From one of the highest life expectancies in the world to a record number of billionaires, these are the most interesting facts about Hong Kong.
Fast facts
Official name: Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR)
Population: 7.3 million
Area: 1,108 sq km
Capital city: Hong Kong
Major languages: Cantonese (official) 85.4%, English (official) 4.5%
Major religions: Buddhism/Taoism, Christianity
Time zone: UTC+8 (Hong Kong Time)
Interesting facts about Hong Kong
1. Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region of China located in the South China Sea of Eastern Asia.
2. The archipelago of Hong Kong is made up of over 250 islands as well as some of mainland China known as the “New Territories”.
3. Hong Kong Island was initially ceded to the UK from China in 1842, and then in 1860, the New Territories, along with other islands, joined them. In 1898, China leased the whole region to the UK for 99 years until 1997.
4. Hong Kong is governed by the “one country, two systems” principle, which China has agreed to give the SAR a high degree of autonomy and preserve its economic and social systems for 50 years since the 1997 handover.
5. Hong Kong’s flag has a red background with a central five-petaled white bauhinia flower with a five-pointed red star in each petal. The bauhinia flower is a traditional emblem of Hong Kong. The five petals and red stars represent China. Red represents communism, as well as the traditional Chinese color for happiness.
6. Hong Kong’s flag can only be displayed together with the Chinese flag and secondary to it – i.e. lower and/or smaller.
See how Hong Kong’s flag compares to other Asian flags.
7. Hong Kong ranked 12th worldwide on the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), meaning it is considered among the world’s least corrupt jurisdictions.
8. The name Hong Kong means “Fragrant Harbour” in Cantonese, a name inspired by the city’s past as a significant trading post for incense, particularly the luxury agarwood incense.
9. Hong Kong is home to the world’s longest outdoor escalator system. The Central-Mid-Levels Escalator is an 800m-long series of 16 reversible escalators and three travelators that crosses 13 streets. It’s covered throughout to protect against the elements.
10. Hong Kong is connected to Macau and the mainland Chinese city of Zhuhai via the world’s longest sea bridge. The bridge spans 55km and includes 6.7km of undersea tunnel to allow ships to pass.
11. As of 2023, Hong Kong has 70 billionaires – only the cities of New York and Shanghai have more. As a country, it has 8.83 billionaires per million people – the sixth highest country in the world.
12. With 7,125 people per sq km of land area, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the world after Macao SAR, Monaco and Singapore.
13. Many buildings in Hong Kong do not have floors with the number ‘four’ in them as the number in Cantonese sounds like “will certainly die”. It’s not unusual for buildings to skip the 4th, 14th, 24th etc floors as well as all floors from 40 to 49.
14. Hong Kong is ranked the world’s fourth top financial center. Until recently, it was third and Asia’s top financial center.
15. Even though Hong Kong is famous for its skyscrapers, over 70% of its territory is mountains and country parks.
16. Hong Kong doesn’t have any UNESCO World Heritage Sites but it does have the Hong Kong UNESCO Global Geopark. Geoparks are gt geological heritage sites that promote sustainable research and development. The main feature of Hong Kong’s geopark are the “outcropped acidic volcanic hexagonal rock columns”.
17. Hong Kong is the city with the highest number of skyscrapers in the world. There are currently 558 buildings over 150m high.
18. Hong Kong’s tallest building is the 484m International Commerce Centre. It is the world’s 12th tallest building.
19. It is home to the world’s highest cocktail lounge and the world’s highest swimming pool – both are located on the 108th floor at 468.8m.
20. Hong Kong stands out as the most developed region in Asia. With a Human Development Index (HDI) score of 0.955, it ranks among the top 10 countries worldwide.
21. Hong Kong is considered one of the most influential cities in the world. The city was ranked 22nd in the 2025 edition of the Global Power City Index.
22. At 85 years of age, Hong Kong has one of the world’s highest life expectancies. A notable factor contributing to this is their low infant mortality rate, which indicates good maternal and child health care.
23. Hong Kong’s Peak Tram was Asia’s first funicular railway. It went into service in 1888 and climbed 396m to the summit of Victoria Peak, which at 552m is the highest point on Hong Kong Island.
24. After Macau, Hong Kong has the world’s second-lowest fertility rate, at 0.75 births per woman.
25. 100% of Hong Kong’s total population is urban – meaning they are living in urban areas.
26. Hong Kong has the tallest seated bronze Buddha statue in the world. Built in 1993, the Big Buddha at Po Lin Monastery is 23 m high, or 26.4 m if you include the lotus it sits on, or almost 34 m if you include the podium it’s placed on.
27. Hong Kong has a famous stilt village called Tai O, known as “the Venice of Hong Kong”, home to the Tanka boat people. The village is built partly on Lantau Island, a small island 15 m from the coast. Until the mid-1990s, visitors had to cross via a rope-tow ferry pulled by elderly women.
28. Hong Kong ranks as one of the world’s safest cities, placing 9th globally with a score of 78.6 in the Safe Cities Index. It performs especially well in health security and infrastructure safety.
29. Hong Kongers are famous followers of Feng Shui, an ancient Chinese practice focused on how the environment affects people’s well-being. The term translates as “wind-water” and is used to orient buildings and interior design.
Explore more from Asia
We strive to verify all facts using authoritative and primary sources where possible. However, if you find an error or have any questions, please contact us.
Caitriona Maria is an education writer and owner of The Facts Institute. With seven years of teaching experience and a background in educational content, she specialises in creating clear reference resources about countries, geography and global topics.