Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Hong Kong instead of United States, you would:
Health
live 6.5 years longer
In United States, the average life expectancy is 79 years (76 years for men, 81 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 33.3% less likely to be unemployed
In United States, 4.2% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Hong Kong, that number is 2.8% as of 2025.
make 36.7% less money
United States has a GDP per capita of $90,027 as of 2025, while in Hong Kong, the GDP per capita is $56,983 as of 2025.
Life
be 53.6% less likely to die during infancy
In United States, approximately 5.5 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 53.8% fewer children
In United States, there are approximately 10.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Hong Kong, there are 4.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
Expenditures
spend 29.7% less on education
United States spends 5.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Hong Kong spends 3.8% of total GDP on education as of 2024.
Geography
see 96.3% less coastline
United States has a total of 19,924 km of coastline. In Hong Kong, that number is 733 km.
Safety
be 93.4% less likely to be murdered
United States has a homicide rate of 5.8 per 100,000 people as of 2023. In Hong Kong, that number is 0.4 per 100,000 as of 2023.
Infrastructure
use 50.5% less electricity
United States uses 12,839 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2024. Hong Kong uses 6,359 kWh as of 2023.
Environment
emit 66.2% less CO2
United States emits 13.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Hong Kong emits 4.6 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2021–2025), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: United States vs. Hong Kong
Hong Kong: At a glance
How big is Hong Kong compared to United States? See an in-depth size comparison.