Page last updated on January 31, 2014

Introduction:
Background:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
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 (SAR) 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 next 50 years.
Geography:
Location:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China
Geographic coordinates:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
22 10 N, 113 33 E
Map references:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
Southeast Asia
Area:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
total: 28.2 sq km
country comparison to the world: 237
land: 28.2 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
less than one-sixth the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
total: 0.34 km
regional border: China 0.34 km
Coastline:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
41 km
Maritime claims:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
not specified
Climate:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
subtropical; marine with cool winters, warm summers
Terrain:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
generally flat
Elevation extremes:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: Coloane Alto 172 m
Natural resources:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
NEGL
Land use:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (2011)
Irrigated land:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
NA; note - included in the total for China
Natural hazards:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
typhoons
Environment - current issues:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
NA
Environment - international agreements:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
party to: Marine Dumping (associate member), Ship Pollution (associate member)
Geography - note:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
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
People and Society:
Nationality:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
noun: Chinese
adjective: Chinese
Ethnic groups:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
Chinese 92.4%, other 7.6% (includes Macanese - mixed Portuguese and Asian ancestry) (2011 census)
Languages:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
Cantonese 83.3%, Mandarin 5%, Hokkien 3.7%, other Chinese dialects 2%, English 2.3%, Tagalog 1.7%, Portuguese 0.7%, other 1.3%
note: Chinese and Portuguese are the official language (2011 census)
Religions:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
Buddhist 50%, Roman Catholic 15%, none or other 35% (1997 est.)
Population:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
583,003 (July 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 170
Age structure:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
0-14 years: 14.5% (male 44,454/female 40,089)
15-24 years: 14.5% (male 43,670/female 41,018)
25-54 years: 51% (male 133,043/female 164,369)
55-64 years: 11.1% (male 32,782/female 32,185)
65 years and over: 8.8% (male 24,091/female 27,302) (2013 est.)
population pyramid: "> Dependency ratios:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
total dependency ratio: 25.8 %
youth dependency ratio: 15.6 %
elderly dependency ratio: 10.2 %
potential support ratio: 9.8 (2013)
Median age:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
total: 37.2 years
male: 37.9 years
female: 36.7 years (2013 est.)
Population growth rate:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
0.85% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 130
Birth rate:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
9.03 births/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 208
Death rate:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
3.97 deaths/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 209
Net migration rate:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
3.43 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 30
Urbanization:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
urban population: 100% of total population (2011)
rate of urbanization: 2.01% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
Sex ratio:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.12 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.82 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female
total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2013 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
total: 3.15 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 218
male: 3.31 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 2.99 deaths/1,000 live births (2013 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
total population: 84.46 years
country comparison to the world: 2
male: 81.5 years
female: 87.56 years (2013 est.)
Total fertility rate:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
0.93 children born/woman (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 223
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
NA
Education expenditures:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
2.6% of GDP (2010)
country comparison to the world: 156
Literacy:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 95.6%
male: 97.8%
female: 93.7% (2011 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
total: 14 years
male: 14 years
female: 14 years (2008)
Unemployment, youth ages 15-24:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
total: 5.8%
country comparison to the world: 134
male: 7%
female: 4.7% (2011)
Government:
Country name:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
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)
Dependency status:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
special administrative region of the People's Republic of China
Government type:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
limited democracy
Administrative divisions:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
none (special administrative region of the People's Republic of China)
Independence:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
none (special administrative region of China)
National holiday:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
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:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
previous 1976 (Organic Statute of Macau, by Portugal); latest adopted 31 March 1993, effective 20 December 1999(Basic Law of the Macau Special Administrative Region, by the People's Republic of China, serves as Macau's constitution) (2013)
Legal system:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
civil law system based on the Portuguese model
Suffrage:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
18 years of age in direct elections for some legislative positions, universal for permanent residents living in Macau for the past seven years; note - indirect elections are limited to organizations registered as "corporate voters" (973 were registered in the 2009 legislative elections) and a 300-member Election Committee for the Chief Executive (CE) drawn from broad regional groupings, municipal organizations, central government bodies, and elected Macau officials
Executive branch:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
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 consists of 1 government secretary, 3 legislators, 4 businessmen, 1 pro-Beijing unionist, and 1 pro-Beijing educator
(For more information visit the World Leaders website )
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
elections: chief executive chosen by a 300-member Election Committee for a five-year term (current chief executive is eligible for a second term); election last held on 26 July 2009 (next to be held in July 2014)
note: the Legislative Assembly voted in August 2012 to expand the electoral committee to 400 seats for the 2014 election.
