Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in United States instead of Hong Kong, you would:

Health

live 6.5 years less

In Hong Kong, the average life expectancy is 85 years (83 years for men, 88 years for women) as of 2024. In United States, that number is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Economy

make 58.0% more money

Hong Kong has a GDP per capita of $56,983 as of 2025, while in United States, the GDP per capita is $90,027 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

be 50.0% more likely to be unemployed

In Hong Kong, 2.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In United States, that number is 4.2% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Life

have 2.2 times more children

In Hong Kong, there are approximately 4.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In United States, there are 10.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

be 2.2 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 United States, on the other hand, 5.5 children do as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Expenditures

spend 42.3% more on education

Hong Kong spends 3.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. United States spends 5.4% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

View global rankings →

Geography

see 27.2 times more coastline

Hong Kong has a total of 733 km of coastline. In United States, that number is 19,924 km.

View global rankings →

Safety

be 15.2 times more likely to be murdered

Hong Kong has a homicide rate of 0.4 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In United States, that number is 5.8 per 100,000 as of 2023.

View global rankings →

Infrastructure

use 2.0 times more electricity

Hong Kong uses 6,359 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. United States uses 12,839 kWh as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Environment

emit 3.0 times more CO2

Hong Kong emits 4.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. United States emits 13.6 tonnes as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this

Compare further: Hong Kong vs. United States

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
United States is 9.4% cheaper than Hong Kong overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Hong Kong is about 8,875 times smaller than United States.
→
Moving from Hong Kong to United States · UN DESA 2020
230,584 people born in Hong Kong live in United States.
→

United States: At a glance

United States (sometimes abbreviated US or USA) is a sovereign country in North America, with a total land area of approximately 9,147,593 sq km. Britain's American colonies broke with the mother country in 1776 and were recognized as the new nation of the United States of America following the Treaty of Paris in 1783. During the 19th and 20th centuries, 37 new states were added to the original 13 as the nation expanded across the North American continent and acquired a number of overseas possessions. The two most traumatic experiences in the nation's history were the Civil War (1861-65), in which a northern Union of states defeated a secessionist Confederacy of 11 southern slave states, and the Great Depression of the 1930s, an economic downturn during which about a quarter of the labor force lost its jobs. Buoyed by victories in World Wars I and II and the end of the Cold War in 1991, the US remains the world's most powerful nation state. Since the end of World War II, the economy has achieved relatively steady growth, low unemployment and inflation, and rapid advances in technology.
Read more

How big is United States compared to Hong Kong? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about United States or Hong Kong. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.