Hong Kong vs Syria: Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents
Hong Kong
5.88 million people
in 2020
Syria
5.87 million people
in 2020
Hong Kong rank
49th
Syria rank
50th
Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents over time
- Hong Kong
- Syria
How they compare
Hong Kong currently reports 5.88 million people against 5.87 million people in Syria, a difference of 1,770 people.
The two have swapped places 2 times across 15 shared years of data; in 1950 it was Hong Kong ahead.
Hong Kong ranks 49th and Syria ranks 50th of 182 countries.
Across the 8 decades both report, Hong Kong averaged higher in 6 and Syria in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Hong Kong | Syria | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 1.34 million people | 0 people | 1.34 million people | Hong Kong |
| 1960s | 2.11 million people | 0 people | 2.11 million people | Hong Kong |
| 1970s | 2.65 million people | 601,270 people | 2.05 million people | Hong Kong |
| 1980s | 3.34 million people | 1.65 million people | 1.70 million people | Hong Kong |
| 1990s | 3.78 million people | 3.53 million people | 253,025 people | Hong Kong |
| 2000s | 4.36 million people | 4.80 million people | 433,900 people | Syria |
| 2010s | 5.68 million people | 5.75 million people | 62,475 people | Syria |
| 2020s | 5.88 million people | 5.87 million people | 1,770 people | Hong Kong |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents, Hong Kong or Syria?
- Hong Kong, at 5.88 million people against 5.87 million people in Syria as of 2020.
- What is the difference in number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents between Hong Kong and Syria?
- 1,770 people, with Hong Kong ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Hong Kong and Syria?
- 15 years are reported by both, from 1950 to 2020.
- How do Hong Kong and Syria rank globally for number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents?
- Hong Kong ranks 49th and Syria ranks 50th of 182 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with minor processing by Our World in Data, published as Number of people living in cities with more than 1 million residents. Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Total population living in cities with 1 million or more people. City boundaries are defined using a consistent global approach based on satellite imagery and population data.