Macau

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

total: 177,959 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 30 (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 (2019)

Internet country code

.mo

Internet users

total: 460,000 | percent of population: 77.6% (July 2016 est.)

Telephone system

general assessment: modern communication facilities maintained for domestic and international services; high mobile 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 commercial use in 2020, possible synchronizing with neighbouring regions (2018) | domestic: fixed-line 20 per 100 and mobile-celluar 344 per 100 persons (2018) | 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)

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 142,000 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 24 (July 2016 est.)

Telephones - mobile cellular

total subscriptions: 1,969,972 | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 327 (July 2016 est.)

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

revenues: 14.71 billion (2017 est.) | expenditures: 9.684 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

$1.45 billion (2018) | note: includes reexports

Exports - commodities

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

Exports - partners

Hong Kong 47.9%, China 12.6%, Japan 1% (2018)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP (official exchange rate)

$50.36 billion (2017 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 - 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.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$110,000 (2017 est.) | $102,100 (2016 est.) | $102,600 (2015 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

9.1% (2017 est.) | -0.9% (2016 est.) | -21.6% (2015 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA | highest 10%: NA

Imports

$9.7 billion (2017 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% | industry: 9.8% | services: 4.4% | industry and services: 12.4% | agriculture/fishing/forestry/mining: 15% | manufacturing: 25.9% | construction: 7.1% | transportation and utilities: 2.6% | commerce: 20.3% (2013 est.)

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 (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% (2016)

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.)

Area

total: 28.2 sq km | land: 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

lowest point: South China Sea 0 m | highest point: Alto Coloane 172 m

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

total: 3 km | regional borders (1): China 3 km

Land use

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

not specified

Natural hazards

typhoons

Natural resources

NEGL

Population distribution

population fairly equally distributed

Terrain

generally flat

Administrative divisions

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

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) | 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)

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"

Dependency status

special administrative region of the People's Republic of China

Diplomatic representation from the US

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

chief of state: President of China XI Jinping (since 14 March 2013) | head of government: Chief Executive Fernando CHUI Sai On (since 20 December 2009) | 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 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) | 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

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) | elections: last held on 17 September 2017 (next to be held in 2021) | 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%

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

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.

Military - note

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

Military and security forces

no regular indigenous military forces

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.) | population pyramid: The World Factbook Field Image Modal × East Asia/Southeast Asia :: Macau Print Image Description This is the population pyramid for Macau. A population pyramid illustrates the age and sex structure of a country's population and may provide insights about political and social stability, as well as economic development. The population is distributed along the horizontal axis, with males shown on the left and females on the right. The male and female populations are broken down into 5-year age groups represented as horizontal bars along the vertical axis, with the youngest age groups at the bottom and the oldest at the top. The shape of the population pyramid gradually evolves over time based on fertility, mortality, and international migration trends. For additional information, please see the entry for Population pyramid on the Definitions and Notes page under the References tab.

Birth rate

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

Death rate

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

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 26.6 (2015 est.) | youth dependency ratio: 15.7 (2015 est.) | elderly dependency ratio: 10.9 (2015 est.) | potential support ratio: 9.2 (2015 est.)

Education expenditures

2.7% of GDP (2017)

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

total: 3.1 deaths/1,000 live births (2018 est.) | male: 3.2 deaths/1,000 live births | female: 2.9 deaths/1,000 live births

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

total population: 84.6 years (2018 est.) | male: 81.6 years | female: 87.7 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write | total population: 96.5% | male: 98.2% | female: 95% (2016)

Median age

total: 39.8 years (2018 est.) | male: 39.9 years | female: 39.7 years

Nationality

noun: Chinese | adjective: Chinese

Net migration rate

3.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2018 est.)

Physicians density

2.41 physicians/1,000 population (2010)

Population

606,340 (July 2018 est.) | note: Macau's statistical agency estimated the total population to be approximately 648,550 as of September 2017

Population distribution

population fairly equally distributed

Population growth rate

0.71% (2018 est.)

Religions

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

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 16 years | male: 15 years | female: 16 years (2017)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female | 0-14 years: 1.08 male(s)/female | 15-24 years: 1.12 male(s)/female | 25-54 years: 0.8 male(s)/female | 55-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female | 65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female | total population: 0.9 male(s)/female (2018 est.)

Total fertility rate

0.95 children born/woman (2018 est.)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 5.3% | male: 6.7% | female: 3.9% (2017 est.)

Urbanization

urban population: 100% of total population (2019) | rate of urbanization: 1.63% annual rate of change (2015-20 est.)

Disputes - international

none

Illicit drugs

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

Airports

1 (2013)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 1 (2017) | over 3,047 m: 1 (2017)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

B-M (2016)

Heliports

2 (2013)

Merchant marine

total: 1 | by type: other 1 (2018)

National air transport system

number of registered air carriers: 1 (registered in China) (2015) | inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 17 (registered in China) (2015) | annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 2,276,436 (2015) | annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 25.435 million mt-km (2015)

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s): Macau

Roadways

total: 428 km (2017) | paved: 428 km (2017)