Where Hong Kongers move
1.2M Hong Kongers live abroad — #62 largest source of emigrants worldwide
Considering a move from Hong Kong? — See top destinations, regional flows, and how it's changed since 1990.
Where emigrants go
The top 3 countries receive 72% of all emigrants
↑↓ — change vs 2020
| Country | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| China | 421605 |
| United States | 268915 |
| Canada | 204515 |
| United Kingdom | 142011 |
| Australia | 116517 |
| Macao | 23816 |
| Taiwan | 20726 |
| New Zealand | 13920 |
| Japan | 13895 |
| Costa Rica | 4758 |
| Singapore | 3584 |
| Norway | 2972 |
| Brunei Darussalam | 599 |
| South Africa | 576 |
| Panama | 514 |
| Venezuela | 514 |
| Curaçao | 180 |
| North Korea | 169 |
| Portugal | 168 |
| Cambodia | 130 |
| Belize | 86 |
| Bahamas | 28 |
| Mauritius | 22 |
| Micronesia | 20 |
| El Salvador | 8 |
| Bolivia | 2 |
| Denmark | 0 |
| Estonia | 0 |
| Greece | 0 |
By destination region
Asia is the leading destination region at 39%
484.5K
473.4K
145.2K
130.5K
6.1K
598
Interesting facts
Notable statistics about emigration from Hong Kong.
China is the primary destination for emigrants
China attracts 34% of all emigrants from Hong Kong, while the second-largest destination receives just 22%.
Taiwan is the fastest-growing major destination
Emigration to Taiwan has increased by 61% since 2015, rising from 12.8K to 20.7K in 9 years.
A significant share of the population lives abroad
1 in 6 residents of Hong Kong has emigrated — 1.2M out of 7.5M, representing 16.5% of the population.
The share of emigrants going to Asia has grown since 1990
The share of emigrants going to Asia has shifted from 23.5% to 39.1% since 1990.
How emigration changed over time
Total emigrant population by year
| Year | Emigrants |
|---|---|
| 1990 | 569282 |
| 1995 | 682700 |
| 2000 | 818107 |
| 2005 | 849440 |
| 2010 | 903793 |
| 2015 | 1031087 |
| 2020 | 1146271 |
| 2024 | 1240250 |
Top destinations over time
Emigration to the 5 largest destination countries
| Year | China | United States | Canada | United Kingdom | Australia |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 110881 | 150484 | 141567 | 72708 | 59104 |
| 1995 | 132434 | 121952 | 232339 | 80651 | 72273 |
| 2000 | 158117 | 210485 | 236559 | 89206 | 75247 |
| 2005 | 188659 | 214124 | 218674 | 98669 | 79854 |
| 2010 | 227011 | 215677 | 210571 | 109135 | 85347 |
| 2015 | 290906 | 244595 | 214832 | 120712 | 95107 |
| 2020 | 359011 | 258439 | 214132 | 133566 | 103398 |
| 2024 | 421605 | 268915 | 204515 | 142011 | 116517 |
Fastest-changing destinations
How emigration to each country has changed since the selected year
Hong Kong as an emigration source
Share of immigrants in each country who originate from Hong Kong