Background: Colonized by the Portuguese in the 16th century, Macau was the first European settlement in the Far East. Pursuant to an agreement signed by China and Portugal on 13 April 1987, Macau became the Macau Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China on 20 December 1999. In this agreement, China promised that, under its "one country, two systems" formula, China's political and economic system would not be imposed on Macau, and that Macau would enjoy a "high degree of autonomy" in all matters except foreign affairs and defense for the subsequent 50 years. However, following a multi-year crackdown by China against a pro-democracy movement in nearby Hong Kong, the governments of China and the Macau Special Administrative Region similarly worked to limit Macau's political autonomy by suppressing opposition activity in the 2021 legislative elections.

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

Land boundaries
Total: 3 km
Regional borders: 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.)
Other: 100% (2018 est.)

Irrigated land: 0 km² (2012)

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

Population
Distribution: population fairly equally distributed: 639,971 (2023 est.)
Growth rate: 0.71% (2023 est.)
Below poverty line: NA

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%; note - Chinese and Portuguese are official languages; Macanese, a Portuguese-based Creole, is also spoken (2021 est.)
Major-language samples:  世界概况, 必須擁有的基本資料参考书 (Cantonese)

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

Age structure
0-14 years: 14.42% (male 47,202/female 45,056)
15-64 years: 70.73% (male 211,278/female 241,366)
65 years and over: 14.86% (2023 est.) (male 44,657/female 50,412)

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 years (2023 est.)
Male: 41.2 years
Female: 42.5 years

Population growth rate: 0.71% (2023 est.)

Birth rate: 8.8 births/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Death rate: 4.8 deaths/1,000 population (2023 est.)

Net migration rate: 3.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2023 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: 0.88 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.89 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.9 male(s)/female (2023 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 4.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2023 est.)
Male: 4.6 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 4.4 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 85.2 years (2023 est.)
Male: 82.3 years
Female: 88.2 years

Total fertility rate: 1.23 children born/woman (2023 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate: NA

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

Current health expenditure: NA

Physicians density: NA

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: 9.2% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 11.7%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 6.6%

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

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

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

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 HO lat Seng (since 20 December 2019)
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 24 August 2019 (next to be held in 2024)
Election results:

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)
Election 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, UMG 2, UPP 2, ABL 2, NE 2, PS 1; composition 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:
Note: there is no political party ordinance, so there are no registered political parties; politically active groups register as societies or companies

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)

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:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real gdp growth rate:

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2017 dollars

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 24.2% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 9.9% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 18.5% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0.8% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 79.4% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -32% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 0% (2016 est.)
Industry: 6.3% (2017 est.)
Services: 93.7% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: pork, poultry, beef, pig fat, pig offals, eggs, pepper, cattle offals, cattle hides, goose/guinea fowl meat

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

Industrial production growth rate: 5.17% (2021 est.)

Labor force: 404,500 (2021 est.)

Unemployment rate:

Youth unemployment
Rate ages 15 24 total: 9.2% (2021 est.)
Rate ages 15 24 male: 11.7%
Rate ages 15 24 female: 6.6%

Population below poverty line: NA

Gini index
Coefficient distribution of family income: 35 (2013 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10%: NA
Highest 10%: NA

Budget
Revenues: $18.119 billion (2019 est.)
Expenditures: $10.165 billion (2019 est.)
Surplus  or deficit: 10% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues: 21.73% (of GDP) (2020 est.)

Public debt:

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

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:

Current account balance:

Exports:
Note: includes reexports
Partners: Hong Kong 66%, China 9% (2019)
Commodities: jewelry, broadcasting equipment, watches, telephones, clothing and apparel (2021)

Imports:
Partners: China 33%, Hong Kong 31%, France 5% (2019)
Commodities: jewelry, watches, electricity, aircraft, cars (2019)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Note: the Fiscal Reserves Act that came into force on 1 January 2012 requires the fiscal reserves to be separated from the foreign exchange reserves and to be managed separately; the transfer of assets took place in February 2012

Debt external:

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Access electrification-total population: 100% (2021)
Installed generating capacity: 478,000 kW (2020 est.)
Consumption: 5,278,600,000 kWh (2020 est.)
Exports: 0 kWh (2020 est.)
Imports: 4,852,600,000 kWh (2020 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 136 million kWh (2020 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels: 66.4% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources solar: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources wind: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources tide and wave: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources geothermal: 0% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)
Generation sources biomass and waste: 33.6% of total installed capacity (2020 est.)

Coal
Production: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Consumption: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Exports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Imports: 0 metric tons (2020 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 metric tons (2019 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2021 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 14,300 bbl/day (2019 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate exports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil and lease condensate imports: 0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 0 barrels (2021 est.)

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports: 14,180 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Consumption: 136.714 million cubic meters (2019 est.)
Exports: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)
Imports: 133.712 million cubic meters (2019 est.)
Proven reserves: 0 cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 2.012 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 0 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 1.744 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 268,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2019 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 81.407 million Btu/person (2019 est.)

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 92,382 (2022 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 16 (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 2.8 million (2021 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 410 (2021 est.)

Broadcast media: local government dominates broadcast media; 2 television stations operated by the government with one broadcasting in Portuguese and the other in Cantonese and Mandarin; 1 cable TV and 4 satellite TV services available; 3 radio stations broadcasting, of which 2 are government-operated (2019)

Internet
Country code: .mo
Users total: 607,200 (2021 est.)
Users percent of population: 88% (2021 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 208,000 (2020 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 32 (2020 est.)

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)

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 (2021)
With paved runways: 1
With paved runways note: paved runways have a concrete or asphalt surface but not all have facilities for refueling, maintenance, or air traffic control; the length of a runway required for aircraft to safely operate depends on a number of factors including the type of aircraft, the takeoff weight (including passengers, cargo, and fuel), engine types, flap settings, landing speed, elevation of the airport, and average maximum daily air temperature; paved runways can reach a length of 5,000 m (16,000 ft.), but the “typical” length of a commercial airline runway is between 2,500-4,000 m (8,000-13,000 ft.)

Heliports: 2 (2021)

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

Merchant marine
Total: 1 (2022)
By type: other 1

Ports and terminals
Major seaports: Macau

Disputes international: none identified

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