election results: Fernando CHUI Sai On elected in 2009 with 282 votes, took office on 20 December 2009
Legislative branch:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
unicameral Legislative Assembly (33 seats; 14 geographical constituency seats elected by popular vote, 12 functional constituency seats elected by indirect vote, and 7 seats appointed by the chief executive; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held on 15 September 2013 (next to be held in 2017)
election results: percent of vote - ACUM 18.0%, UMG 11.1%, UPP 10.8%, NE 9.0%, NUDM 8.9%, UPD 8.2%, APMD 7.5%, ANMD 6.0%, MUDAR 6.0%, others 14.5%; seats by political group - ACUM 3, UMG 2, UPP 2, NE 2, NUDM 1, UPD 1, APMD 1, ANMD 1, MUDAR 1; 12 seats filled by professional and business groups; 7 members appointed by the chief executive
Judicial branch:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
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
Political parties and leaders:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
Alliance for Change or MUDAR [Melinda CHAN Mei-yi]
note: there is no political party ordinance, so there are no registered political parties; politically active groups register as societies or companies
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
Civic Power [Agnes LAM lok-fong]
International organization participation:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
ICC (national committees), IHO, IMF, IMO (associate), Interpol (subbureau), ISO (correspondent), UNESCO (associate), UNWTO (associate), UPU, WCO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
none (Special Administrative Region of China)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
the US has no offices in Macau; US Consulate General in Hong Kong, currently Consul General Clifford A. HART Jr., is accredited to Macau
Flag description:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
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 symbol(s):
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
lotus blossom
National anthem:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
note: as a Special Administrative Region of China, "Yiyongjun Jinxingqu" is the official anthem (see China)
Economy:
Economy - overview:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
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. By 2006, Macau''s gaming revenue surpassed that of the Las Vegas strip, and gaming-related taxes accounted for more than 70% of total government revenue. Macau''s economy slowed dramatically in 2009 as a result of the global economic slowdown, but strong growth resumed in 2010-11, largely on the back of tourism from mainland China and the gaming sectors. In 2012, this city of 582,000 hosted nearly 28 million visitors. Almost 60% came from mainland China. Macau''s traditional manufacturing industry has slowed greatly since the termination of the Multi-Fiber Agreement in 2005. China is Macau''s second largest goods export market, behind Hong Kong, and followed by the United States. In 2012, exports were less than US$1 billion, while gaming receipts were US$38 billion, a 13.5% increase over 2011. Macau''s economy expanded by 10% in 2012; although impressive, it was a slower growth rate than in previous years. Macau continues to face the challenges of managing its growing casino industry, money-laundering, 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.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
$47.19 billion (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 98
note: data are in 2012 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
$44.3 billion (2012 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
10% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 9
GDP - per capita (PPP):
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
$82,400 (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 4
GDP - composition, by end use:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
household consumption: 19.9%
government consumption: 6.8%
investment in fixed capital: 13.4%
investment in inventories: 1.4%
exports of goods and services: 108.3%
imports of goods and services: -49.7%
GDP - composition, by sector of origin:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
agriculture: 0%
industry: 6.3%
services: 93.7% (2012 est.)
Agriculture - products:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
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
Industries:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
tourism, gambling, clothing, textiles, electronics, footwear, toys
Industrial production growth rate:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
8.4% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 25
Labor force:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
356,700 (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 161
Labor force - by occupation:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
manufacturing: 3%
construction: 6.6%
transport and communications: 4.3%
wholesale and retail trade: 12.7%
restaurants and hotels: 15.5%
gambling: 15.1%
public sector: 7.1%
financial services: 2.2%
other services: 33.5% (2012)
Unemployment rate:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
2% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 12
Population below poverty line:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Budget:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
revenues: $16.06 billion
expenditures: $4.731 billion (2012 est.)
