2018 Edition

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.

Area

land

28.2 sq km

total

28.2 sq km

water

0 sq km

Area Comparative

less than one-sixth the size of Washington, DC

Climate

subtropical; marine with cool winters, warm summers

Coastline

41 km

Elevation

0 m lowest point: South China Sea

note

172 highest point: Alto Coloane

Environment Current Issues

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

Environment International Agreements

party to

Marine Dumping (associate member), Ship Pollution (associate member)

Geographic Coordinates

22 10 N, 113 33 E

Geography Note

essentially urban; an area of land reclaimed from the sea measuring 5.2 sq km 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

regional borders (1)

China 3 km

total

3 km

Land Use

arable land: 0% (2011 est.) / permanent crops: 0% (2011 est.) / permanent pasture: 0% (2011 est.)

agricultural land

0% (2011 est.)

forest

0% (2011 est.)

other

100% (2011 est.)

Location

Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China

Map References

Southeast Asia

Maritime Claims

note

not specified

Natural Hazards

typhoons

Natural Resources

NEGL

Population Distribution

population fairly equally distributed

Terrain

generally flat

Age Structure

0-14 years

13.92% (male 43,730 /female 40,651)

15-24 years

11.22% (male 35,874 /female 32,146)

25-54 years

49.75% (male 134,301 /female 167,359)

55-64 years

13.95% (male 42,409 /female 42,174)

65 years and over

11.16% (male 31,689 /female 36,007) (2018 est.)

Birth Rate

8.4 births/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Death Rate

4.6 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Dependency Ratios

elderly dependency ratio

10.9 (2015 est.)

potential support ratio

9.2 (2015 est.)

total dependency ratio

26.6 (2015 est.)

youth dependency ratio

15.7 (2015 est.)

Education Expenditures

3% of GDP (2015)

Ethnic Groups

Chinese 88.7%, Portuguese 1.1%, mixed 1.1%, other 9.2% (includes Macanese - mixed Portuguese and Asian ancestry) (2016 est.)

Hiv Aids Adult Prevalence Rate

NA

Hiv Aids Deaths

NA

Hiv Aids People Living With Hiv Aids

NA

Infant Mortality Rate

female

2.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)

male

3.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)

total

3.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.)

Languages

Cantonese 80.1%, Mandarin 5.5%, other Chinese dialects 5.3%, Tagalog 3%, English 2.8%, Portuguese 0.6%, other 2.8% (2016 est.)

note

Chinese and Portuguese are official languages

Life Expectancy At Birth

female

87.7 years (2018 est.)

male

81.6 years (2018 est.)

total population

84.6 years (2018 est.)

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write (2016 est.)

female

95% (2016 est.)

male

98.2% (2016 est.)

total population

96.5% (2016 est.)

Median Age

female

39.7 years (2018 est.)

male

39.9 years

total

39.8 years

Nationality

adjective

Chinese

noun

Chinese

Net Migration Rate

3.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2017 est.)

Physicians Density

2.41 physicians/1,000 population (2010)

Population

606,340 (July 2017 est.) (July 2018 est.)

note

Macau's statistical agency estimated the total population to be approximately 648,550 as of September 2017

Population Growth Rate

0.71% (2018 est.)

Religions

folk religion 58.9%, Buddhist 17.3%, Christian 7.2%, other 1.2%, none 15.4% (2010 est.)

School Life Expectancy Primary To Tertiary Education

female

15 years (2015)

male

14 years (2015)

total

15 years (2015)

Sex Ratio

0-14 years

1.09 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

15-24 years

1.11 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

25-54 years

0.8 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

55-64 years

1.01 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

65 years and over

0.88 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

total population

0.91 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

Total Fertility Rate

0.95 children born/woman (2018 est.)

