and The Mediterranean28, whereas the worst are Micronesia, Africa and Australasia28.

For more, see:

Health:

Hong Kong does relatively well in encouraging good health, compared to many other countries. Hong Kong does the second-best in its average life expectancy11. It comes in the best 20 when it comes to its adolescent birth rate29 (amongst the lowest in Asia). It does better than average in terms of its smoking rate30. Hong Kong still has work to do. Hong Kong does worse than average in terms of its suicide rate31 and in its fertility rate13. The number of overweight adults has increased by 14% during the last 40 years. Hong Kong had the joint-lowest average fertility rate in the world throughout the 1990s, at 1.2, alongside Spain, and dropped even further into the 2000s, to 0.98, the world's lowest average that decade, before rising slightly in the 2010s. Its peak fertility rate was 5.17 in 1961.

Life Expectancy
Higher is better
11
Pos.2021
Years11
1Monaco85.9
2Hong Kong85.5
3Japan84.8
4Australia84.5
5Switzerland84.0
6Malta83.8
7S. Korea83.7
8Liechtenstein83.3
9Norway83.2
10Spain83.0
11Sweden83.0
12Italy82.9
Asia Avg73.48
World Avg71.28
q=195.
Fertility Rate
2.0 is best
13
Pos.202213
1US Virgin Islands2.00
2Ecuador2.00
3Nepal2.01
...
157Namibia3.25
158Kiribati3.27
159Kenya3.30
160Hong Kong0.70
161Uzbekistan3.31
162Pakistan3.41
163Zimbabwe3.44
164Iraq3.45
Asia Avg2.17
World Avg2.47
q=208.
Smoking Rates
Lower is better
30
Pos.201430
1Guinea 15
2Solomon Islands 26
3Kiribati 28
...
63Mexico 329
64Barbados 333
65St Vincent & Grenadines 338
66Hong Kong 345
67Colombia 359
68Antigua & Barbuda 362
69Yemen 388
70S. Sudan 398
Asia Avg1 035
World Avg 819
q=182.
Suicide Rate31
Pos.2013
Per 100k31
1Haiti0
2Grenada0
3Egypt0.1
...
66Slovakia25.7
67Czechia28.3
68Suriname28.7
69Hong Kong29.7
70Poland30.5
71Austria30.9
72Uruguay32.3
73France33.2
Asia Avg19.50
World Avg20.93
q=91.

Children's Health:

Adolescent Birth Rate
Lower is better
29
Pos.2015
Per 100029
1N. Korea0.5
2S. Korea1.6
3Switzerland2.9
4Hong Kong3.2
5Slovenia3.8
6Singapore3.8
7Netherlands4.0
8Denmark4.0
9Japan4.1
10Cyprus5.0
11Sweden5.7
12Norway5.9
Asia Avg29.9
World Avg47.9
q=185.

6. Hong Kong's Responsibility Towards The Environment

#angola #climate_change #energy #food #hong_kong #iceland #meat #sustainability #the_environment #veganism #vegetarianism

Compared to Asia (2023)32
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank32
1Japan33.2
2Philippines45.0
3Sri Lanka49.0
...
18=Taiwan78.7
19Cyprus79.3
20Iran82.6
21Hong Kong83.3
22Vietnam83.8
23Mongolia84.8
24China85.2
25Cambodia90.0
26Thailand90.4
Asia Avg88.8
q=51.
Responsibility Towards The Environment (2023)32
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank32
1Japan33.2
2Philippines45.0
3Uruguay48.0
...
88Ireland82.4
89Iran82.6
90Ukraine83.2
91Hong Kong83.3
92=Malta83.5
92=Tanzania83.5
92=Sudan83.5
95Bolivia83.8
World Avg85.7
q=188.
Hong Kong is positioned 91st in the world when it comes to its responsibility towards the environment. This rank is derived from 4 data sets. Hong Kong performs the best in energy to GDP efficiency33. It does better than average in the rate of rational beliefs on the environment in the population34 and in its score on the Green Future Index35. Hong Kong does not succeed in everything, however. And finally, it is the worst in reducing annual meat consumption per person36.

