Hong Kong raises 2026 economic growth forecast to 4.8%

China News Service, Hong Kong, November 13th. Fan Waner, economic adviser to the Hong Kong SAR government, said on the 13th that with the support of further accelerated growth in foreign trade and solid internal demand, Hong Kong's economy expanded strongly in the third quarter of 2026, and the economy is also expected to record strong performance throughout the year. The SAR government has revised upwards the forecast for Hong Kong's real GDP growth in 2026 to 4.8%.

Data released by the SAR government on the same day showed that Hong Kong's real GDP increased by 5.2% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2026, which was the same as the previous estimate. In the second quarter, it increased by 4.2% year-on-year. In the first three quarters of 2026, Hong Kong's real GDP grew by 5.1% year-on-year, which was the fastest growth rate in the same period in five years.

On November 13, Hong Kong SAR Government Economic Advisor Fan Waner (middle) presented the "2026 Third Quarter Economic Report" at a press conference. (Photo courtesy of the Information Department of the Hong Kong SAR Government)

In terms of overall exports of goods, the year-on-year real growth in the third quarter accelerated to 30.3%, reflecting the strong global demand for artificial intelligence-related electronic products and driving trade flows. Service exports expanded by 4.3% in real terms year-on-year, with exports of all major service groups continuing to grow.

In terms of internal demand, private consumption expenditure increased by 2.9% in real terms year-on-year in the third quarter, recording expansion for the sixth consecutive quarter. The growth rate of overall investment expenditure accelerated, with a further year-on-year real increase of 7.5%.

Asset markets were generally stable in the third quarter. In the Hong Kong stock market, the Hang Seng Index rose 7.6% at the end of the third quarter compared with the end of June, outperforming many major indexes in other markets. In terms of the residential property market, overall residential selling prices were generally stable in the third quarter, and transaction volume remained relatively stable, similar to the five-year average.