Unemployment Youth Ages 15 24

female

2.9% (2016 est.)

male

6.5% (2016 est.)

total

5.1% (2016 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

1.63% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)

urban population

100% of total population (2018)

Administrative Divisions

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

Citizenship

note

see China

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 (2018)

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) (2018)

Country Name

conventional long form

Macau Special Administrative Region

conventional short form

Macau

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"

official long form

Aomen Tebie Xingzhengqu (Chinese); Regiao Administrativa Especial de Macau (Portuguese)

official short form

Aomen (Chinese); Macau (Portuguese)

Dependency Status

special administrative region of the People's Republic of China

Diplomatic Representation From The Us

note

the US has no offices in Macau; US Consulate General in Hong Kong is accredited to Macau

Diplomatic Representation In The Us

note

none (Special Administrative Region of China)

Executive Branch

cabinet

Executive Council appointed by the chief executive

chief of state

President of China XI Jinping (since 14 March 2013)

election results

Fernando CHUI Sai On reelected chief executive; Election Committee vote - 380 of 396

elections/appointments

president indirectly elected by National People's Congress for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 17 March 2018 (next to be held in March 2023);chief executive chosen by a 400-member Election Committee for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 29 August 2014 (next to be held in 2019);

head of government

Chief Executive Fernando CHUI Sai On (since 20 December 2009)

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

Government Type

presidential limited democracy; a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China

Independence

none (special administrative region of China)

International Organization Participation

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

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

Legal System

civil law system based on the Portuguese model

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)

election results

percent of vote - UMG 10%, UPD 9.7%, ACUM 8.6%, NE 8.3%, UPP 7.2, ANMD 6.6%, NUDM 6.1%, ACDM 5.9%, APMD 5.8%, Civic Watch 5.6%, ABL 5.5%, ANPM 5.3%, other 15.4%; seats by political group - UMG 2, UPD 2, ABL 1, ACDM 1, ACUM 1, ANMD 1, ANPM 1, APMD 1, Civic Watch 1, NE 1, NUDM 1, UPP 1; 12 seats filled by professional and business groups; 7 members appointed by the chief executive; composition - men 27, women 6, percent of women 18.6%

elections

last held on 17 September 2017 (next to be held in 2021)

National Anthem

note

as a Special Administrative Region of China, "Yiyongjun Jinxingqu" is the official anthem (see 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

National Symbol S

lotus blossom; national colors: green, white, yellow

Political Parties And Leaders

Alliance for Change or APM [Melinda CHAN Mei-yi]Alliance for a Happy Home or ABL [WONG Kit-cheng] (an electoral list of UPP)Civic Watch or Civico [Agnes LAM Iok-fong]Macau-Guangdong Union or UMG [MAK Soi-kun]Macau Citizens' Development Association or ACDM [Becky SONG Pek-kei] (an electoral list of ACUM)New Democratic Macau Association or ANMD [AU Kam-san]New Hope or NE [Jose Maria Pereira COUTINHO]New Macau Association (New Macau Progressives) or AMN or ANPM [Sulu SOU Ka-hou]New Union for Macau's Development or NUDM [Angela LEONG On-kei]Prosperous Democratic Macau Association or APMD (an electoral list of AMN)Union for Development or UPD [Ella LEI Cheng-I]Union for Promoting Progress or UPP [HO Ion-sang]United Citizens Association of Macau or ACUM [CHAN Meng-kam]

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

Agriculture Products

only 2% of land area is cultivated, mainly by vegetable growers; fishing, mostly for crustaceans, is important; some of the catch is exported to Hong Kong

Budget

expenditures

9.684 billion (2017 est.)

revenues

14.71 billion (2017 est.)

Budget Surplus Or Deficit

10% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Commercial Bank Prime Lending Rate

5.25% (31 December 2017 est.)

5.25% (31 December 2016 est.)

Current Account Balance

$16.75 billion (2017 est.)

$12.22 billion (2016 est.)

