Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Hong Kong instead of North Korea, you would:
Health
live 11.7 years longer
In North Korea, the average life expectancy is 74 years (72 years for men, 76 years for women) as of 2024. In Hong Kong, that number is 85 years (83 years for men, 88 years for women) as of 2024.
Economy
be 20.9% less likely to be unemployed
In North Korea, 3.5% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Hong Kong, that number is 2.8% as of 2025.
Life
be 80.8% less likely to die during infancy
In North Korea, approximately 13.3 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2024. In Hong Kong, on the other hand, 2.5 children do as of 2022.
have 61.9% fewer children
In North Korea, there are approximately 12.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Hong Kong, there are 4.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Basic Needs
be 73.9% more likely to have access to electricity
In North Korea, approximately 58% of people have electricity access (36% in urban areas, and 11% in rural areas) as of 2023. In Hong Kong, that number is 100% of people on average (100% in urban areas, and 100% in rural areas) as of 2023.
Geography
see 70.6% less coastline
North Korea has a total of 2,495 km of coastline. In Hong Kong, that number is 733 km.
Infrastructure
use 8.1 times more electricity
North Korea uses 789 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Hong Kong uses 6,359 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 84.0% more CO2
North Korea emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Hong Kong emits 4.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2023–2025), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: North Korea vs. Hong Kong
Hong Kong: At a glance
How big is Hong Kong compared to North Korea? See an in-depth size comparison.