Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Thailand instead of Hong Kong, you would:

Health

live 6.0 years less

In Hong Kong, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022. In Thailand, that number is 78 years (75 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

be 76.8% less likely to be unemployed

In Hong Kong, 3.9% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Thailand, that number is 0.9% as of 2023.

be 68.3% less likely to live below the poverty line

In Hong Kong, 19.9% live below the poverty line as of 2016. In Thailand, however, that number is 6.3% as of 2021.

make 67.2% less money

Hong Kong has a GDP per capita of $64,400 as of 2023, while in Thailand, the GDP per capita is $21,100 as of 2023.

pay a 2.3 times higher top tax rate

Hong Kong has a top tax rate of 15.0% as of 2016. In Thailand, the top tax rate is 35.0% as of 2016.

Life

have 30.3% more children

In Hong Kong, there are approximately 7.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Thailand, there are 9.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 2.5 times more likely to die during infancy

In Hong Kong, approximately 2.5 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Thailand, on the other hand, 6.5 children do as of 2022.

Expenditures

spend 20.0% less on education

Hong Kong spends 4.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Thailand spends 3.2% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 4.4 times more coastline

Hong Kong has a total of 733 km of coastline. In Thailand, that number is 3,219 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, The Revenue Department, Government of Thailand, Inland Revenue Department, Hong Kong.

Thailand: At a glance

Thailand is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 510,890 sq km. A unified Thai kingdom was established in the mid-14th century. Known as Siam until 1939, Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country never to have been taken over by a European power. A bloodless revolution in 1932 led to a constitutional monarchy. In alliance with Japan during World War II, Thailand became a US treaty ally in 1954 after sending troops to Korea and later fighting alongside the United States in Vietnam. Thailand since 2005 has experienced several rounds of political turmoil including a military coup in 2006 that ousted then Prime Minister THAKSIN Chinnawat, followed by large-scale street protests by competing political factions in 2008, 2009, and 2010. THAKSIN's youngest sister, YINGLAK Chinnawat, in 2011 led the Puea Thai Party to an electoral win and assumed control of the government. A blanket amnesty bill for individuals involved in street protests, altered at the last minute to include all political crimes - including all convictions against THAKSIN - triggered months of large-scale anti-government protests in Bangkok beginning in November 2013. In early May 2014 YINGLAK was removed from office and in late May 2014 the Royal Thai Army staged a coup against the caretaker government. Thailand has also experienced violence associated with the ethno-nationalist insurgency in Thailand's southern Malay-Muslim majority provinces. Since January 2004, thousands have been killed and wounded in the insurgency.
Read more

How big is Thailand compared to Hong Kong? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Thailand.or Hong Kong It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.