Energy to GDP Efficiency
Higher is better33
Pos.201433
1Hong Kong26.32
2Sri Lanka20.00
3Panama17.86
4=Colombia17.54
4=Ireland17.54
4=Switzerland17.54
7Dominican Rep.16.95
8Mauritius15.63
9=Malta15.15
9=Singapore15.15
11Denmark14.93
12Peru14.49
Asia Avg09.14
World Avg09.29
q=119.
Rational Beliefs on the Environment
Higher is better34
Pos.2011
%34
1Argentina78.3%
2Greece77.6%
3Brazil77.1%
...
29Malta57.3%
30Ecuador57.2%
31Portugal55.8%
32Hong Kong54.8%
33Lebanon54.3%
34Nepal52.8%
35Chad52.8%
36Kenya52.1%
Asia Avg37.9%
World Avg39.9%
q=145.
Meat Consumption
Lower is better
36
Pos.2021
kg36
1Congo, DR03.0
2Burundi03.5
3Bangladesh04.3
...
178St Vincent & Grenadines109.5
179Australia110.2
180Bahamas111.9
181Argentina115.5
182Mongolia115.6
183Nauru125.9
184USA126.8
185Hong Kong146.9
Asia Avg46.7
World Avg52.5
q=185.

In the 2010s, Hong Kong's meat consumption per person was the highest in the world (135kg per person per year, on average), putting unnecessary strain on water supplies and the environment.36

Green Future Index
Higher is better
35
Pos.2023
Score35
1Iceland6.7
2Finland6.7
3Norway6.4
...
30Chile5.1
31Czechia5.0
32Singapore5.0
33Hong Kong4.9
34Colombia4.8
35Slovakia4.8
36UAE4.8
37Morocco4.7
Asia Avg4.3
World Avg4.8
q=76.

Hong Kong scored 3rd-best in its recent efforts to reduce its carbon emissions in the 2023 edition of the Green Futures Index (only Iceland and Angola did better).37

7. Hong Kong's Modernity and Learning

#education #english #intelligence #it_security #maths #modernity #research #science #technology #the_internet

Compared to Asia (2020)38
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank38
1Taiwan10.0
2Japan21.0
3S. Korea23.6
4Singapore26.1
5Israel31.3
6Hong Kong32.6
7Russia41.5
8Malaysia49.3
9Turkey50.0
10Macau50.8
11Cyprus51.1
12UAE54.4
13Saudi Arabia58.1
Asia Avg78.3
q=51.
Modernity & Learning (2020)38
Pos.Lower is better
Avg Rank38
1Finland7.7
2Taiwan10.0
3Switzerland14.7
...
27USA28.2
28Latvia28.2
29Israel31.3
30Hong Kong32.6
31Lithuania32.8
32Poland33.1
33Spain34.1
34Italy37.4
World Avg82.7
q=205.

Modernity and Education:

Research & Development
Higher is better
Pos.2016
% RDP PPP
1S. Korea4.2939
2Israel4.1139
3Japan3.5839
...
44=Morocco0.7340
44=S. Africa0.7341
44=Serbia0.7342
44=Hong Kong0.7341
48Tunisia0.6841
49=Egypt0.6842
50Belarus0.6742
51Mali0.6640
Asia Avg0.75
World Avg0.84
q=126.
Secondary Education
Higher is better
43
Pos.201843
1=Luxembourg100.0%
1=Estonia100.0%
1=Austria100.0%
...
59Cyprus80.3%
60Singapore79.6%
61Italy79.6%
62Hong Kong79.4%
63Chile79.3%
64China78.6%
65Belize78.6%
66Malta78.2%
Asia Avg66.0%
World Avg63.0%
q=169.
Length of Schooling
Higher is better
44
Pos.2021
Years44
1Australia21.1
2New Zealand20.3
3Greece20.0
...
15Argentina17.9
16Slovenia17.7
17UK17.3
18Hong Kong17.3
19Germany17.0
20Portugal16.9
21Malta16.8
22Uruguay16.8
Asia Avg13.5
World Avg13.5
q=193.
Maths, Science & Reading
Higher is better
45
Pos.2015
Score45
1Singapore1655
2Hong Kong1598
3Japan1586
4Macau1582
5Estonia1573
6=Taiwan1571
6=Canada1571
8Finland1568
9S. Korea1557
10China154346
11=Ireland1528
11=Slovenia1528
Asia Avg1398
World Avg1389
q=70.
IQ
Higher is better47
Pos.200647
1=Hong Kong108
1=Singapore108
3S. Korea106
4=Japan105
4=Taiwan105
4=China105
7Italy102
8=Iceland101
8=Switzerland101
8=Mongolia101
11Netherlands100
12=Norway100
Asia Avg90.4
World Avg85.6
q=138.

