The health condition of the elderly in Hong Kong is described. The findings indicate that elderly people in Hong Kong have serious health problems. All indexes of health for the elderly are far from satisfactory. Over 80% of the elderly have at least one chronic disease. Undesirable health habits are common among the elderly. Moreover, elderly people’s knowledge of proper health care and early treatment of diseases is inadequate. We recommend the establishment of health-promotion programs for the elderly and the provision of health education to the elderly. © 1991 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.