The Hong Kong Council of Social Service considers a family poor if its total income is less than half of the median household income.
An individual earning less than $3,000 is classed as poor, while the cut-off figures for households with two, three, four and five members are $6,300, $8,400, $9,500 and $9,950, respectively.
But this way of defining poverty is rejected by the government, which says it ignores the sizeable 'transfer incomes' that Hong Kong's low-income families receive - both in kind and in cash - and their assets.
About half of the population lives in public housing. Rich or poor, every child has access to free education for at least nine years; beyond that, subsidised tuition is available to those who qualify on merit up to university.
The Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA) scheme provides cash grants to help the poor pay for food, rent, transport and other basic needs. Children on welfare also receive grants to cover the costs of taking part in school activities.
Heavily subsidised medical and health services are available to everyone regardless of means, and the modest charges are waived for those on welfare.