95% of the Food Consumed in Hong Kong Is Imported

With a population of 7.5 million inhabitants living on a land area of 1,114.35 square kilometers (430.25 square miles), needless to say that Hong Kong is a very densely populated city. This figure becomes even more striking when considering that there are no fewer than 579 mountains in Hong Kong, resulting in only 25% of the territory being suitable for construction.

In such circumstances, agriculture in Hong Kong is very limited—though not nonexistent—primarily revolving around the cultivation of vegetables, as well as poultry and pig production. As of 2024, only 7 square kilometers (2.7 square miles) were dedicated to agriculture in Hong Kong. Furthermore, agriculture accounted for a mere 0.04% of the territory’s GDP, and only between 0.1% and 0.2% of the workforce in Hong Kong was employed in the sector.

As a result, over 90% of the food consumed in Hong Kong is imported, making the city highly dependent on foreign agriculture. Unsurprisingly, the majority of the food imported into Hong Kong comes from Mainland China.

In particular, 92% of the vegetables consumed in the territory are imported from Mainland China. That number increases to 94% for fresh pork, and reaches 100% for fresh beef (foreign beef being categorized as chilled or frozen beef).