Hong Kong Population
Hong Kong had an estimated population of 7,498,900 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 104th most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.09% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of −0.34% a year.
Hong Kong at a glance
How Hong Kong's population is changing
Hong Kong's population is shrinking: −0.34% a year, which works out to about −25,158 people per year, or −69 a day. Births (4.9 per 1,000) and deaths (7.0 per 1,000) alone would give −0.21% a year; net migration adds about 17,863 people a year (+0.24%). Roughly one in every 1,096 people on Earth lives in Hong Kong.
Population of Hong Kong since 1960
In 1960, Hong Kong had 3,094,840 people. By 2025 that was 7,498,900 — 2.4× larger. The fastest growth came between 1971 and 1981, when the population rose by 28%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 3,094,840 | — |
| 1970 | 3,959,000 | +27.9% |
| 1980 | 5,063,100 | +27.9% |
| 1990 | 5,704,500 | +12.7% |
| 2000 | 6,665,000 | +16.8% |
| 2010 | 7,024,200 | +5.4% |
| 2020 | 7,481,000 | +6.5% |
| 2025 | 7,498,900 | +0.2% |
Hong Kong from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Hong Kong at about 20,000 people in 1800; the UN estimates 7,396,075 in 2025 (370× 1800) and projects 2,080,294 for 2100 in its medium scenario. The population is projected to peak around 2020 at 7,490,240 and decline afterwards.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 20,000 | modelled estimate |
| 1850 | 38,893 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 310,869 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 1,978,347 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 6,704,665 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 7,396,075 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 6,090,616 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 3,881,300 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 2,080,294 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Hong Kong
10 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 7,498,900. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hong Kong | 4,749,543 | UN urban centre | 63.34% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 2 | Tuen Mun | 1,053,083 | UN urban centre | 14.04% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 3 | Sha Tin | 674,476 | UN urban centre | 8.99% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
| 4 | Sham Shui Po | 431,090 | GeoNames settlement | 5.75% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 5 | Wong Tai Sin | 425,235 | GeoNames settlement | 5.67% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 6 | Kowloon City | 418,732 | GeoNames settlement | 5.58% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 7 | Tseung Kwan O | 412,900 | GeoNames settlement | 5.51% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 8 | Kwai Chung | 331,600 | GeoNames settlement | 4.42% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 9 | Tsuen Wan | 318,916 | GeoNames settlement | 4.25% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
| 10 | Fanling | 304,190 | UN urban centre | 4.06% | UN DESA, World Urbanization Prospects 2025; 2025 annual estimate |
How Hong Kong compares
Hong Kong has almost the same population as Libya (7,458,555).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Hong Kong | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #102 |  Laos | 7,873,046 | +5% | compare → |
| #103 |  Turkmenistan | 7,618,847 | +2% | compare → |
| #105 |  Libya | 7,458,555 | −1% | compare → |
| #106 |  Kyrgyzstan | 7,343,064 | −2% | compare → |
Compare Hong Kong with any country →
Same region (East Asia & Pacific): China, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand.
Explore around Hong Kong
Nearest countries
Hong Kong has no land border. Closest by distance:
Macau 685,900 · 10.9× smaller · compare
Vietnam 101,598,527 · 13.5× the population · compare
Philippines 116,786,962 · 15.6× the population · compare- Laos 7,873,046 · about the same population · compare
In its region
Hong Kong is the 15th most populous of the 37 economies in East Asia & Pacific, holding 0.3% of the region's 2,367,527,180 people.
Rankings featuring Hong Kong
- Fastest-shrinking countries #16
- Lowest birth rates #3
- Oldest populations (share aged 65+) #9
- Most densely populated countries #4
- Highest life expectancy #3
- Most urbanised countries #1
Cities
Hong Kong, Tuen Mun, Sha Tin, Sham Shui Po, Wong Tai Sin, Kowloon City, Tseung Kwan O, Kwai Chung — all Hong Kong's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Hong Kong when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
What changed during your lifetime?
Turn these figures into a private, five-scene personal world story.
Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.