Hong Kong exports rise to $520.6b in January

Imports also climbed by 38.1% to $534.7b during the month.

Hong Kong’s total exports rose 33.8% to $520.6b in January 2026, whilst imports increased 38.1% to $534.7b, according to the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD).

The month ended with a visible trade deficit of $14.1b, equivalent to 2.6% of import value, following December 2025 growth rates of 26.1% for exports and 30.6% for imports.

A comparison of the three-month period ending January 2026 with the preceding three months shows a 9.4% increase in exports and a 10.9% increase in imports after seasonal adjustment.

C&SD recommends analysing January and February figures together to account for the timing of Chinese New Year holidays.

Exports to Asia grew 37.3% in January, with notable increases to Taiwan (88.8%), Malaysia (81.1%), the Chinese Mainland (40.6%), Singapore (32.4%), Thailand (31.1%), and Vietnam (31.0%).

Outside Asia, exports to Switzerland rose 105.1%, whilst exports to the Netherlands and the USA increased 39.5% and 23.3% respectively.

Imports from Vietnam rose 129.8% and from India 125.1%, with further increases from Korea (75.0%), the Chinese Mainland (46.6%), and Singapore (42.8%).

Electrical machinery, apparatus, and appliances led commodity export growth with an increase of $71.6b (39.4%), whilst telecommunications and sound recording equipment exports rose $24.2b (51.9%).

Import values for electrical machinery grew $76.2b (44.8%), and telecommunications and sound recording equipment imports increased $34.2b (80.0%).

Government projections indicate that global economic expansion and demand for AI-related electronic products will influence future trade performance, with ongoing monitoring of external trade policy developments.