Hong Kong: The Facts
Population: 6.806 million (estimate at end-1998)
Hong Kong Island Kowloon
1.4 million
20.9%
Age structure
2.1 million
31.4%
Median age: 35.5
Under 15: 17.4%
Over 64: 10.5%
New Territories
3.18 million
47.5%
Sex ratio
Marine
0.01 million
0.2%
Overall: 1 014 males per 1 000 females
(As at July 1, 1998)
Under 15: 1 077
Over 64: 844
Overall density
Crude birth rate
80 square km
6 330 people per square kilometre.
Kwun Tong District has 54 620 people per square kilometre. Housing
3.3 million people live in public housing, which includes 952 900 flats. In 1998,
Hong Kong had 2 million domestic households, 46.1% occupied by the owners, 49.5% by tenants, and 4.4% either rent-free or provided by employers.
Area: 1 097 square km
Hong Kong Island
7.9* per 1 000 popn
Expectation of life at birth Male 76.9*
Total foreign
passport-holders
(end-1998):
Largest groups
Philippines
Indonesia
Crude death rate 4.8 per 1 000 popn
Female 82.3*
Nationalities
USA
35 500
Predominantly of
Canada
33 200
Chinese descent
95%
Thailand
26 400
UK
22 700
India
22 400
485 800
Australia
22 200
Japan
18 600
137 500
Nepal
17 400
44 700
Sub-total
350 400
Kowloon
48 square km
Religion and Custom
New Territories
794 square km
Outlying Islands
175 square km
Buddhists and Taoists make Christians 540 000; Muslims
up the vast majority.
80 000;
Hindus 12000;
Reclamation since 1851
62 square km
Sikhs 1 200; Jews 1 000.
Weather
Average annual rainfall
2 214.3 mm
Wettest period
Hourly
daily
monthly
Driest
109.9 mm (May 8, 1992)
534.1 mm (July 19, 1926)
1 241.1 mm (May 1889)
10% humidity (January 16, 1959)
Transport
Roads
The 1 865 km of roads carry 500 673 licensed vehicles, or about 268 vehicles per kilometre.
Bridges
Longest: Tsing Ma suspension bridge (main span 1 377 metres) and the 463-metre cable-stayed Kap Shui Mun bridge. A 280-metre viaduct links the two.
Air movements
1998-163 223 flights; 27.2 million passengers; 1.63* million tonnes of freight
Shipping movements
1998-40 734 ocean vessel arrivals; 41 046 departures;
total cargo 127.48 million tonnes
Container throughput
14.7* million TEUS.
Highest temperature
36.1°C (August 19, 1900 and August 18, 1990)
Lowest temperature
0.0°C (January 18, 1893)
Highest wind speed
259 km/h at HK Observatory, 284 km/h at Tate's Cairn (Typhoon Wanda, September 1, 1962)
Employment
Total number employed: 3.20 million in 1998
Major Employment sectors (Third quarter of 1998)
Wholesale, retail and import/export, trades, restaurants and hotels
Finance, insurance, real estate and business services
Community, social and personal services
Transport storage and communications
Unemployment rate Average wages
(All selected industries)
1 002 400
31% of workforce
432 500
14% of workforce
748 700
23% of workforce
396 200
12% of workforce
4.7%
$11,384 per month
**
provisional figure