2021 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 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

highest point

Alto Coloane 172 m

lowest point

South China Sea 0 m

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

China 3 km

total

3 km

Land use

agricultural land

0% (2018 est.)

other

100% (2018 est.)

Location

Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China

Map references

Southeast Asia

Maritime claims

not specified

Natural hazards

typhoons

Natural resources

NEGL

Population distribution

population fairly equally distributed

Terrain

generally flat

Age structure

0-14 years

13.43% (male 42,449/female 40,051)

15-24 years

10.45% (male 33,845/female 30,354)

25-54 years

49% (male 134,302/female 166,762)

55-64 years

14.57% (male 44,512/female 45,007)

65 years and over

12.56% (male 36,223/female 40,953) (2020 est.)

Birth rate

9.41 births/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

NA

Contraceptive prevalence rate

NA

Current Health Expenditure

NA

Death rate

4.64 deaths/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Dependency ratios

elderly dependency ratio

16.2

potential support ratio

6.2 (2020 est.)

total dependency ratio

35.7

youth dependency ratio

19.5

Drinking water source

improved: total

total: 100% of population

improved: urban

urban: 100% of population

unimproved: total

total: 0% of population (2017 est.)

unimproved: urban

urban: 0% of population

Education expenditures

3.1% of GDP (2019)

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

4.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2021 est.)

male

4.77 deaths/1,000 live births

total

4.69 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

Languages

Cantonese 80.1%, Mandarin 5.5%, other Chinese dialects 5.3%, Tagalog 3%, English 2.8%, Portuguese 0.6%, other 2.8%; note - Chinese and Portuguese are official languages; Macanese, a Portuguese-based Creole, is also spoken (2016 est.)

major-language sample(s)

世界概况, 必須擁有的基本資料参考书 (Cantonese) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Life expectancy at birth

female

87.86 years (2021 est.)

male

81.89 years

total population

84.81 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

95% (2016)

male

98.2%

total population

96.5%

Median age

female

40.9 years (2020 est.)

male

40.7 years

total

40.8 years

Nationality

adjective

Chinese

noun

Chinese

Net migration rate

3.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2021 est.)

Physicians density

2.41 physicians/1,000 population (2010)

Population

630,396 (July 2021 est.)

Population distribution

population fairly equally distributed

Population growth rate

0.79% (2021 est.)

Religions

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

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

18 years (2020)

male

16 years

total

17 years

Sex ratio

0-14 years

1.06 male(s)/female

15-24 years

1.12 male(s)/female

25-54 years

0.81 male(s)/female

55-64 years

0.99 male(s)/female

65 years and over

0.88 male(s)/female

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

total population

0.9 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

Total fertility rate

1.21 children born/woman (2021 est.)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

female

6.4% (2020 est.)

male

9.9%

total

8.1%

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

1.46% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

100% of total population (2021)

Administrative divisions

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

Citizenship

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

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)

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

embassy

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

Diplomatic representation in the US

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; note - HO Iat Seng was elected chief executive (receiving 392 out of 400 votes) on 24 August 2019 and will take office on 20 December 2019

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 24 August 2019 (next to be held in 2024)

head of government

Chief Executive HO Iat Seng (since 20 December 2019)

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

executive-led 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 - 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

elections

last held on 12 September 2021 (next to be held in September 2025)

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

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

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

Budget

expenditures

9.684 billion (2017 est.)

revenues

14.71 billion (2017 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

10% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Credit ratings

Fitch rating

AA (2018)

Moody's rating

Aa3 (2016)

Current account balance

Current account balance 2016

$12.22 billion (2016 est.)

Current account balance 2017

$16.75 billion (2017 est.)

Debt - external

Debt - external 31 December 2012

$0 (31 December 2012)

Debt - external 31 December 2013

$0 (31 December 2013)

Economic 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

currency

patacas (MOP) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2013

7.9871 (2013 est.)

Exchange rates 2014

7.985 (2014 est.)

Exchange rates 2015

7.9951 (2015 est.)

Exchange rates 2016

7.9951 (2016 est.)

Exchange rates 2017

8 (2017 est.)

Exports

Exports 2018

$45.62 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)

Exports 2019

$45.35 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2019 est.)

note

note: includes reexports

Exports - commodities

broadcasting equipment, jewelry, watches, trunks/cases, telephones (2019)

Exports - partners

Hong Kong 66%, China 9% (2019)

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)

$53.841 billion (2019 est.)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2008

38 (2008)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income 2013

35 (2013)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

NA

lowest 10%

NA

Imports

Imports 2018

$18.28 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2018 est.)

Imports 2019

$17.35 billion note: data are in current year dollars (2019 est.)

Imports - commodities

jewelry, watches, electricity, aircraft, cars (2019)

Imports - partners

China 33%, Hong Kong 31%, France 5% (2019)

Industrial production growth rate

2% (2017 est.)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2017

1.2% (2017 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2018

3% (2018 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2019

2.7% (2019 est.)

Labor force

392,000 (2020 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%

Population below poverty line

NA

Public debt

Public debt 2016

0% of GDP (2016 est.)

