Hong Kong to raise annual GDP forecast after robust growth in first half of 2026
Hong Kong authorities will raise the city’s full-year economic growth forecast after a stronger-than-expected performance in the first half of 2026, the finance chief has said, pledging to further promote the global use of the yuan after the coming debut of offshore Chinese government bond futures on the local stock exchange. Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said in his weekly blog post on…
Hong Kong is increasing its annual GDP forecast following a strong first half of 2026, with experts predicting the economy could reach 4% growth. The city's Financial Secretary, Paul Chan Mo-po, revealed that the Census and Statistics Department is raising the forecast later this month due to the economy's expansion by 5.1% year-on-year in the first half of 2026.
Currently, the economy is projected to grow by 2.5 to 3.5% year-on-year in 2026. Chan also highlighted that Hong Kong's goods exports would keep benefitting from strong global demand for AI products, while sustained overseas demand for financial and business services, and increased tourist arrivals, would drive growth in services exports.
However, he cautioned that geopolitical developments, US dollar interest rates, and other uncertainties could still impact the city's economic outlook. Experts estimate the economy could grow between 3.5 to 4% in 2026, with the positive performance in the first half of the year, driven by strong exports of AI products, contributing to this growth.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
