Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Brunei instead of Hong Kong, you would:
Health
live 9.9 years less
In Hong Kong, the average life expectancy is 85 years (83 years for men, 88 years for women) as of 2024. In Brunei, that number is 76 years (73 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024.
Economy
be 88.6% more likely to be unemployed
In Hong Kong, 2.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Brunei, that number is 5.3% as of 2025.
make 43.4% less money
Hong Kong has a GDP per capita of $56,983 as of 2025, while in Brunei, the GDP per capita is $32,235 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.7 times more children
In Hong Kong, there are approximately 4.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Brunei, there are 13.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 3.4 times more likely to die during infancy
In Hong Kong, approximately 2.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Brunei, on the other hand, 8.6 children do as of 2024.
Geography
see 78.0% less coastline
Hong Kong has a total of 733 km of coastline. In Brunei, that number is 161 km.
Infrastructure
use 67.9% more electricity
Hong Kong uses 6,359 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Brunei uses 10,674 kWh as of 2023.
find 47.4% less home broadband
Hong Kong has 40.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Brunei has 21.2 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 4.4 times more CO2
Hong Kong emits 4.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Brunei emits 20.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2023–2025), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Hong Kong vs. Brunei
Brunei: At a glance
How big is Brunei compared to Hong Kong? See an in-depth size comparison.