Quality of life comparison

compared to

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

Health

live 1.2 years less

In Japan, the average life expectancy is 85 years (82 years for men, 88 years for women) as of 2022. In Hong Kong, that number is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 39.1% more money

Japan has a GDP per capita of $46,300 as of 2023, while in Hong Kong, the GDP per capita is $64,400 as of 2023.

pay a 73.2% lower top tax rate

Japan has a top tax rate of 56.0% as of 2016. In Hong Kong, the top tax rate is 15.0% as of 2016.

be 52.3% more likely to be unemployed

In Japan, 2.6% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Hong Kong, that number is 3.9% as of 2023.

be 23.6% more likely to live below the poverty line

In Japan, 16.1% live below the poverty line as of 2013. In Hong Kong, however, that number is 19.9% as of 2016.

Life

have 10.1% more children

In Japan, there are approximately 6.9 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Hong Kong, there are 7.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 34.2% more likely to die during infancy

In Japan, approximately 1.9 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Hong Kong, on the other hand, 2.5 children do as of 2022.

Basic Needs

be 12.0% more likely to have internet access

In Japan, approximately 83.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Hong Kong, about 93.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 17.6% more on education

Japan spends 3.4% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Hong Kong spends 4.0% of total GDP on education as of 2021.

Geography

see 97.5% less coastline

Japan has a total of 29,751 km of coastline. In Hong Kong, that number is 733 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Inland Revenue Department, Hong Kong, National Tax Agency Japan.

Hong Kong: At a glance

Hong Kong (sometimes abbreviated HK) is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 1,073 sq km. Occupied by the UK in 1841, Hong Kong was formally ceded by China the following year; various adjacent lands were added later in the 19th century. Pursuant to an agreement signed by China and the UK on 19 December 1984, Hong Kong became the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China on 1 July 1997. In this agreement, China promised that, under its "one country, two systems" formula, China's socialist economic system would not be imposed on Hong Kong and that Hong Kong would enjoy a "high degree of autonomy" in all matters except foreign and defense affairs for the subsequent 50 years.
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How big is Hong Kong compared to Japan? See an in-depth size comparison.

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