5
Some Basic Statistics
(in Hong Kong dollars,* except where stated otherwise)
Area: 400 square miles (13.5% arable; 8.0% urban; 78.5% uncultivable)
Population: 4,159,000 (June 1973); annual average rate of increase: 2.3%;
98% of the population are Chinese
Gross Domestic Product 1972: $23,657 (preliminary estimate)
1973: $28,335 (forecast)
Inflation: in October 1973 the consumer price index stood at 185 (100=
1964), up from 144 in October 1972; the cost of living rose by 27.6% between February 1973 and February 1974 (unofficial estimate)
Foreign exchange reserves: (official): US$900 million (1973)
Bank deposits (January 1974): $26,959 million
Bank loans and advances (end 1973): $23,236 million (up 100% over 2 years)
Currency in circulation (January 1974): $4,146 million
Average monthly turnover on stock market (1973): $4,018,1 million
Average monthly imports (1973): $2,417 million
Main sources of imports (1973): China (21.4%), Japan (20.2%), USA (12.3%)
**Average monthly domestic exports (1973): USA (35%), Britain (14.5%)
W. Germany (9.8%), Japan (5.5%)
Workers employed in industry (September 1973): 619,237 (official) Trade Unions: the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, with 66 unions affiliated to it, has 126,408 members (1973); this Federation sup- ports the People's Republic of China. A much smaller pro-Taiwan group, which is affiliated to the ICFTU, claims total membership of 36,005 (1973)
*
Rate of exchange (end June 1974): HK$12.10 = £1 (British)
HK$5.05 = US$1.00
**Domestic exports accounted for about 75% of total exports (the rest being re-
exports).