Debt External

$0 (31 December 2013)

$0 (31 December 2012)

Distribution Of Family Income Gini Index

35 (2013)

38 (2008)

Economy Overview

Since opening up its locally-controlled casino industry to foreign competition in 2001, Macau has attracted tens of billions of dollars in foreign investment, transforming the territory into one of the world's largest gaming centers. Macau's gaming and tourism businesses were fueled by China's decision to relax travel restrictions on Chinese citizens wishing to visit Macau. In 2016, Macau's gaming-related taxes accounted for more than 76% of total government revenue.Macau's economy slowed dramatically in 2009 as a result of the global economic slowdown, but strong growth resumed in the 2010-13 period, largely on the back of tourism from mainland China and the gaming sectors. In 2015, this city of 646,800 hosted nearly 30.7 million visitors. Almost 67% came from mainland China. Macau's traditional manufacturing industry has slowed greatly since the termination of the Multi-Fiber Agreement in 2005. Services export — primarily gaming — increasingly has driven Macau’s economic performance. Mainland China’s anti-corruption campaign brought Macau’s gambling boom to a halt in 2014, with spending in casinos contracting 34.3% in 2015. As a result, Macau's inflation-adjusted GDP contracted 21.5% in 2015 and another 2.1% in 2016 - down from double-digit expansion rates in the period 2010-13 - but the economy recovered handsomely in 2017.Macau continues to face the challenges of managing its growing casino industry, risks from money-laundering activities, and the need to diversify the economy away from heavy dependence on gaming revenues. Macau's currency, the pataca, is closely tied to the Hong Kong dollar, which is also freely accepted in the territory.

Exchange Rates

patacas (MOP) per US dollar -

8 (2017 est.)

7.9951 (2016 est.)

7.9951 (2015 est.)

7.985 (2014 est.)

7.9871 (2013 est.)

Exports

$1.137 billion (2013 est.)

note

includes reexports

Exports Commodities

clothing, textiles, footwear, toys, electronics, machinery and parts

Exports Partners

Hong Kong 58.5%, China 18.8% (2017)

Fiscal Year

calendar year

Gdp Composition By End Use

exports of goods and services

79.4% (2017 est.)

government consumption

9.9% (2017 est.)

household consumption

24.2% (2017 est.)

imports of goods and services

-32% (2017 est.)

investment in fixed capital

18.5% (2017 est.)

investment in inventories

0.8% (2017 est.)

Gdp Composition By Sector Of Origin

agriculture

0% (2016 est.)

industry

6.3% (2017 est.)

services

93.7% (2017 est.)

Gdp Official Exchange Rate

$50.36 billion (2017 est.) (2017 est.)

Gdp Per Capita Ppp

$110,000 (2017 est.)

$102,100 (2016 est.)

$102,600 (2015 est.)

Gdp Purchasing Power Parity

$71.82 billion (2017 est.)

$65.84 billion (2016 est.)

$66.41 billion (2015 est.)

note

data are in 2017 dollars

Gdp Real Growth Rate

9.1% (2017 est.)

-0.9% (2016 est.)

-21.6% (2015 est.)

Household Income Or Consumption By Percentage Share

highest 10%

NA

lowest 10%

NA

Imports

$11.55 billion (2016 est.)

$0 (2014 est.)

Imports Commodities

raw materials and semi-manufactured goods, consumer goods (foodstuffs, beverages, tobacco, garments and footwear, motor vehicles), capital goods, mineral fuels and oils

Imports Partners

China 33.9%, Italy 9.3%, Hong Kong 9%, France 7.5%, Switzerland 7.4%, Japan 7.2%, US 4.4% (2017)

Industrial Production Growth Rate

2% (2017 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation Rate Consumer Prices

1.2% (2017 est.)

2.4% (2016 est.)

Labor Force

400,000 (2017 est.)

Labor Force By Occupation

agriculture

2.5%

agriculture/fishing/forestry/mining

15%

commerce

20.3% (2013 est.)

construction

7.1%

industry

9.8%

industry and services

12.4%

manufacturing

25.9%

services

4.4%

transportation and utilities

2.6%

Market Value Of Publicly Traded Shares

$85.5 billion (2 March 2012 est.)

