Hong Kong Ranks Among Top 10 LEED Markets Globally for Second Consecutive Year

Double-Digit Growth in Certified Projects and Floor Area, as Existing Buildings and Operational Performance Become New Focus

HONG KONG, Feb. 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) today announced the Top 10 Countries and Regions for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) in 2025. Hong Kong has secured a spot in the global top 10 for the second year in a row, rising one place to rank sixth globally and fourth in Asia. This achievement further solidifies Hong Kong's position as a leading green building market in Asia and reflects a long-term commitment to highly efficient sustainable and scalable green building development.

In 2025, Hong Kong added nearly 100 LEED-certified projects, representing a year-on-year increase of approximately 41%. The newly certified area exceeded 3.1 million square meters (equivalent to 34 million square feet), a 40% increase compared to the previous year. This growth not only reflects sustained activity in the Hong Kong market but also demonstrates its solid progress in driving large-scale green building transformations that offer long-term benefits.

Jing Wang, Vice President of USGBC and GBCI North Asia, said: "Hong Kong's ranking among the top 10 LEED markets for the second consecutive year reflects the industry's long-term commitment to high-standard green buildings. As a major international financial hub, Hong Kong's market structure is well-positioned to integrate sustainable building performance into decisions about financing, long-term investment and asset management. This drives LEED implementation from the design and planning stages through the entire building lifecycle. From the rapid growth of new projects to the continuous operational improvement of existing buildings, Hong Kong is demonstrating the depth and resilience of a mature market."

Market Structure Continues to Evolve, with a Focus on Operational Performance and Long-term Outcomes

Beyond overall scale, Hong Kong's LEED market structure continues to evolve toward a more mature, performance-driven one:

• LEED O+M (Operations and Maintenance) certifications have continued to rise as a share of total certifications, increasing from approximately 20% in 2021 to 45% in 2025. This type of certification has become one of the primary ones in Hong Kong, signaling a market shift from Interior Design and Construction (LEED ID+C) toward greater emphasis on the overall operational performance and long-term environmental outcomes of buildings.
• Approximately 10% of certifications are re-certifications, where previously certified buildings renew their certification based on actual operational data to maintain or improve their rating levels. Landmark projects include One & Two International Finance Centre (IFC) and Sun Hung Kai Centre. Furthermore, several developments from Phoenix Property Investors also completed certification updates through continuous optimization. These cases reflect the increasing importance that owners and asset managers place on building lifecycle efficiency, continuous optimization and decarbonization.

LEED: Driving Global and Asian Buildings Toward a High Efficient, Low-Carbon Future

Over the past year, several major projects in Hong Kong achieved LEED certification, further expanding the scale and influence of sustainable architecture locally. Among them, The Henderson, a new landmark development by Henderson Land Development (00012.HK), achieved LEED Platinum certification, becoming a focal point in the local sustainable building market. The Quayside, owned by Link REIT (00823.HK) and Nan Fung Group, also achieved LEED Platinum certification for Existing Buildings, demonstrating the success of developers in applying international green standards to both new and existing assets.

Furthermore, there is a clear trend of LEED certification expanding from individual buildings to being applied across portfolios. For instance, Hongkong Land achieved LEED certification for its Central portfolio (comprising 12 buildings) in 2024, while multiple major buildings at Taikoo Place, owned by Swire Properties (01972.HK), were certified during 2025.

Hong Kong continues to rank among the top three markets within North Asia in terms of annual growth performance, and among the Top 10 LEED markets globally, underscoring its strong momentum in advancing high-performance and low-carbon buildings. As LEED adoption continues to deepen across Asian markets, Hong Kong, as a major international financial and real estate investment hub, is playing a pivotal role in the region's transition to green buildings.

In addition, Mainland China remains a leader in green building and is the largest market for LEED outside the United States. According to the 2025 ranking by total LEED-certified space, Mainland China ranks first globally, with approximately 26.6 million square meters, while South Korea and Hong Kong rank fourth and sixth, respectively. (See Table 2 for details.)

Table 1: Overview of LEED Certification Status in Major North Asian Cities (As of Dec 31, 2025)

Table 2: The full ranking of the Top 10 Countries and Regions for LEED

About the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)

U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is an organization that develops and advocates LEED green building and cities rating systems. USGBC works to reduce the environmental impact of buildings and fulfill its mission of sustainability by promoting LEED worldwide. USGBC is an organization that develops and advocates standards for cost-efficient and energy-saving green buildings.

About Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is the world's most widely used green building and city certification system, having been applied to over 110,000 commercial projects across more than 180 countries and territories. China is a leader in green building and the largest market for LEED certification outside the United States.

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SOURCE U.S. Green Building Council