According to the results of the 2025 Annual Survey of Companies in Hong Kong with Parent Companies Located outside Hong Kong and the 2025 Startup Survey announced by the Government today (Jan. 26), the number of companies in Hong Kong with Chinese Mainland or overseas parent companies rose to 11,070 in 2025, while the number of start-ups in Hong Kong increased to 5,221, both reaching record highs again. The results demonstrate that Hong Kong's unique appeal to enterprises worldwide continues to grow, making the city the ideal investment destination for setting up or expanding businesses.
The Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development, Mr. Algernon Yau, said, "Even though geopolitics and the global economic and trade landscape are evolving, Hong Kong has been proactively demonstrating its incomparably unique advantages under the 'one country, two systems' principle as the best two-way springboard for overseas enterprises to tap into the vast Chinese Mainland market and for Chinese Mainland enterprises to go global. Together with the wide array of the latest initiatives to promote economic development, including the establishment of the Task Force on Supporting Mainland Enterprises in Going Global, the formulation of preferential policy packages to attract high value-added industries to Hong Kong, the accelerated development of the Northern Metropolis, the establishment of the Economic and Trade Office in Kuala Lumpur, etc., Hong Kong's advantages will continue to strengthen, thereby accelerating the injection of new impetus to our economy and providing more opportunities for both Chinese Mainland and overseas companies based in Hong Kong.
"On another note, the number of start-ups in Hong Kong continues to grow at a double-digit percentage rate, signifying that the city is an ideal place for start-ups to thrive and demonstrating the great confidence that global start-up entrepreneurs have in Hong Kong. Start-ups can leverage the strengths of Hong Kong—including its concentration of internationally renowned universities and research institutes, entrepreneurial talent, and investors from around the world, as well as a strong local network of incubators and accelerators, to rapidly develop innovation and technology businesses that showcase their strengths," Mr. Yau added.
The results of the two local surveys above clearly reflect the confidence of Chinese Mainland and overseas companies in Hong Kong's future development. Also, Hong Kong recently received exceptional rankings in reports by various international institutes. For example, Hong Kong was again ranked by the Fraser Institute as the world's freest economy and moved up to third place overall in foreign direct investment inflows in the World Investment Report 2025 released by the United Nations Trade and Development. Such recognition demonstrates the world's growing awareness of Hong Kong as an international hub for business and investment.
According to the 2025 Annual Survey of Companies in Hong Kong with Parent Companies Located outside Hong Kong jointly conducted by Invest Hong Kong (InvestHK) and the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD), there were 11,070 companies in Hong Kong with parent companies located outside Hong Kong in 2025, representing an increase of 11 percent, which amounted to 1,110 companies, when compared with 2024. The number of people employed reached 509,000, up 3 percent year-on-year.
By parent company location, in 2025, the Chinese Mainland ranked first (3,090), followed by the United States and Japan (both 1,550), the United Kingdom (770), and Singapore (590).
Analyzed by major lines of business in Hong Kong, among those 11,070 companies in 2025, the import/export trade, wholesale, and retail sectors topped the list (5,100), followed by the financing and banking sector (2,390), and the professional, business, and education services sector (1,770).
In addition, according to InvestHK's 2025 Startup Survey, start-ups in Hong Kong continued to flourish, with a record 5,221, up 11 percent year-on-year. These start-ups engaged 19,753 persons, representing a 12 percent year-on-year increase, and spanned sectors including financial technology; information, computer, and technology; biotechnology; education and learning; and health and medical.
The results of the two surveys have been uploaded onto the websites of the C&SD and InvestHK, respectively.
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