Technology and Information:

Internet Users
Higher is better
48
Pos.201648
1Iceland100%
2Faroe Islands99%
3Norway98%
...
43Latvia76%
44Lebanon76%
45Croatia74%
46=Hong Kong74%
46=Cayman Islands74%
48Macau73%
49=Israel73%
49=Guam73%
Asia Avg48.7%
World Avg48.1%
q=201.
IT Security
Lower is better
49
Pos.201349
1=Ireland0.11
1=Luxembourg0.11
1=Belize0.11
4Hong Kong0.12
5Mexico0.16
6Israel0.20
7Colombia0.22
8=S. Africa0.22
8=Japan0.22
10Philippines0.24
11Czechia0.24
12Argentina0.27
Asia Avg1.08
World Avg0.98
IPv6 Uptake
Higher is better
50
Pos.2017
Ratio50
1Belgium55.4
2Germany41.8
3Switzerland35.1
...
49S. Korea1.2
50Dominican Rep.1.1
51Slovakia0.8
52Hong Kong0.7
53Spain0.6
54St Kitts & Nevis0.6
55Nauru0.5
56Egypt0.4
Asia Avg2.11
World Avg3.82
q=176.

8. National Culture

#charity #corruption #happiness #morals #politics

Hong Kong has an excellent long-term record on keeping corruption low.

World Giving Index
Higher is better
51
Pos.2022
%51
1Indonesia68.0
2Kenya61.0
3USA59.0
...
75=Mali38.0
76Switzerland37.0
77=Finland37.0
77=Hong Kong37.0
77=Cameroon37.0
77=Iraq37.0
77=Croatia37.0
77=Moldova37.0
Asia Avg37.9
World Avg39.6
q=125.
Corruption
Higher is better
52
Pos.2022
Points52
1Denmark90.0
2=Finland87.0
2=New Zealand87.0
...
9Germany79.0
10=Ireland77.0
10=Luxembourg77.0
12Hong Kong76.0
13Australia75.0
14=Estonia74.0
14=Uruguay74.0
14=Iceland74.0
Asia Avg39.98
World Avg42.98
q=180.
Happiness
Higher is better
53
Pos.2018
Score53
1Finland7.6
2Norway7.6
3Denmark7.6
...
73=Turkey5.5
73=Belarus5.5
75Pakistan5.5
76Hong Kong5.4
77Portugal5.4
78Serbia5.4
79Greece5.4
80Tajikistan5.4
Asia Avg5.29
World Avg5.38
q=156.

9. Economic Inequality and Poverty

#health #inequality #life_expectancy

Inequality in Life Expectancy
Lower is better54
Pos.201954
1Iceland2.40
2=Singapore2.50
2=Hong Kong2.50
4Sweden2.90
5=Slovenia2.90
5=Japan2.90
7Finland3.00
8=Czechia3.00
8=Norway3.00
8=S. Korea3.00
8=Spain3.00
12Netherlands3.10
Asia Avg11.80
World Avg14.59
q=184.

10. Religion and Beliefs

#buddhism #christianity #hinduism #islam #judaism

Data from the Pew Forum, a professional polling outfit, states that in 2010 the religious makeup of this country was as follows in the table below55:

Christian14.3%
Muslim1.8%
Hindu0.4%
Buddhist13.2%
Folk Religion12.8%
Jewish0.1%
Unaffiliated56.1%

The CIA World Factbook has slightly different data, and states: eclectic mixture of local religions 90%, Christian 10%56.

Links: