Map of Macau | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background:


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Location: Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China

Geographic coordinates: 22 10 N, 113 33 E

Map reference: Southeast Asia

Area
Total: 28 km²
Land: 28.2 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: less than one-sixth the size of Washington, DC
Country comparison total: 3 km
Country comparison regional borders: (1): China 3 km

Land boundaries
Total: 3 km
Regional borders: (1): China 3 km

Coastline: 41 km

Maritime claims: not specified

Climate: subtropical; marine with cool winters, warm summers

Terrain: generally flat

Elevation
Highest point: Alto Coloane 172 m
Lowest point: South China Sea 0 m

Natural resources: NEGL

Land use
Agricultural land: 0% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land other: 100% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 0 km² (2012)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: typhoons

Geography
Note: essentially urban; an area of land reclaimed from the sea measuring 5.2 km² and known as Cotai now connects the islands of Coloane and Taipa; the island area is connected to the mainland peninsula by three bridges


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Population
Distribution: population fairly equally distributed
Total: 644,426
Male: 304,988
Female: 339,438 (2024 est.)
Growth rate: 0.67% (2024 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Chinese
Adjective: Chinese

Ethnic groups: Chinese 89.4%, Chinese and Portuguese 1%, Portuguese 0.8%, Chinese and non-Portuguese 0.2%, Portuguese and others 0.2%, other 8.5% (2021 est.)

Languages: Cantonese 81%, Mandarin 4.7%, other Chinese dialects 5.4%, English 3.6%, Tagalog 2.9%, Portuguese 0.6%, other 1.8% (2021 est.)
Major-language samples: 世界概况, 必須擁有的基本資料参考书 (Cantonese); Gheos World Guide, the indispensable source for basic information.
Note: Chinese and Portuguese are official languages; Macanese or Patua, a Portuguese-based Creole, is also spoken

Religions: folk religion 58.9%, Buddhist 17.3%, Christian 7.2%, other 1.2%, none 15.4% (2020 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 14.4% (male 47,346/female 45,216)
15-64 years: 69.9% (male 210,059/female 240,577)
65 years and over: 15.7% (2024 est.) (male 47,583/female 53,645)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 36.9
Youth dependency ratio: 20
Elderly dependency ratio: 16.9
Potential support ratio: 5.9 (2021 est.)

Median age
Total: 42.5 years (2024 est.)
Male: 41.5 years
Female: 43.1 years

Population growth rate: 0.67% (2024 est.)

Birth rate: 8.6 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Death rate: 4.9 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Net migration rate: 3.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Population distribution: population fairly equally distributed

Urbanization
Urban population: 100% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization: 1.46% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas
Population: 682,000 Macau (2023)

Environment
Current issues: air pollution; coastal waters pollution; insufficient policies in reducing and recycling solid wastes; increasing population density worsening noise pollution

Air pollutants
Carbon dioxide emissions: 2.07 megatons (2016 est.)

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.87 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.9 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 4.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 4.5 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 4.3 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 85.3 years (2024 est.)
Male: 82.5 years
Female: 88.3 years

Total fertility rate: 1.24 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: NA

Drinking water source
Improved urban: 100% of population
Unimproved rural: NA
Unimproved total: 0% of population (2020)
Unimproved urban: 0% of population

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: NA

Education expenditures: 6.3% of GDP (2020 est.)

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 97.1%
Male: 98.5%
Female: 95.9% (2021)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 18 years
Male: 17 years
Female: 19 years (2021)

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 7% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 9% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 female: 5.3% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Macau Special Administrative Region
Conventional short form: Macau
Official long form: Aomen Tebie Xingzhengqu (Chinese)/ Regiao Administrativa Especial de Macau (Portuguese)
Official short form: Aomen (Chinese)/ Macau (Portuguese)
Etymology: name is thought to derive from the A-Ma Temple - built in 1488 and dedicated to Mazu, the goddess of seafarers and fishermen - which is referred to locally as 'Maa Gok' - and in Portuguese became 'Macau'; the Chinese name Aomen means 'inlet gates'

Government type: executive-led limited democracy; a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China

Capital

Administrative divisions: none (special administrative region of the People's Republic of China)

Dependent areas

Independence: none (special administrative region of China)

National holiday: National Day (anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China), 1 October (1949)
Note: 20 December (1999) is celebrated as Macau Special Administrative Region Establishment Day

Constitution
History: previous 1976 (Organic Statute of Macau, under Portuguese authority); latest adopted 31 March 1993, effective 20 December 1999 (Basic Law of the Macau Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China serves as Macau's constitution)
Amendments: proposed by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), the People’s Republic of China State Council, and the Macau Special Administrative Region; submittal of proposals to the NPC requires two-thirds majority vote by the Legislative Assembly of Macau, approval by two thirds of Macau's deputies to the NPC, and consent of the Macau chief executive; final passage requires approval by the NPC; amended 2005, 2012

Legal system: civil law system based on the Portuguese model

International law organization participation

Citizenship: see China

Suffrage: 18 years of age in direct elections for some legislative positions, universal for permanent residents living in Macau for the past 7 years
Note: indirect elections are limited to organizations registered as 'corporate voters' and an election committee for the chief executive drawn from broad regional groupings, municipal organizations, central government bodies, and elected Macau officials

Executive branch
Chief of state: President of China XI Jinping (since 14 March 2013)
Head of government: Chief Executive Sam Hou FAI (since 20 December 2024)
Cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the chief executive
Elections/appointments: president indirectly elected by National People's Congress for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 10 March 2023 (next to be held in March 2,028); chief executive chosen by a 400-member Election Committee for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 13 October 2024 (next to be held in 2,029)
Election results: 2024: Sam Hou FAI (unopposed; received 394 out of 400 votes); 2019: HO lat Seng (unopposed; received 392 out of 400 votes)

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral Legislative Assembly or Regiao Administrativa Especial de Macau (33 seats; 14 members directly elected by proportional representation vote, 12 indirectly elected by an electoral college of professional and commercial interest groups, and 7 appointed by the chief executive; members serve 4-year terms)
Elections: last held on 12 September 2021 (next to be held in September 2025)
Elections results: percent of vote - ACUM 20.1%, UPD 18%, NE 13.8%, UMG 12.7%, UPP 11.4%, ABL 10.8%, PS 6.6%, other 6.6%; seats by political group - ACUM 3, UPD 2, UGM 2, UPP 2, ABL 2, NE 2, PS 1; composition - men NA, women NA, percentage women NA%

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Court of Final Appeal of Macau Special Administrative Region (consists of the court president and 2 associate justices)
Judge selection and term of office: justices appointed by the Macau chief executive upon the recommendation of an independent commission of judges, lawyers, and 'eminent' persons; judge tenure NA
Subordinate courts: Court of Second Instance; Court of First instance; Lower Court; Administrative Court

Political parties and leaders: Alliance for a Happy Home or ABL, Association of Synergy of Macau ('Synergy Power' or Poder da Singeria) or PS , Macau-Guangdong Union or UGM , New Hope or NE , Union for Development or UPD , Union for Promoting Progress or UPP or UNIPRO , United Citizens Association of Macau or ACUM

International organization participation: ICC (national committees), IHO, IMF, IMO (associate), Interpol (subbureau), ISO (correspondent), UNESCO (associate), UNWTO (associate), UPU, WCO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us: none (Special Administrative Region of China)
From the us embassy: the US has no offices in Macau; US Consulate General in Hong Kong is accredited to Macau

Flag description: green with a lotus flower above a stylized bridge and water in white, beneath an arc of five gold, five-pointed stars: one large in the center of the arc and two smaller on either side; the lotus is the floral emblem of Macau, the three petals represent the peninsula and two islands that make up Macau; the five stars echo those on the flag of China

National symbols: lotus blossom; national colors: green, white, yellow

National anthem
Note: as a Special Administrative Region of China, 'Yiyongjun Jinxingqu' is the official anthem (see China)

National heritage


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Economy overview: high-income, Chinese special administrative region economy; known for apparel exports and gambling tourism; currency pegged to Hong Kong dollar; significant recession due to 2015 Chinese anticorruption campaign; COVID-19 further halved economic activity

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $71.837 billion (2023 est.); $39.791 billion (2022 est.); $50.626 billion (2021 est.)
Note: data in 2021 dollars

Real gdp growth rate: 80.53% (2023 est.); -21.4% (2022 est.); 23.54% (2021 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real gdp per capita: $102,000 (2023 est.); $57,200 (2022 est.); $73,700 (2021 est.)
Note: data in 2021 dollars

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 29% (2023 est.)
Government consumption: 13.7% (2023 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 13.5% (2023 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0.4% (2023 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 92.7% (2023 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -49.3% (2023 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Industry: 9.5% (2022 est.)
Services: 90.1% (2022 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

Agriculture products: pork, chicken, beef, eggs, pork offal, pork fat, pepper, beef offal, cattle hides, goose meat (2022)
Note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

Industries: tourism, gambling, clothing, textiles, electronics, footwear, toys

Industrial production growth rate: -5.63% (2022 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

Labor force: 407,000 (2023 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Unemployment rate: 2.25% (2023 est.); 2.48% (2022 est.); 2.25% (2021 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 7% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 9% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 female: 5.3% (2023 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $5.135 billion (2022 est.)
Expenditures: $12.259 billion (2022 est.)
Note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenses converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

Taxes and other revenues: 17.07% (of GDP) (2022 est.)
Note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

Public debt: 0% of GDP (2017 est.)

Revenue
From forest resources: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)
From coal: 0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Fiscal year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 1.05% (2022 est.); 0.03% (2021 est.); 0.81% (2020 est.)
Note: annual % change based on consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance: $2.782 billion (2022 est.); $2.683 billion (2021 est.); $3.635 billion (2020 est.)
Note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars

Exports: $20.985 billion (2022 est.); $28.163 billion (2021 est.); $15.578 billion (2020 est.)
Note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Partners: Hong Kong 65%, China 8%, US 7%, Switzerland 3%, Israel 2% (2022)
Partners note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports
Commodities: jewelry, garments, broadcasting equipment, precious metal watches, trunks and cases (2022)
Commodities note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Imports: $21.795 billion (2022 est.); $23.769 billion (2021 est.); $15.214 billion (2020 est.)
Note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Partners: China 39%, Hong Kong 25%, France 5%, Italy 4%, US 3% (2022)
Partners note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
Commodities: jewelry, garments, electricity, broadcasting equipment, trunks and cases (2022)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $27.771 billion (2023 est.); $25.971 billion (2022 est.); $26.665 billion (2021 est.)
Note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars

Debt external

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Access electrification total population: 100% (2022 est.)
Installed generating capacity: 437,000 kW (2022 est.)
Consumption: 5.581 billion kWh (2022 est.)
Imports: 5.238 billion kWh (2022 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 150.268 million kWh (2022 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 58.5% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 41.5% of total installed capacity (2022 est.)

Coal
Imports: (2022 est.) less than 1 metric ton

Petroleum
Refined petroleum consumption: 12,000 bbl/day (2022 est.)

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Consumption: 120.337 million m³ (2022 est.)
Imports: 117.085 million m³ (2022 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 1.746 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 1.511 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 236,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2022 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 69.034 million Btu/person (2022 est.)


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 92,000 (2022 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 13 (2022 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 1.213 million (2022 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 175 (2022 est.)

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures

Military and security forces: no regular indigenous military forces; Macau Public Security Police Force (includes the Police Intervention Tactical Unit or UTIP for counterterrorism operations)

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 1 (2020) (registered in China)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 21 (registered in China)
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 3,157,724 (2018)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 31.84 million (2018) mt-km

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: B-M

Airports: 1 (2024)

Heliports: 4 (2024)

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Total: 428 km
Paved: 428 km (2017)

Waterways

Merchant marine

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: Asian organized crime groups involved in drug trafficking and money laundering