Kowloon Has a Population Density of 47,890 Inhabitants per Square Kilometre

At the end of 2023, Hong Kong had a population of 7,503,100 inhabitants, living on a total area of 2,755 square kilometers. This represents a population density of 2,723 inhabitants per square kilometer, or 6,733 inhabitants per square mile, if we take into account that 59.7% of Hong Kong’s territory is made up of water.

However, even that figure of 6,733 inhabitants per square mile (17,439 inhabitants per square kilometer) is far from the reality faced by Hong Kong's population. The reason is that 75% of Hong Kong consists of country parks and natural landscapes. As a result, the population is concentrated on just 25% of Hong Kong’s total area.

Nowhere in Hong Kong is that astonishingly high population density more evident than in Kowloon. With a total population of 2,247,500 inhabitants concentrated on a land area of 46.93 square kilometers (18.12 square miles), Kowloon recorded a population density of 47,890 inhabitants per square kilometer (124,034 inhabitants per square mile) at the end of 2023.

To put this number in perspective, Manhattan has a population density of "only" 28,873.3 inhabitants per square kilometer (74,781.6 inhabitants per square mile). This makes Kowloon one of the most densely populated regions in the world.