London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 19, 2025

Hong Kong loses spot ‘as most enticing city in China’ for East Asian expats

Hong Kong loses spot ‘as most enticing city in China’ for East Asian expats

Hong Kong was placed 92 in 2022 ranking of more than 500 cities by global human resources consultancy, falling several spots below Taipei.
Hong Kong has lost its status as the most attractive city in China for East Asian expats, according to a ranking by a global human resources consultancy, which placed the financial hub at 92, several spots behind Taipei.

The city fell 15 places in the 2022 ranking of more than 500 locations, according to a study released by ECA International on Wednesday. The result marked the second year Hong Kong had dropped in the list.

Other cities in the region also featured in the ranking, including Taipei at 77, as well as Macau at 97 and Shanghai at 128.

The study ranks each city’s liveability based on various factors such as education, access to social networks, infrastructure, air quality, as well as personal safety and political tensions.

“Hong Kong’s maintenance of measures to mitigate the impact of Covid-19 during 2022 stood in contrast to peers both regionally and globally,” said Lee Quane, the consultancy’s regional director for Asia.

“Continued quarantine restrictions, the limitation of access to recreational activities and other social-distancing measures persisted throughout 2022 which put Hong Kong in a less favourable position compared with other locations.”

The city was previously in lockstep with mainland China’s zero-Covid strategy, with Hong Kong’s population at the end of June 2022 dropped 1.6 per cent to around 7.29 million from a year ago, amid a period of stringent anti-epidemic policies.


Hong Kong was ranked 77 in 2021 and 58 the year before that. The city’s worst score of 93rd place was in 2019, which featured a tense political climate resulting from anti-government protests.

ECA International said it expected the city would recover this year thanks to the rollback of coronavirus policies but warned a full return to pre-pandemic living conditions was unlikely.

Hong Kong was also likely to continue lagging behind regional rival Singapore, which held on to first place as the world’s most liveable location for overseas workers from East Asia for the 21st year in a row.

“Singapore relaxed social-distancing restrictions earlier than other locations, facilitating a return to pre-pandemic norms and contributing to the fact that it retained its position at the top of our rankings and increasing its lead over other places in terms of its liveability relative to other locations,” Quane said.

“Hong Kong’s fall was reflective of changes in the political environment witnessed through recent Legislative Council and the election for Hong Kong’s chief executive,” he said, adding the one-contender poll for the top job had highlighted the slow pace of democratisation in the city.

Tokyo came second in the 2022 after moving up one place from the year before and replacing Wellington, New Zealand, which fell to third place.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Defends Attorney General Pam Bondi Amid Epstein Memo Backlash
Renault Shares Drop as CEO Luca de Meo Announces Departure Amid Reports of Move to Kering
Senior Aides for King Charles and Prince Harry Hold Secret Peace Summit
Anti‑Semitism ‘Normalised’ in Middle‑Class Britain, Says Commission Co‑Chair
King Charles Meets David Beckham at Chelsea Flower Show
If the Department is Really About Justice: Ghislaine Maxwell Should Be Freed Now
NYC Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s ‘Antifada’ Remarks Spark National Debate on Political Language and Economic Policy
President Trump Visits Flood-Ravaged Texas, Praises Community Strength and First Responders
From Mystery to Meltdown, Crisis Within the Trump Administration: Epstein Files Ignite A Deepening Rift at the Highest Levels of Government Reveals Chaos, Leaks, and Growing MAGA Backlash
Trump Slams Putin Over War Death Toll, Teases Major Russia Announcement
Reparations argument crushed
Rainmaker CEO Says Cloud Seeding Paused Before Deadly Texas Floods
×