ENG-2014 — Page 180

2014 Figures at a Glance

Infant Mortality Rate

Maternal Mortality Ratio

Life Expectancy

2014

Chapter 8

Health

Hong Kong's public and private medical sectors provide extensive healthcare services, including a low-cost public healthcare 'safety net' that ensures no one in Hong Kong is denied medical care due to lack of means.

81.2*(Male)

1.7* per 1,000 registered live births.

4.9* per 100,000 registered live births

86.7* (Female)

2041 (projected) 84.4 (Male) (*provisional figures)

90.8 (Female)

Hong Kong has a high quality healthcare system supported by a highly professional team of healthcare workers. The infant mortality rate has fallen steadily over the past 20 years, from 4.9 per 1,000 live births in 1992 to 1.5 per 1,000 live births in 2012, one of the lowest in the world. In 2014, Hong Kong's male and female life expectancy, at 81.2 years and 86.7 years respectively, were among the highest in the world.

Hong Kong's Domestic Health Accounts (DHA)' show that Hong Kong's total health expenditure increased from 3.6 per cent to 5.2 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) over the period 1989-90 to 2011-12. Over the same period, public health spending ($49.3 billion in 2011-12, or 2.5 per cent of GDP) rose from 39 per cent to 48 per cent of total health expenditure. The government's recurrent funding for health has witnessed substantial growth over the past five years. By 2014, the government recurrent expenditure on health had increased by about $17.1 billion to $52.4 billion, representing an increase of over 48 per cent from $35.3 billion in 2009. Recurrent expenditure on health accounted for 17 per cent of the government's recurrent expenditure in 2014.

1

A series of accounts compiled over the years in accordance with the International Classification for Health Accounts Framework developed by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development to keep track of Hong Kong's health spending and to allow for international comparison.

136

Page 180Page 181