Macau
Background
Portuguese ships began arriving in 1513. In the 1550s, Portuguese paying tribute to China settled in Macau, which became the official entrepôt for all international trade with China and Japan and the first European settlement in the Far East. The first governor was appointed in the 17th century, but the Portuguese remained largely under the control of the Chinese. In the 1930s and โ40s Macau was declared a neutral territory during the Sino-Japanese War and World War II and became a refuge for both Chinese and Europeans. Portugal officially made Macau an overseas province in 1951. In April 1987, Portugal and China reached an agreement to return Macau to Chinese rule in 1999, using the Hong Kong Joint Declaration between China and the UK as a model. 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 next 50 years. However, after China's multi-year crackdown against the pro-democracy movement in nearby Hong Kong, the governments of China and the Macau Special Administrative Region worked to limit Macau's political autonomy by suppressing opposition activity in the 2021 legislative elections.
Area
Coastline
41 km
Elevation
Geographic coordinates
Geography - note
primarily urban; an area of land reclaimed from the sea measuring 5.2 sq km (2 sq mi) and known as Cotai now connects the islands of Coloane and Taipa; the island area is connected to the mainland peninsula by three bridges
Irrigated land
0 sq km (2012)
Land boundaries
total: 3 km regional borders (1): China 3 km
Location
Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China
Map references
Southeast Asia
Maritime claims
not specified
Natural hazards
typhoons
Natural resources
Terrain
generally flat
Age structure
Birth rate
Death rate
Dependency ratios
total dependency ratio: 44.6 (2025 est.) youth dependency ratio: 20.7 (2025 est.) elderly dependency ratio: 24 (2025 est.) potential support ratio: 4.2 (2025 est.)
Education expenditure
6.3% of GDP (2020 est.)
Ethnic groups
Gross reproduction rate
0.61 (2025 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total: 4.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.) male: 4.5 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.3 deaths/1,000 live births
Languages
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 85.3 years (2024 est.) male: 82.5 years female: 88.3 years
Major urban areas - population
682,000 Macau (2023)
Median age
total: 43 years (2025 est.) male: 41.5 years female: 43.1 years
Nationality
noun: Chinese adjective: Chinese
Net migration rate
3.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)
Population distribution
population fairly equally distributed
Population growth rate
0.64% (2025 est.)
Population
- breakdown
- {"male":{"value":306726,"unit":"people","formatted":"306,726","name":"Male Population"},"female":{"value":341940,"unit":"people","formatted":"341,940","name":"Female Population"}}
- meta
- {"year":2025}
Religions
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
total: 18 years male: 17 years female: 19 years (2021)
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.)
Total fertility rate
1.25 children born/woman (2025 est.)
Carbon dioxide emissions
1.595 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.) from coal and metallurgical coke: -1,239 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.) from petroleum and other liquids: 1.358 million metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.) from consumed natural gas: 238,000 metric tonnes of CO2 (2023 est.)
Climate
subtropical; marine with cool winters, warm summers
Environmental issues
air pollution; coastal water pollution; solid-waste disposal; noise pollution
Land use
agricultural land: 0% (2022 est.) forest: 0% (2022 est.) other: 100% (2022 est.)
Urbanization
urban population: 100% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 1.46% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Waste and recycling
municipal solid waste generated annually: 377,900 tons (2024 est.)
