Hong Kong records 15th straight quarter of growth as GDP rises 5.2%

Hong Kong’s economy grew by 5.2 per cent year on year in the third quarter, marking its 15th consecutive quarter of expansion, while retail sales rose by 6.4 per cent in September.

Advance estimates released by the Census and Statistics Department on Tuesday showed gross domestic product growth compared with increases of 4.2 per cent in the second quarter and 5.9 per cent in the first.

For the first three quarters combined, the economy expanded 5.1 per cent, its fastest growth for the period in five years.

On a seasonally adjusted basis, GDP rose 1.9 per cent from the previous quarter.

“The Hong Kong economy expanded robustly in the third quarter of 2026, underpinned by accelerating growth in exports and solid domestic demand,” a government spokesman said.

Goods exports rose 30.4 per cent year on year in real terms, while exports of services increased 4.3 per cent.

Private consumption expenditure grew 2.8 per cent, against 2.9 per cent in the second quarter, while overall investment expenditure rose 7.3 per cent.

The figures came days after Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said Hong Kong could record its strongest annual economic growth in five years, raising the prospect of a further upgrade to the government’s forecast.

In August, authorities raised their full-year growth forecast to between 3.5 and 4.5 per cent, up from between 2.5 and 3.5 per cent, following a stronger-than-expected first half. The economy expanded by 5.1 per cent in the first six months. The revised full-year forecast is due on November 13.

Exports remained strong in the third quarter. The value of shipments in September surged by 64.9 per cent year on year to HK$762.6 billion, the fastest monthly increase in more than four decades, supported by demand for artificial intelligence-related products.

Separate figures released on Tuesday showed retail sales totalled HK$33.4 billion in September. Sales in the first nine months rose by 8.3 per cent from a year earlier.

September’s increase followed growth of 5.6 per cent in August and 4.5 per cent in July.

A government spokesperson said September was the 17th consecutive month of retail sales growth, helped by higher visitor arrivals and festive buying linked to the earlier Mid-Autumn Festival.