Poverty in various districts

 

Being one of the most densely populated metropolises, Hong Kong is built up of approximately 7.5 million people of various nationalities. It is known for its fruitful self-orientated economy, free trade and low taxation. Hong Kong's poverty is rarely considered as a large problematic factor. Although in reality, in 2013, as much as 19.6 percent of the city's population could be classified as poor (15.2 percent if regular cash welfare payments are included). Compared to countries such as Britain, the US, France and Korea (using the same formula), the city’s poverty line is considerably high, with Korea the only one lower, at 17.3 percent. 

Poverty is defined as 'the state of being inferior in quality or insufficient in amount'. According to a the ‘Hunger stats’ by Feeding Hong Kong , 1 in 5 Hong Kong residents live in poverty; nearly 40% of the Hong Kong population live in subsidised public housing; over a thousand people still remain homeless and 100,000 people live in coffin, cage homes and rooftops, despite government efforts. After the latest census in 2015, Sham Shui Po was found to be the poorest district in Hong Kong in which the monthly average income of each household  was around HK$18,000. The following poorest districts were Kwun Tong with average incomes of HK$19,000 and Kwai Tsing with HK$19,600. These monthly average incomes are well below the territory average of HK$23,500 as a whole. On the other hand, the wealthiest districts were  Central and the Western areas of Hong Kong. Here, the monthly average income of each household in Central and Western stood at HK$35,000.