Citizenship
see China
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) amendment process: proposed by the Standing Committee of the National Peopleโs Congress (NPC), the Peopleโs 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
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 derived from the Chinese ama-gao, or โBay of Ama,โ for Ama, the patron goddess of sailors
Dependency status
special administrative region of the People's Republic of China
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 election/appointment process: president indirectly elected by National People's Congress for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); chief executive chosen by a 400-member Election Committee for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term) most recent election date: president: 10 March 2023 chief executive: 13 October 2024 election results: 2024: Sam Hou FAI (unopposed; received 394 out of 400 votes) 2019: HO lat Seng (unopposed; received 392 out of 400 votes) expected date of next election: president: March 2028 chief executive: 2029
Flag
description: green with a lotus flower above a stylized bridge and water in white, under an arc of five five-pointed gold stars meaning: the lotus is the national floral emblem, and the three petals represent the country's peninsula and two islands; the five stars echo the Chinese flag
Government type
executive-led limited democracy; a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China
Independence
International organization participation
Judicial branch
highest court(s): 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
Legal system
civil law system based on the Portuguese model
Legislative branch
legislature name: Legislative Assembly (Regiao Administrativa Especial de Macau) legislative structure: unicameral number of seats: 33 (14 directly elected, 12 indirectly elected, 7 appointed) electoral system: mixed scope of elections: full renewal term in office: 4 years most recent election date: 9/12/2021 parties elected and seats per party: United Citizens Association of Macau (ACUM) (3); Union for Development (UPD) (2); Macau-Guangdong Union (UGM) (2); Union for Promoting Progress (UPP) (2); Alliance for a Happy Home (ABL) (2); New Hope (NE) (2); Association of Synergy of Macau (PS) (1) expected date of next election: September 2025
National anthem(s)
title: "Yiyongjun Jinxingqu" (The March of the Volunteers) lyrics/music: TIAN Han/NIE Er history: official anthem, as a Special Administrative Region of China
National color(s)
green, white, yellow
National holiday
National symbol(s)
lotus blossom
Political parties
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 note: there is no political party ordinance, so there are no registered political parties; politically active groups register as societies or companies
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
Agricultural products
Budget
revenues: $12.513 billion (2023 est.) expenditures: $11.509 billion (2023 est.) note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
Current account balance
$14.38 billion (2023 est.) $3.476 billion (2022 est.) $2.705 billion (2021 est.) note: balance of payments - net trade and primary/secondary income in current dollars
Economic 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
Exchange rates
patacas (MOP) per US dollar - Exchange rates: 8.037 (2024 est.) 8.063 (2023 est.) 8.065 (2022 est.) 8.006 (2021 est.) 7.989 (2020 est.)
Exports - commodities
Exports - partners
Exports
GDP - composition, by end use
GDP - composition, by sector of origin
GDP - composition, by sector of origin
GDP (official exchange rate)
Imports - commodities
Imports - partners
Imports
Industrial production growth rate
6.8% (2023 est.) note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency
Industries
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
0.5% (2023 est.) 1% (2022 est.) 0% (2021 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices
Labor force
382,100 (2024 est.) note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work
Real GDP growth rate
8.8% (2024 est.) 75.1% (2023 est.) -19.6% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency
Real GDP per capita
Real GDP (purchasing power parity)
$77.524 billion (2024 est.) $71.248 billion (2023 est.) $40.699 billion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars
Remittances
0.2% of GDP (2023 est.) 0.4% of GDP (2022 est.) 0.2% of GDP (2021 est.) note: personal transfers and compensation between resident and non-resident individuals/households/entities
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$29.392 billion (2024 est.) $27.771 billion (2023 est.) $25.971 billion (2022 est.) note: holdings of gold (year-end prices)/foreign exchange/special drawing rights in current dollars
Taxes and other revenues
22.8% (of GDP) (2023 est.) note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP
Unemployment rate
2.5% (2024 est.) 2.3% (2023 est.) 2.5% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment
Youth unemployment rate (ages 15-24)
7.2% (2024 est.)
Coal
exports: 600 metric tons (2023 est.) imports: 7 metric tons (2023 est.)
Electricity access
electrification - total population: 100% (2022 est.)
Electricity generation sources
Electricity generation sources
Electricity
installed generating capacity: 427,000 kW (2023 est.) consumption: 5.659 billion kWh (2023 est.) imports: 5.327 billion kWh (2023 est.) transmission/distribution losses: 161.125 million kWh (2023 est.)
Energy consumption per capita
64.641 million Btu/person (2023 est.)
Natural gas
consumption: 121.747 million cubic meters (2023 est.) imports: 121.716 million cubic meters (2023 est.)
Petroleum
refined petroleum consumption: 11,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Broadband - fixed subscriptions
30 (2023 est.)
Broadcast media
local government dominates broadcast media; 2 TV 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
Internet users
percent of population: 89% (2023 est.)
Telephones - mobile cellular
total subscriptions: 1.45 million (2024 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 201 (2024 est.)
Airports
1 (2025)
Civil aircraft registration country code prefix
B-M
Heliports
4 (2025)
Merchant marine
total: 5 (2023) by type: other 5
Ports
total ports: 1 (2024) large: 0 medium: 1 small: 0 very small: 0 ports with oil terminals: 1 key ports: Macau
Military and security forces
Macau Public Security Police Force
Military - note
defense is the responsibility of China; the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) maintains a garrison in Macau