Hong Kong: The Facts
Population: 6.975 million (as at end-1999)
Hong Kong Island
1.41 million
20.6%
Age structure
Kowloon
2.12 million
31.0%
Median age: 36.2
Under 15: 16.9%
Over 64: 10.7%
New Territories
3.29 million
48.2%
Sex ratio
0.01 million
0.2%
Overall: 1 012 males per 1 000 females
Under 15: 1 073
Over 64: 855
Marine
(As at July 1, 1999)
Overall density
6 480 people per square kilometre.
Kwun Tong District has 55 020 people
per square kilometre.
Housing
3.3 million people live in public housing, which includes 994 000 flats. In 1999, Hong Kong had 2.07 million domestic households, 47.5% occupied by the owners, 48.0% by tenants, and 4.4% either rent-free or provided by employers.
Crude birth rate
7.5# per 1 000 popn
Expectation of life at birth Male 77.2#
Nationalities
Predominantly of
Chinese descent
Total foreign
passport-holders
(end-1999):
Crude death rate 4.8# per 1 000 popn
Female 82.6#
USA
35 100
Canada
33 400
95%
Thailand
27 300
UK
22 300
India
22 000
495 200
Australia
21 800
Japan
17 600
136 100
Nepal
17 700
53 400
Sub-total
386 700
80 square km
Kowloon
47 square km
Religion and Custom
New Territories
796 square km
Outlying Islands
175 square km
Reclamation since 1887
62 square km
Buddhists and Taoists make up the vast majority. Christians 527 000; Muslims 80 000; Hindus 12 000; Sikhs 1 200; Jews 1 000.
Area: 1 098 square km
Hong Kong Island
Largest groups
Philippines
Indonesia
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 1885 km of roads carry 503 974 licensed vehicles, or about 267 vehicles per kilometre,
Bridges
Longest: Tsing Ma suspension bridge (main span 1 377 metres) and the cable-stayed Ting Kau Bridge (two main spans totalling 923 metres)
Air movements
1999—167 369# flights; 29.06# million passengers; 1.97# million tonnes of freight
Shipping movements
1999-37 580 ocean vessel arrivals; 37 680 departures; port cargo throughput 168.84 million tonnes
Container throughput
16.2 million TEUS.
# provisional figure
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: 3.26 million in 1999
Major Employment sectors (Third quarter of 1999)
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)
1 043 000
32% of workforce
468 800
14% of workforce
765 400
24% of workforce
373 600
12% of workforce
6.2%
$11,407 per month