Hong Kong: Q1 GDP Hits Near 5-Year High.

Hong Kong’s economy expanded 5.9% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2026, comfortably beating market expectations of 3.5% and accelerating from an upwardly revised 4.0% in Q4 2025, preliminary estimates showed. It marked the strongest economic growth since Q2 2021, supported by expansion across domestic and external demand. Household consumption jumped to 5% from 2.5% in Q4 2025, while government spending increased to 2.9% from 1.5%. In addition, gross fixed capital formation surged 17.7%, compared with 11.7% in the prior period. External trade also provided a significant boost, as exports of goods jumped to 23.8% from 15.4%, while imports climbed to 29.9% from 18.2%. On a seasonally adjusted quarterly basis, GDP grew to a five-year high of 2.9%, compared with an upwardly revised 1.1% in the preceding quarter.