Population density (people per sq. km of land area) in Hong Kong
Hong Kong: Population density (people per sq. km of land area) was 7,166 people per sq. km of land area in 2024. ▲ Rising
Latest (2024)
7,166 people per sq. km of land area
Change on year
down 0.2%
World rank
4th
of 216 countries
All-time high
7,177 people per sq. km of land area
in 2023
All-time low
3,106 people per sq. km of land area
in 1961
Years of data
64
1961–2024
Population density in Hong Kong, 1961–2024
Source: FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Measured in people per sq. km of land area.
Analysis
The most recent figure for population density in Hong Kong is 7,166 people per sq. km of land area, measured in 2024.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 0.2% on the previous year and up 4.1% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population density in Hong Kong peaked at 7,177 people per sq. km of land area in 2023 and was at its lowest, 3,106 people per sq. km of land area, in 1961.
That places Hong Kong 4th out of 216 countries with data for 2024, putting it in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 64 years of available data.
Population density (people per sq. km of land area) in Hong Kong, year by year
| Year | people per sq. km of land area | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 3,106 people per sq. km of land area | — |
| 1962 | 3,240 people per sq. km of land area | +4.3% |
| 1963 | 3,354 people per sq. km of land area | +3.5% |
| 1964 | 3,436 people per sq. km of land area | +2.4% |
| 1965 | 3,527 people per sq. km of land area | +2.7% |
| 1966 | 3,559 people per sq. km of land area | +0.9% |
| 1967 | 3,650 people per sq. km of land area | +2.6% |
| 1968 | 3,728 people per sq. km of land area | +2.1% |
| 1969 | 3,788 people per sq. km of land area | +1.6% |
| 1970 | 3,881 people per sq. km of land area | +2.5% |
| 1971 | 3,966 people per sq. km of land area | +2.2% |
| 1972 | 4,043 people per sq. km of land area | +1.9% |
| 1973 | 4,158 people per sq. km of land area | +2.9% |
| 1974 | 4,292 people per sq. km of land area | +3.2% |
| 1975 | 4,417 people per sq. km of land area | +2.9% |
| 1976 | 4,473 people per sq. km of land area | +1.3% |
| 1977 | 4,584 people per sq. km of land area | +2.5% |
| 1978 | 4,668 people per sq. km of land area | +1.8% |
| 1979 | 4,930 people per sq. km of land area | +5.6% |
| 1980 | 5,063 people per sq. km of land area | +2.7% |
| 1981 | 5,183 people per sq. km of land area | +2.4% |
| 1982 | 5,318 people per sq. km of land area | +2.6% |
| 1983 | 5,399 people per sq. km of land area | +1.5% |
| 1984 | 5,452 people per sq. km of land area | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 5,511 people per sq. km of land area | +1.1% |
| 1986 | 5,580 people per sq. km of land area | +1.3% |
| 1987 | 5,637 people per sq. km of land area | +1.0% |
| 1988 | 5,684 people per sq. km of land area | +0.8% |
| 1989 | 5,744 people per sq. km of land area | +1.0% |
| 1990 | 5,762 people per sq. km of land area | +0.3% |
| 1991 | 5,810 people per sq. km of land area | +0.8% |
| 1992 | 5,859 people per sq. km of land area | +0.8% |
| 1993 | 5,961 people per sq. km of land area | +1.7% |
| 1994 | 6,096 people per sq. km of land area | +2.3% |
| 1995 | 5,863 people per sq. km of land area | -3.8% |
| 1996 | 6,129 people per sq. km of land area | +4.5% |
| 1997 | 6,180 people per sq. km of land area | +0.8% |
| 1998 | 6,232 people per sq. km of land area | +0.8% |
| 1999 | 6,292 people per sq. km of land area | +1.0% |
| 2000 | 6,348 people per sq. km of land area | +0.9% |
| 2001 | 6,395 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 2002 | 6,423 people per sq. km of land area | +0.4% |
| 2003 | 6,410 people per sq. km of land area | -0.2% |
| 2004 | 6,460 people per sq. km of land area | +0.8% |
| 2005 | 6,489 people per sq. km of land area | +0.4% |
| 2006 | 6,531 people per sq. km of land area | +0.6% |
| 2007 | 6,587 people per sq. km of land area | +0.9% |
| 2008 | 6,626 people per sq. km of land area | +0.6% |
| 2009 | 6,641 people per sq. km of land area | +0.2% |
| 2010 | 6,690 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 2011 | 6,735 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 2012 | 6,810 people per sq. km of land area | +1.1% |
| 2013 | 6,837 people per sq. km of land area | +0.4% |
| 2014 | 6,885 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 2015 | 6,944 people per sq. km of land area | +0.9% |
| 2016 | 6,987 people per sq. km of land area | +0.6% |
