Hong Kong’s economy grew faster than the average forecast in a Reuters poll in the third quarter of 2026, with the agency reporting a 5.2% annual increase in gross domestic product.
Reuters said the mean estimate from 10 economists was 3.6%. It cited advance government figures for the GDP reading.
September merchandise trade also grew sharply in value. The Census and Statistics Department reported that exports rose 64.9% from a year earlier to HK$762.6 billion, while imports increased 57.8% to HK$808.9 billion. A government spokesperson quoted in the department’s release partly attributed the export increase to demand for electronics related to artificial intelligence.
The department said September was the 20th consecutive month of double-digit growth in export value and its fastest monthly year-on-year increase in more than 40 years. Those trade values are measured at current prices and do not establish how much exports contributed to real GDP growth.
Earlier government releases put real GDP growth at 5.9% in the first quarter and 4.3% in the second. In August, the government forecast growth of 3.5% to 4.5% for the full year.
The government is scheduled to release revised third-quarter GDP figures and an updated 2026 forecast on Nov. 13.