$2.3 billion (31 December 2008 est.)

$46.1 billion (31 est.)

Population Below Poverty Line

NA

Public Debt

0% of GDP (2017 est.)

0% of GDP (2016 est.)

Reserves Of Foreign Exchange And Gold

$20.17 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$18.89 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

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

Stock Of Broad Money

$8.866 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$7.858 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

Stock Of Direct Foreign Investment Abroad

$1.166 billion (2012 est.)

$667.8 million (2011 est.)

Stock Of Direct Foreign Investment At Home

$18.91 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$14.91 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

Stock Of Domestic Credit

$18.24 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$17.16 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

Stock Of Narrow Money

$8.866 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

$7.858 billion (31 December 2016 est.)

Taxes And Other Revenues

29.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Unemployment Rate

2% (2017 est.)

1.9% (2016 est.)

Carbon Dioxide Emissions From Consumption Of Energy

2.563 million Mt (2017 est.)

Crude Oil Exports

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Crude Oil Imports

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Crude Oil Production

0 bbl/day (2017 est.)

Crude Oil Proved Reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2018 est.)

Electricity Access

electrification - rural areas

72% (2012)

electrification - total population

91% (2012)

electrification - urban areas

91% (2012)

population without electricity

59,742 (2012)

Electricity Consumption

5.077 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity Exports

0 kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity From Fossil Fuels

100% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)

Electricity From Hydroelectric Plants

0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity From Nuclear Fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity From Other Renewable Sources

0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)

Electricity Imports

4.306 billion kWh (2016 est.)

Electricity Installed Generating Capacity

472,000 kW (2016 est.)

Electricity Production

929 million kWh (2016 est.)

Natural Gas Consumption

178.2 million cu m (2017 est.)

Natural Gas Exports

0 cu m (2017 est.)

Natural Gas Imports

175.5 million cu m (2017 est.)

Natural Gas Production

0 cu m (2017 est.)

Natural Gas Proved Reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2014 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Consumption

12,700 bbl/day (2016 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Exports

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Imports

14,180 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Refined Petroleum Products Production

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Broadband Fixed Subscriptions

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

30 (2017 est.)

total

177,959 (2017 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 (2015)

Internet Country Code

.mo

Internet Users

percent of population

77.6% (July 2016 est.)

total

460,000 (July 2016 est.)

Telephone System

domestic

fixed-line 24 per 100 and mobile-celluar 327 per 100 subscriptions (2017)

general assessment

modern communication facilities maintained for domestic and international services; high moible subscriber numbers and mobile penetration with 4 network operators and a mobile virtual network operator (MNVO), offering 4 G and LTE services; 5G wireless technology for commerical use in 2020, possible synchronizing with neighbouring regions (2017)

international

country code - 853; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3 submarine cable network that provides links to Asia, the Middle East, and Europe; HF radiotelephone communication facility; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (2016)

Telephones Fixed Lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

24 (July 2016 est.)

total subscriptions

142,000 (July 2016 est.)

Telephones Mobile Cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

327 (July 2016 est.)

total subscriptions

1,969,972 (July 2016 est.)

Airports

1 (2013)

Airports With Paved Runways

over 3,047 m

1 (2017)

total

1 (2017)

Civil Aircraft Registration Country Code Prefix

B-M (2016)

Heliports

2 (2013)

Merchant Marine

by type

other 1 (2017)

total

1 (2017)

National Air Transport System

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers

25.435 million mt-km (2015)

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers

2,276,436 (2015)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers

17 (registered in China) (2015)

number of registered air carriers

1 (registered in China) (2015)

Ports And Terminals

major seaport(s)

Macau

Roadways

paved

427 km (2016)

total

427 km (2016)

Military Branches

no regular indigenous military forces

Military Note

defense is the responsibility of China

Disputes International

none

Illicit Drugs

transshipment point for drugs going into mainland China; consumer of opiates and amphetamines