| 2017 | 7,041 people per sq. km of land area | +0.8% |
| 2018 | 7,098 people per sq. km of land area | +0.8% |
| 2019 | 7,150 people per sq. km of land area | +0.7% |
| 2020 | 7,125 people per sq. km of land area | -0.4% |
| 2021 | 7,060 people per sq. km of land area | -0.9% |
| 2022 | 6,996 people per sq. km of land area | -0.9% |
| 2023 | 7,177 people per sq. km of land area | +2.6% |
| 2024 | 7,166 people per sq. km of land area | -0.2% |
Hong Kong compared with similar countries
- Hong Kong's 7,166 people per sq. km of land area is above the median for high income countries, which is 147 people per sq. km of land area, 48.7× the median. (85 countries reporting)
- Hong Kong's 7,166 people per sq. km of land area is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 140.28 people per sq. km of land area, 51.1× the median. (37 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3,488 people per sq. km of land area | 3,106 people per sq. km of land area | 3,788 people per sq. km of land area | 9 |
| 1970s | 4,341 people per sq. km of land area | 3,881 people per sq. km of land area | 4,930 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 1980s | 5,457 people per sq. km of land area | 5,063 people per sq. km of land area | 5,744 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 1990s | 6,018 people per sq. km of land area | 5,762 people per sq. km of land area | 6,292 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 2000s | 6,491 people per sq. km of land area | 6,348 people per sq. km of land area | 6,641 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 2010s | 6,918 people per sq. km of land area | 6,690 people per sq. km of land area | 7,150 people per sq. km of land area | 10 |
| 2020s | 7,105 people per sq. km of land area | 6,996 people per sq. km of land area | 7,177 people per sq. km of land area | 5 |
Countries ranked near Hong Kong
- 1 Macao 20,631 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 2 Monaco 18,537 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 3 Singapore 8,329 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 5 Gibraltar 3,933 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 6 Bahrain 1,986 people per sq. km of land area compare
- 7 Malta 1,805 people per sq. km of land area compare
More urban development data for Hong Kong
- Population in the largest city 100.0% (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per capita 1.04 units per person (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million 7.77 million (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, annual 0.552 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per unit 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Population in urban agglomerations of more than 1 million, per square 7,319 units per square kilometre (2023)
- Population in largest city 7.77 million (2025)
- Crude steelmaking capacity 0 Tonnes (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population density in Hong Kong?
- Population density in Hong Kong was 7,166 people per sq. km of land area in 2024, according to FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).
- What is the highest population density recorded in Hong Kong?
- The highest recorded value was 7,177 people per sq. km of land area in 2023.
- What is the lowest population density recorded in Hong Kong?
- The lowest recorded value was 3,106 people per sq. km of land area in 1961.
- How does Hong Kong rank for population density?
- Hong Kong ranks 4th out of 216 countries with data for 2024.
- Is population density rising or falling in Hong Kong?
- Over the last ten years it is up 4.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Hong Kong data come from?
- The figures come from FAO population estimates, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), published as part of Population density (people per sq. km of land area). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 64 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Population density is midyear population divided by land area in square kilometers. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship--except for refugees not permanently settled in the country of asylum, who are generally considered part of the population of their country of origin. Land area is a country's total area, excluding area under inland water bodies, national claims to continental shelf, and exclusive economic zones. In most cases the definition of inland water bodies includes major rivers and lakes.