Hong Kong has emerged as the third noisiest city in the world, according to a study by Preply, who used parameters such as traffic scores, noise pollution levels, and population density in major cities of the world to arrive at the results. The No. 1 spot went to Paris, followed by New York City in second place. Other Asian cities that found a place in the Top 10 are Tokyo (No. 8), Singapore (No. 9), and Seoul (No. 10).
According to the study, the SAR found a place on this list thanks to “the sheer volume of visitors it attracts” — an average of 25,695,800 a year — in addition to its population of 7.3 million. It’s worth noting that the current population of the city is back at 7.5 million, and that 45.01 million travellers visited the city between June 2023 and June 2024, according to the Hong Kong Tourism Department.
| RANKING | CITY |
| 1 | Paris |
| 2 | New York |
| 3 | Hong Kong |
| 4 | London |
| 5 | Los Angeles |
| 6 | Barcelona |
| 7 | São Paulo |
| 8 | Tokyo |
| 9 | Singapore |
| 10 | Seoul |
The study also used reviews that described the attractions in the city as ‘noisy’ and ‘loud’ as a basis for its research, and found that Hong Kong got 201 mentions in this regard — way lower than other cities like Tokyo (4,292) and Osaka (1,512). However, the noise pollution levels in the territory (65.86 dB) were among the highest in the list, only surpassed by São Paulo (68.97) and New York City (68.91). In fact, the Environmental Protection Department states that peak-hour traffic should not exceed 70 dB. Additionally, Hongkongers spend an average of 42 minutes in traffic — far less than commuters in Los Angeles (58 minutes) and Mexico City (53 minutes).
In contrast, Frankfurt emerged as the quietest city in the world, thanks to its population density of only 3,000 people per square kilometre and 2.5 million annual visitor numbers. Munich and Amsterdam are the next quietest cities, thanks to their low noise pollution levels.
Header image credits: Leung Cho Pan, olaser via Canva
