Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Thailand instead of Hong Kong, you would:

Health

live 8.8 years less

In Hong Kong, the average life expectancy is 85 years (83 years for men, 88 years for women) as of 2024. In Thailand, that number is 77 years (72 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2024.

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Economy

be 72.1% less likely to be unemployed

In Hong Kong, 2.8% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Thailand, that number is 0.8% as of 2025.

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make 85.9% less money

Hong Kong has a GDP per capita of $56,983 as of 2025, while in Thailand, the GDP per capita is $8,057 as of 2025.

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Life

have 65.7% more children

In Hong Kong, there are approximately 4.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Thailand, there are 8.1 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

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be 3.0 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 Thailand, on the other hand, 7.7 children do as of 2024.

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Expenditures

spend 33.9% less on education

Hong Kong spends 3.8% of its total GDP on education as of 2024. Thailand spends 2.5% of total GDP on education as of 2023.

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Geography

see 4.4 times more coastline

Hong Kong has a total of 733 km of coastline. In Thailand, that number is 3,219 km.

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Infrastructure

find 63.0% less home broadband

Hong Kong has 40.3 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Thailand has 14.9 as of 2024.

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use 53.4% less electricity

Hong Kong uses 6,359 kWh of electricity per person each year as of 2023. Thailand uses 2,965 kWh as of 2023.

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Environment

emit 13.9% less CO2

Hong Kong emits 4.6 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Thailand emits 4.0 tonnes as of 2024.

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Sources: World Bank (2023–2025), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this

Compare further: Hong Kong vs. Thailand

Cost of Living Comparison · 7 categories - 2026 data
Thailand is 63.2% cheaper than Hong Kong overall
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Hong Kong is about 463 times smaller than Thailand.
→
Moving from Hong Kong to Thailand · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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Thailand: At a glance

Thailand is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 510,890 sq km. A unified Thai kingdom was established in the mid-14th century. Known as Siam until 1939, Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country never to have been taken over by a European power. A bloodless revolution in 1932 led to a constitutional monarchy. In alliance with Japan during World War II, Thailand became a US treaty ally in 1954 after sending troops to Korea and later fighting alongside the United States in Vietnam. Thailand since 2005 has experienced several rounds of political turmoil including a military coup in 2006 that ousted then Prime Minister THAKSIN Chinnawat, followed by large-scale street protests by competing political factions in 2008, 2009, and 2010. THAKSIN's youngest sister, YINGLAK Chinnawat, in 2011 led the Puea Thai Party to an electoral win and assumed control of the government. A blanket amnesty bill for individuals involved in street protests, altered at the last minute to include all political crimes - including all convictions against THAKSIN - triggered months of large-scale anti-government protests in Bangkok beginning in November 2013. In early May 2014 YINGLAK was removed from office and in late May 2014 the Royal Thai Army staged a coup against the caretaker government. Thailand has also experienced violence associated with the ethno-nationalist insurgency in Thailand's southern Malay-Muslim majority provinces. Since January 2004, thousands have been killed and wounded in the insurgency.
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How big is Thailand compared to Hong Kong? See an in-depth size comparison.

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