Rising international student numbers set to boost Hong Kong's property market

Hong Kong saw commercial-real-estate inflows climb to HK$18.5 billion in Q3 2026, an 83% increase from the previous quarter, with nine-month totals reaching HK$43.6 billion, up 80% from a year earlier, according to CBRE. The firm highlights robust investor interest in student accommodation, fueled by a 24% rise in non-local higher-education enrolments to 88,949 during the 2024/25 year. CBRE projects an additional 15,000-20,000 international students by 2040 and 30,000-40,000 at the pre-tertiary level by 2035, requiring new school campuses and roughly 150,000 more tertiary students by 2035.

This would translate into demand for 15-23 million square feet of academic facilities and over 70,000 extra student-housing beds, largely driven by mainland Chinese students. The consultancy expects the education sector to become a core driver of Hong Kong's property market, prompting adaptive reuse of existing office and hotel buildings.