Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 1.7 years longer

In United Kingdom, the average life expectancy is 82 years (80 years for men, 84 years for women) as of 2022. In Hong Kong, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 22.9% more money

United Kingdom has a GDP per capita of $47,600 as of 2022, while in Hong Kong, the GDP per capita is $58,500 as of 2022.

pay a 66.7% lower top tax rate

United Kingdom has a top tax rate of 45.0% as of 2016. In Hong Kong, the top tax rate is 15.0% as of 2016.

be 15.8% more likely to be unemployed

In United Kingdom, 3.7% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Hong Kong, that number is 4.3% as of 2022.

Life

be 33.2% less likely to die during infancy

In United Kingdom, approximately 3.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Hong Kong, on the other hand, 2.5 children do as of 2022.

have 29.6% fewer children

In United Kingdom, there are approximately 10.8 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Hong Kong, there are 7.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Expenditures

spend 27.3% less on education

United Kingdom spends 5.5% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Hong Kong spends 4.0% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

Geography

see 94.1% less coastline

United Kingdom has a total of 12,429 km of coastline. In Hong Kong, that number is 733 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Inland Revenue Department, Hong Kong, HM Revenue & Customs.

Hong Kong: At a glance

Hong Kong (sometimes abbreviated HK) is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 1,073 sq km. Occupied by the UK in 1841, Hong Kong was formally ceded by China the following year; various adjacent lands were added later in the 19th century. Pursuant to an agreement signed by China and the UK on 19 December 1984, Hong Kong became the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China on 1 July 1997. In this agreement, China promised that, under its "one country, two systems" formula, China's socialist economic system would not be imposed on Hong Kong and that Hong Kong would enjoy a "high degree of autonomy" in all matters except foreign and defense affairs for the subsequent 50 years.
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How big is Hong Kong compared to United Kingdom? See an in-depth size comparison.

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