Atlas report
AI researchers in Hong Kong
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology is the largest, with 2 301 indexed researchers, barely ahead of Hong Kong Polytechnic University at 2 196. No single place dominates here.
The short answer
By number of indexed researchers, Hong Kong ranks 12th of 132 countries, with 10 141 profiles.
Hong Kong counts 1352 indexed AI researchers per million inhabitants, 15.3 times the world rate of 89.
With 0.1% of the world's people and 1.4% of its indexed AI researchers, Hong Kong runs at 15.3 times its demographic weight.
What stands out
Machine Learning in Healthcare is the subject newcomers in Hong Kong pick up fastest: 122 started on it since 2024, and its share of new entrants is 3.0 times its share in the previous window.
Multimodal Machine Learning Applications is where Hong Kong stands apart. 1 502 researchers, 6.8% of the country's total, against a world share of 3.9%.
Newcomers since 2024 number 3 660 in Hong Kong, against 1 198 between 2021 and 2023: a ratio of 3.1, where the world sits at 1.8.
Subjects
The single most common subject is Topic Modeling, on which 9.5% of Hong Kong's subject assignments fall.
Subject reports: Multimodal Machine Learning Applications, Natural Language Processing Techniques, Generative Adversarial Networks and Image Synthesis, Domain Adaptation and Few-Shot Learning, Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI).
| Subject | Researchers | Share here | Share worldwide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Topic Modeling | 2 104 | 9.5% | 7.9% |
| Multimodal Machine Learning Applications | 1 502 | 6.8% | 3.9% |
| Advanced Neural Network Applications | 1 129 | 5.1% | 4.3% |
| Natural Language Processing Techniques | 980 | 4.4% | 4.3% |
| Generative Adversarial Networks and Image Synthesis | 926 | 4.2% | 2.6% |
| Domain Adaptation and Few-Shot Learning | 831 | 3.7% | 2.5% |
| Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) | 407 | 1.8% | 1.5% |
| Speech and dialogue systems | 171 | 0.8% | 0.7% |
Newcomers by year
The 2025 intake for Hong Kong was 0.9 times the average of the three previous years, against 0.8 worldwide.
| First publication | New in Hong Kong | Share of the world's newcomers |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 263 | 1.3% |
| 2020 | 249 | 1.2% |
| 2021 | 327 | 1.3% |
| 2022 | 441 | 1.3% |
| 2023 | 430 | 1.4% |
| 2024 | 408 | 1.4% |
| 2025 | 373 | 1.5% |
Institutions
66% of the country's researchers sit in three institutions, led by Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology is the largest, with 2 301 indexed researchers, barely ahead of Hong Kong Polytechnic University at 2 196. No single place dominates here. Everyone else sits in places too small to name without pointing at individuals.
| Institution | Researchers | Share of the country |
|---|---|---|
| Hong Kong University of Science and Technology | 2 301 | 23% |
| Hong Kong Polytechnic University | 2 196 | 22% |
| Chinese University of Hong Kong | 2 159 | 21% |
Compared with its peers
Read against Australia and Spain, the two nearest countries by headcount, the differences are in the rates, not the totals. The gap that stands out is the researchers per million inhabitants: 1352 here against 301 for those two. Reports: AI researchers in Australia.
| Hong Kong | Australia | Spain | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Researchers | 10 141 | 11 319 | 8 572 |
| Per million inhabitants | 1352 | 424 | 177 |
| In a company | 0.0% | 1.7% | 5.9% |
| Early career | 58% | 45% | 44% |
| Newcomers, recent against previous window | 3.1 | 2.1 | 1.4 |
Method
A country is where the institution sits, so someone who has moved and not yet published from the new address still counts at the old one. Counts move between two refreshes because the index grows every night. The method page sets out the sources and what each field leaves out.
Common questions
- How many AI researchers are there in Hong Kong?
- As of October 2026, the index holds 10 141 researchers whose institution sits in Hong Kong, 1.4% of everyone with a known country. Only people who published AI research are counted, which makes the figure a floor.
- Where do you find AI researchers in Hong Kong?
- Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 2 301, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 2 196, Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2 159. Their most common subject is Topic Modeling, 9.5% of the country's subject assignments.
- What is Hong Kong strongest in?
- Multimodal Machine Learning Applications, at 1.7 times the world share.
- Is the pool of AI researchers in Hong Kong growing?
- Yes, faster than the world. Since 2024, 3 660 people in Hong Kong published for the first time, against 1 198 over the three years before, a ratio of 3.1 where the world sits at 1.8.
The names behind the numbers
Every count on this page is a list in the index.
Search it by subject and country to find who leads the work today, and set an alert on the ones about to come free, for $179 a month or 149 € in the euro area. Or hand the search over and pay only when someone joins.