6. Hong Kong / GDP Per Capita: $53,432.23
China, despite its GDP of over $10 trillion, is nowhere close to placing in the upper regions of this list. (China places 90th.) However, its autonomous territory, Hong Kong, with its GDP of $289 billion and population of around 7.2 million, ranks an impressive 6th in the world in terms of GDP per capita. But although the International Labour Organization reports that Hong Kong’s workers earn a healthy average of $1,780 each month, recent developments are threatening to derail efforts to sustain the territory’s economic growth. More specifically, unrest fueled by dissatisfaction with mainland China’s policies, along with China’s overall economic slowdown, has resulted in anemic tourism figures and falling retail sales for Hong Kong. Economist Silvia Liu observes, “Structurally, until the tourism sector consolidates and Hong Kong finds new growth engines, I don’t see the way out yet.”
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