Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Hong Kong fits inside China 8,615 times.
China: 9,562,910 km² (2023) · Hong Kong: 1,110 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
China’s coastline is 20 times as long as Hong Kong’s.
China: 14,500 km (2026 edition) · Hong Kong: 733 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
China’s highest peak towers 7,891 m above Hong Kong’s.
China: 8,849 m (2026 edition) · Hong Kong: 958 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
China has 188 times as many people as Hong Kong.
China: 1.41 billion (2025) · Hong Kong: 7.5 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
Hong Kong is 48 times as densely populated as China.
China: 150 per km² (2025) · Hong Kong: 7,142 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
China and Hong Kong are practically level.
China: 175.7 cm (2019) · Hong Kong: 174.8 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in China are 2.8 cm taller than in Hong Kong.
China: 163.5 cm (2019) · Hong Kong: 160.6 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Hong Kong is 7.1 years older than in China.
China: 39.1 years (2023) · Hong Kong: 46.2 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in China have 0.2 more children on average than in Hong Kong.
China: 1.01 children per woman (2024) · Hong Kong: 0.84 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
24% of people in Hong Kong are 65 or older, versus 15% in China.
China: 14.9% (2025) · Hong Kong: 23.7% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
China has produced 0.1 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, Hong Kong 0.0.
China: 0.1 (2025) · Hong Kong: 0 (2025)
How many official languages?
Hong Kong has 2 official languages, China 1.
China: 1 (2026) · Hong Kong: 2 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
China’s economy is 46 times the size of Hong Kong’s.
China: $19.5 trillion (2025) · Hong Kong: $427 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Hong Kong produces 2.7 times as much per person as China.
China: Int$29,333 (2025) · Hong Kong: Int$80,423 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
China: 36 (2022) · Hong Kong: no data
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 4.6% in China, versus 2.8% in Hong Kong.
China: 4.6% (2025) · Hong Kong: 2.8% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
China: 1.7% (2024) · Hong Kong: no data
How expensive is it?
Hong Kong’s price level (US = 100) is 1.5× China’s.
China: 47% (2025) · Hong Kong: 71% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
China: $763 (2023) · Hong Kong: no data
How long do people live?
People in Hong Kong live 7.4 years longer than in China.
China: 78 years (2024) · Hong Kong: 85.4 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
China: 4.1 per 1,000 (2024) · Hong Kong: no data
How many doctors are there?
China: 3.1 per 1,000 (2022) · Hong Kong: no data
How common is obesity?
China: 9.1% (2024) · Hong Kong: no data
How many adults smoke?
China: 22.8% (2024) · Hong Kong: no data
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in China rate their lives 0.50 points higher than in Hong Kong.
China: 6.07 (2025) · Hong Kong: 5.57 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in China drink 28% more alcohol than in Hong Kong.
China: 3.7 litres (2023) · Hong Kong: 2.9 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Hong Kong has 46% more meat per person than China.
China: 73.5 kg (2023) · Hong Kong: 107.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
China has 699 kcal more food per person per day than Hong Kong.
China: 3,527 kcal (2023) · Hong Kong: 2,828 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in China put in 87 more hours a year than in Hong Kong.
China: 2,328 hours (2023) · Hong Kong: 2,240 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Hong Kong went to school 4.3 years longer than in China.
China: 8 years (2023) · Hong Kong: 12.4 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Hong Kong welcomed 62 times as many tourists per resident as China (2019).
China: 0.05 (2019) · Hong Kong: 2.92 (2024)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
96% of people in Hong Kong are online, versus 92% in China.
China: 92% (2025) · Hong Kong: 96% (2024)
Who has electricity at home?
China and Hong Kong are practically level.
China: 100% (2024) · Hong Kong: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
100% of people in Hong Kong live in cities, versus 66% in China.
China: 66% (2025) · Hong Kong: 100% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Hong Kong has 365 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, China 132.
China: 132 (2024) · Hong Kong: 365 (2024)
How much railway is there?
China’s railway network is 477 times as long as Hong Kong’s.
China: 109,767 km (2021) · Hong Kong: 230 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Hong Kong fly 7.8 times as many passengers per resident as those from China.
China: 0.44 (2023) · Hong Kong: 3.43 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
China: 24% (2023) · Hong Kong: no data
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in China emits 93% more CO₂ than someone in Hong Kong.
China: 8.7 t (2024) · Hong Kong: 4.5 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
37% of China’s electricity is renewable, versus 1.0% in Hong Kong.
China: 37% (2025) · Hong Kong: 1% (2024)
How clean is the air?
The air in China carries 2 times as much fine dust as in Hong Kong.
China: 31.3 µg/m³ (2024) · Hong Kong: 15.8 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
You are 33% more likely to be murdered in China than in Hong Kong.
China: 0.5 per 100k (2020) · Hong Kong: 0.4 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
China: 17.4 per 100k (2021) · Hong Kong: no data
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
Hong Kong is on average 15.8 °C warmer than China.
China: 7.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Hong Kong: 23.6°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
Hong Kong gets 2.3 times as much rain as China.
China: 813 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Hong Kong: 1,890 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is China bigger than Hong Kong?
China is larger. Hong Kong fits inside China 8,615 times.
Which has more people, China or Hong Kong?
China has 188 times as many people as Hong Kong (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, China or Hong Kong?
People in Hong Kong live 7.4 years longer than in China. Life expectancy at birth is 78.0 years in China and 85.4 in Hong Kong.
Are people taller in China or Hong Kong?
China and Hong Kong are practically level (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