Public debt 2017

0% of GDP (2017 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity)

note

note: data are in 2017 dollars

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2018

$83.64 billion note: data are in 2017 dollars (2018 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2019

$81.44 billion note: data are in 2017 dollars (2019 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) 2020

$35.58 billion note: data are in 2017 dollars (2020 est.)

Real GDP growth rate

Real GDP growth rate 2015

-21.6% (2015 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2016

-0.9% (2016 est.)

Real GDP growth rate 2017

9.1% (2017 est.)

Real GDP per capita

Real GDP per capita 2018

$132,400 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2018 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2019

$127,200 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2019 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2020

$54,800 note: data are in 2017 dollars (2020 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

note

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

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2015

$18.89 billion (31 December 2015 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold 31 December 2017

$20.17 billion (31 December 2017 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

29.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)

Unemployment rate

Unemployment rate 2016

1.9% (2016 est.)

Unemployment rate 2017

2% (2017 est.)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

female

6.4% (2020 est.)

male

9.9%

total

8.1%

Crude oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Crude oil - imports

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)

Crude oil - production

0 bbl/day (2018 est.)

Crude oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2018 est.)

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.)

Electricity access

electrification - total population

100% (2020)

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

29.88 (2019 est.)

total

193,057 (2018)

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

Internet users

percent of population

86.47% (2019 est.)

total

565,600 (2021 est.)

Telecommunication systems

domestic

fixed-line 20 per 100 and mobile-cellular 345 per 100 persons (2019)

general assessment

Macau’s sophisticated telecom market boasts one of the highest mobile penetration rates in the world due to high tourism; liberalized market is managed by independent regulator with effective competition in the mobile market; modern communication facilities maintained for domestic and international services; high mobile subscriber numbers and mobile penetration; offering 4G, LTE services and first phase of 5G network rollout; possible synchronizing with neighboring regions; Macau's smart city project spans areas of transportation, medical services, tourism, and e-government; importer of broadcast and video equipment from China (2020)

international

country code - 853; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3 submarine cable network that provides links to Asia, Africa, Australia, the Middle East, and Europe; HF radiotelephone communication facility; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (2019)

note

note: the COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a significant impact on production and supply chains globally; since 2020, some aspects of the telecom sector have experienced downturn, particularly in mobile device production; many network operators delayed upgrades to infrastructure; progress towards 5G implementation was postponed or slowed in some countries; consumer spending on telecom services and devices was affected by large-scale job losses and the consequent restriction on disposable incomes; the crucial nature of telecom services as a tool for work and school from home became evident, and received some support from governments

Telephones - fixed lines

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

19.55 (2018 est.)

total subscriptions

123,469 (2018)

Telephones - mobile cellular

subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

345.3 (2018 est.)

total subscriptions

2,181,194 (2018)

Airports

total

1 (2013)

Airports - with paved runways

over 3,047 m

1 (2019)

total

1

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

B-M

Heliports

2 (2013)

Merchant marine

by type

other 1 (2021)

total

1

National air transport system

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers

31.84 million mt-km (2018)

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers

3,157,724 (2018)

inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers

21 (registered in China)

number of registered air carriers

1 (registered in China) (2020)

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s)

Macau

Roadways

paved

428 km (2017)

total

428 km (2017)

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of China; the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) maintains a garrison in Macau

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) (2021)

Disputes - international

none

Illicit drugs

asian organized crime groups involved in drug trafficking and money laundering

Trafficking in persons

current situation

Macau is a destination and, to a much lesser extent, source for women and children subjected to sex trafficking and possibly forced labor; most victims come from the Chinese mainland, but others are trafficked from China, Russia, and Southeast Asia; victims are lured in by false job offers and forced into prostitution, often being confined to massage parlors and illegal brothels where their identity documents are confiscated and they are threatened with violence; Chinese, Russian, and Thai criminal organizations are believed to be involved in recruiting women for Macau’s commercial sex industry

tier rating

Tier 2 Watch List — Macau does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so; the government trained police, customs, and social welfare officials on human trafficking, funded an awareness campaign, and provided services to victims; authorities convicted three sex traffickers but did not sentence anyone to significant prison terms; authorities investigated only one potential trafficking case and made no prosecutions; the government provided no assistance to any victims, and officials did not initiate any prosecutions or sentence convicted traffickers to significant terms of imprisonment; Macau was downgraded to Tier 2 Watch List (2020)

Air pollutants

carbon dioxide emissions

2.07 megatons (2016 est.)

Climate

subtropical; marine with cool winters, warm summers

Environment - current issues

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

Land use

agricultural land

0% (2018 est.)

other

100% (2018 est.)

Revenue from coal

coal revenues

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Revenue from forest resources

forest revenues

0% of GDP (2018 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

1.46% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

urban population

100% of total population (2021)

Waste and recycling

municipal solid waste generated annually

377,942 tons (2016 est.)

municipal solid waste recycled annually

75,588 tons (2014 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled

20% (2014 est.)