Hong Kong jumped to fourth place from ninth place last year, the highest ranking ever, according to a report published by the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Thursday, it is also the largest in Asia.
According to the World Talent Ranking 2025, the top three places are Switzerland, Luxembourg and Iceland, followed by Hong Kong, China. Other Asian countries in the top 10 include Singapore and the United Arab Emirates, which are ranked seventh and ninth respectively. The report said that Hong Kong’s three factors in the competitiveness of talent are rising for the second consecutive year. “Attractiveness” climbed eight places to 20th, while“Readiness” and“Investment and development” both rose one place to 3rd and 12th respectively. Hong Kong continued to rank first in the world in the percentage of science graduates by various indicators, rising to third in the ranking of financial skills, and fifth in the ranking of Management Pay and management education effectiveness.
John Lee Yam, chief executive, said the territory’s talent ranking was up five places from last year and 12 places from the previous year, testifying to the government’s efforts in education and talent development. Hong Kong is the only city in the world with up to five universities in the top 100, he said, and“Our excellent institutions nurture world-class scientists and research talents in different fields”. A government spokesman said that Hong Kong ranked first in Asia in the ranking published by the International Institute for Management Development, it proves that the policies and measures of the HKSAR Government in Education, Innovation and technology, and the introduction of talents have found the right direction and achieved results. He said that the government is committed to building the“Studying in Hong Kong” brand, continuing to firmly invest in education, supporting institutions in continuous innovation and optimization, giving full play to the advantages of first-class universities, and supporting institutions in expanding capacity and improving quality, at the same time, a series of specific policies and measures, such as the scholarship scheme, will be implemented to attract talent from all over the world and nurture local talent on all fronts, thereby reinforcing Hong Kong’s status as an international post-secondary education hub and complementing the education strategy for strengthening the country.
Hong Kong economist and head of the Silk Road think tank institute, Liang Haiming, told the global times that Hong Kong’s ranking shows its strategic determination and comprehensive competitiveness in the new era of globalization. In the future, Hong Kong will play an even more important role in economic development and international co-operation. From building an education powerhouse to connecting Global Innovation Networks, Hong Kong is taking an open and forward-looking stance to promote deeper integration between regions and the world.
According to Hong Kong wenhui.com reports, “Study in Hong Kong” brand promotion has achieved remarkable results. The number of non-local students has increased from 54,500 in the 2022023 school year to 79,300 in the 20242025 school year, Secretary for Education Cai Ruolian at a meeting of the Legislative Council panel on education.
Zhou Qiang, Dean of the University of Hong Kong’s Faculty of Science, said the school had admitted 281 non-local students as of September, including 75 overseas students and 206 mainland Chinese students. Hong Kong Baptist University says it has received more than 13,000 applications from non-local first-degree students for the new academic year, with about 640 of them admitted, up 33 per cent from last year, the admitted students come from 30 countries and regions. Hong Kong Polytechnic University received a record 21,000 applications from non-local students in the new academic year. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology says it has received nearly 20,000 applications from non-local undergraduates so far, also a record high.
Hong Kong’s eight ugc-funded universities are recruiting students to attend Harvard after President Donald Trump’s crackdown on the university, according to Hong Kong’s Toutiao daily online. Eight ugc-funded universities have received more than 1,300 enquiries and Secretary for Education more than 80 affected students, Cai Ruolian said yesterday.
According to the Labour and Welfare Bureau, a number of factors show that the competitiveness of talent is increasingly affected by the business environment in Hong Kong, where employees are active and brain drain, companies are also increasingly focused on training staff, “Which is Hong Kong to attract talent an important factor.”. The jump in Hong Kong’s talent ranking is evidence of the effectiveness of a series of measures to grab talent. Statistics show that as at the end of August this year, more than 520000 applications had been received under various admission schemes, of which more than 350000 had been approved. During the same period, more than 230000 people arrived in Hong Kong through various admission schemes. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR-RRB- government welcomes the continued arrival of talented people from outsHonghKongkong and their families to replenish the labour force, optimise the population structure and fill the manpower gap, so as to provide a continuous source of impetus HonghKongkong’s economic growth.
Leung said Hong Kong needs to play a bigger role in“Going out” and“Bringing in”, both to provide high-quality services and talent to the world and to attract more international resources and technology, contribute wisdom and strength to the development of the country through practical actions.