World Factbook
Hong Kong
Heung Kong Takpit Hangching Ku (Eitel/Dyer-Ball)
Last updated: 2026-03-28 (today)
Flag
description: red with a stylized white Bauhinia flower with five petals in the center of the flag; each petal has a tiny five-pointed red star with a fine red line curving toward the center of the flower meaning: the red color is the same as the Chinese flag and represents the motherland, and the five stars also echo the Chinese flag; the Bauhinia flower was developed in Hong Kong the late 19th century and has come to symbolize the region
Suffrage
18 years of age in direct elections for 20 of the 90 Legislative Council seats and all of the seats in 18 district councils; universal for permanent residents living in the territory of Hong Kong for the past 7 years
note: in indirect elections, suffrage is limited to about 220,000 members of functional constituencies for the other 70 legislature seats and a 1,500-member election committee for the chief executive drawn from broad sectoral groupings, central government bodies, municipal organizations, and elected Hong Kong officials
Citizenship
see China
Constitution
note
note: since 1990, China's National People's Congress has interpreted specific articles of the Basic Law
history
several previous (governance documents while under British authority); latest drafted April 1988 to February 1989, approved March 1990, effective 1 July 1997 (Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China serves as the constitution)
amendment process
proposed by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), the People’s Republic of China State Council, or the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong; submittal of proposals to the NPC requires two-thirds majority vote by the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, approval by two thirds of Hong Kong’s deputies to the NPC, and approval by the Hong Kong chief executive; final passage requires approval by the NPC
Country name
etymology
probably an imprecise phonetic rendering of the Cantonese name meaning "fragrant harbor"
abbreviation
HK
local long form
Heung Kong Takpit Hangching Ku (Eitel/Dyer-Ball)
local short form
Heung Kong (Eitel/Dyer-Ball)
conventional long form
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
conventional short form
Hong Kong
Independence
none (special administrative region of China)
Legal system
mixed system of common law based on the English model and Chinese customary law (in matters of family and land tenure); China's imposition of National Security Law incorporates elements of Chinese civil law
Government type
presidential limited democracy; a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China
Judicial branch
highest court(s)
Court of Final Appeal (consists of the chief justice, 3 permanent judges, and 20 non-permanent judges)
subordinate courts
High Court (consists of the Court of Appeal and Court of First Instance); District Courts (includes Family and Land Courts); magistrates' courts; specialized tribunals
judge selection and term of office
all judges appointed by the Hong Kong Chief Executive on the recommendation of the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission, an independent body consisting of the Secretary for Justice, other judges, and judicial and legal professionals; permanent judges serve until normal retirement at age 65, but term can be extended; non-permanent judges appointed for renewable 3-year terms without age limit
Executive branch
note
note: electoral changes that Beijing imposed in March 2021 expanded the Election Committee to 1,500 members
cabinet
Executive Council or ExCo appointed by the chief executive
chief of state
President of China XI Jinping (since 14 March 2013)
election results
2022: John LEE was the only candidate and won with over 99% of the vote by the Election Committee 2017 : Carrie LAM elected; Election Committee vote - Carrie LAM (non-partisan) 777, John TSANG (non-partisan) 365, WOO Kwok-hing (non-partisan) 21, 23 ballots rejected (1,186 votes cast)
head of government
Chief Executive John LEE Ka-chiu (since 1 July 2022)
most recent election date
president: 10 March 2023 chief executive: 8 May 2022
election/appointment process
president indirectly elected by National People's Congress for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); chief executive indirectly elected by the Election Committee and appointed by the PRC Government for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term)
expected date of next election
president: March 2028 chief executive: 2027
National holiday
National Day (Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China), 1 October (1949)
note: 1 July (1997) is celebrated as Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day
Dependency status
special administrative region of the People's Republic of China
National color(s)
red, white
Political parties
Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong or BPA Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong or DAB Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions or HKFLU Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers or HKFEW Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions or HKFTU Kowloon West New Dynamic or KWND Liberal Party or LP New People's Party or NPP New Prospect for Hong Kong or NPHK New Territories Association of Societies or NTAS Professional Power or PP Roundtable or RT
note 1: there is no political party ordinance, so there are no registered political parties; politically active groups register as societies or companies
note 2: by the end of 2021, the leading pro-democracy figures in Hong Kong had been effectively removed from the political arena under the provisions of Beijing's 2021 electoral changes or via charges under the 2020 national security law; in addition, dozens of pro-democracy organizations, including political parties, unions, churches, civil rights groups, and media organizations have disbanded or closed; as of 2023, nearly all politically active groups were pro-Beijing
Legislative branch
note
note: all political candidates are evaluated by the Candidate Eligibility Review Committee (CERC), which was established in April 2022; CERC members are all appointed by the chief executive
number of seats
90
electoral system
20 members directly elected; 70 members indirectly elected
legislature name
Legislative Council or LegCo
scope of elections
full
legislative structure
unicameral
most recent election date
7 December 2025
expected date of next election
December 2029
parties elected and seats per party
Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB) 20, Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Trade Unions (HKFTU) 8, Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong (BPA) 7, Liberal (LP) 4, New People's Party (NPP) 3, Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers (HKFEW) 2, Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions (HKFLU) 2, Professional Power (PP) 1, Roundtable (RT) 1, New Territories Association of Societies (NTAS) 1, Kowloon West New Dynamic (KWND) 1, Independents 40
National anthem(s)
title
"Yiyongjun Jinxingqu" (The March of the Volunteers)
history
official anthem, as a Special Administrative Region of China
lyrics/music
TIAN Han/NIE Er
National symbol(s)
bauhinia flower
Diplomatic representation in the US
note
note : Hong Kong is a Special Administrative Region of China and does not have a diplomatic presence; the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) carries out normal liaison activities and communication with the US government and other US entities; the position of the Hong Kong Commissioner to the US Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is vacant; address: 1520 18th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036; telephone: [1] (202) 331-8947; FAX: [1] (202) 331-8958; email: hketo@hketowashington.gov.hk; website: https://www.hketowashington.gov.hk/
HKETO offices
New York, San Francisco, Washington DC
chief of mission
none (Special Administrative Region of China)
Diplomatic representation from the US
FAX
[852] 2845-1598
embassy
26 Garden Road, Central, Hong Kong
telephone
[852] 2523-9011
mailing address
8000 Hong Kong Place, Washington DC 20521-8000
chief of mission
Consul General Julie EADEH (since August 2025); note - also accredited to Macau
email address and website
acshk@state.gov https://hk.usconsulate.gov/
International organization participation
ADB, APEC, BIS, FATF, ICC (national committees), IHO, IMF, IMO (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITUC (NGOs), UNWTO (associate), UPU, WCO, WMO, WTO