Share of population living in the capital city in Hong Kong, China

Hong Kong, China: Share of population living in the capital city was 64.2% in 2020. ▲ Rising

Latest (2020)
64.2%
World rank
6th
of 170 countries
All-time high
64.9%
in 1970
All-time low
58.2%
in 1950
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of population living in the capital city in Hong Kong, China, 1950–2020

02040601950198520201950: 58.2 %1955: 62 %1960: 62.5 %1965: 59.3 %1970: 64.9 %1975: 64.8 %1980: 64.6 %1985: 64.5 %1990: 64.4 %1995: 64.3 %2000: 64.2 %2005: 64.1 %2010: 64.5 %2015: 64.3 %2020: 64.2 %

Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

In 2020, share of population living in the capital city in Hong Kong, China stood at 64.2%.

That represents a change of down 0.4% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in the capital city in Hong Kong, China peaked at 64.9% in 1970 and was at its lowest, 58.2%, in 1950.

That places Hong Kong, China 6th out of 170 countries with data for 2020, putting it in the top 10%.

The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 15 years of available data.

Share of population living in the capital city in Hong Kong, China, year by year

Annual values for Share of population living in the capital city in Hong Kong, China, 1950 to 2020.
Year % Change
1950 58.2%
1955 62.0% +6.6%
1960 62.5% +0.7%
1965 59.3% -5.2%
1970 64.9% +9.4%
1975 64.8% -0.1%
1980 64.6% -0.4%
1985 64.5% -0.1%
1990 64.4% -0.1%
1995 64.3% -0.2%
2000 64.2% -0.2%
2005 64.1% -0.2%
2010 64.5% +0.6%
2015 64.3% -0.3%
2020 64.2% -0.1%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 60.1% 58.2% 62.0% 2
1960s 60.9% 59.3% 62.5% 2
1970s 64.9% 64.8% 64.9% 2
1980s 64.5% 64.5% 64.6% 2
1990s 64.4% 64.3% 64.4% 2
2000s 64.1% 64.1% 64.2% 2
2010s 64.4% 64.3% 64.5% 2
2020s 64.2% 64.2% 64.2% 1

Countries ranked near Hong Kong, China

  1. 3 Kuwait 84.0% compare
  2. 4 Qatar 70.7% compare
  3. 5 Malta 68.7% compare
  4. 7 Djibouti 63.3% compare
  5. 8 Sao Tome and Principe 62.1% compare
  6. 9 Bahamas 62.0% compare

See the full ranking of 170 places →

More population data for Hong Kong, China

All data for Hong Kong, China →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in the capital city in Hong Kong, China?
Share of population living in the capital city in Hong Kong, China was 64.2% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in the capital city recorded in Hong Kong, China?
The highest recorded value was 64.9% in 1970.
What is the lowest share of population living in the capital city recorded in Hong Kong, China?
The lowest recorded value was 58.2% in 1950.
How does Hong Kong, China rank for share of population living in the capital city?
Hong Kong, China ranks 6th out of 170 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in the capital city rising or falling in Hong Kong, China?
Over the last ten years it is down 0.4%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
Where does this Hong Kong, China data come from?
The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in the capital city. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 15 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

Share, cite or embed this page

Cite this page

Share of population living in the capital city in Hong Kong, China. Statizoid, drawing on European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 12 September 2026, from https://population.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-population-living-in-the-capital-city/hong-kong-sar-china/

Embed or link this data

Paste this into a page to link back to these figures. The data itself is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data); please keep the attribution.

<a href="https://population.statizoid.com/stat/share-of-population-living-in-the-capital-city/hong-kong-sar-china/">Share of population living in the capital city in Hong Kong, China</a> — Statizoid

About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in the capital city
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
170 places, 2,330 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Percentage of the total population living in the country's capital city. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.