Taxes and other revenues:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
36.2% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 61
Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-):
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
25.6% of GDP (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 3
Fiscal year:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
calendar year
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
6.1% (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 164
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
5.25% (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 155
Stock of narrow money:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
$5.862 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 95
Stock of broad money:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
$46.8 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 68
Stock of domestic credit:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
$-5.689 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 188
Market value of publicly traded shares:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
$85.5 billion (2 March 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 52
Current account balance:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
$16.13 billion (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 21
Exports:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
$1.02 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 155
note: includes reexports
Exports - commodities:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
clothing, textiles, footwear, toys, electronics, machinery and parts
Exports - partners:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
Hong Kong 50.3%, China 16.8%, US 6.2% (2012)
Imports:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
$8.866 billion (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 103
Imports - commodities:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
raw materials and semi-manufactured goods, consumer goods (foodstuffs, beverages, tobacco), capital goods, mineral fuels and oils
Imports - partners:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
China 32.2%, Hong Kong 11.6%, France 8.8%, Switzerland 8.6%, Italy 7.5%, Japan 5.9%, US 5.2% (2012)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
$16.6 billion (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 62
note: the Fiscal Reserves Act that came into force on 1 January 2012 requires the fiscal reserve to be separated from the foreign exchange reserves and to be managed separately; the transfer of assets took place in February 2012
Debt - external:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
$0 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 204
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
$14.9 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 80
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
$672.1 million (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 81
Exchange rates:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
patacas (MOP) per US dollar -
Energy:
Electricity - production:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
561 million kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 160
Electricity - consumption:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
4.214 billion kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 121
Electricity - exports:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
0 kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 97
Electricity - imports:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
3.86 billion kWh (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 41
Electricity - installed generating capacity:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
472,000 kW (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 141
Electricity - from fossil fuels:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
100% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 22
Electricity - from nuclear fuels:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 130
Electricity - from hydroelectric plants:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 180
Electricity - from other renewable sources:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
0% of total installed capacity (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 197
Crude oil - production:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 189
Crude oil - exports:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 148
Crude oil - imports:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 86
Crude oil - proved reserves:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
0 bbl (1 January 2013 es)
country comparison to the world: 157
Refined petroleum products - production:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 200
Refined petroleum products - consumption:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
7,522 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 160
Refined petroleum products - exports:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
0 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 192
Refined petroleum products - imports:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
5,948 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 144
Natural gas - production:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
0 cu m (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 159
Natural gas - consumption:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
0 cu m (2012)
country comparison to the world: 166
Natural gas - exports:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
0 cu m (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 139
Natural gas - imports:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
0 cu m (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 91
Natural gas - proved reserves:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
0 cu m (1 January 2013 es)
country comparison to the world: 163
Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
1.805 million Mt (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 150
Communications:
Telephones - main lines in use:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
162,500 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 132
Telephones - mobile cellular:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
1.613 million (2012)
country comparison to the world: 150
Telephone system:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
general assessment: fairly modern communication facilities maintained for domestic and international services
domestic: termination of monopoly over mobile-cellular telephone services in 2001 spurred sharp increase in subscriptions with mobile-cellular teledensity exceeding 200 per 100 persons; fixed-line subscribership appears to have peaked and is now in decline
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) (2011)
Broadcast media:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
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 (2012)
Internet country code:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
.mo
Internet hosts:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
327 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 189
Internet users:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
270,200 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 134
Transportation:
Airports:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
1 (2013)
country comparison to the world: 224
Airports - with paved runways:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2013)
Heliports:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
2 (2013)
Roadways:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
total: 413 km
country comparison to the world: 199
paved: 413 km (2009)
Ports and terminals:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
major seaport(s): Macau
Military:
Military branches:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
no regular indigenous military forces
Manpower available for military service:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
males age 16-49: 150,780 (2010 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
males age 16-49: 124,189
females age 16-49: 149,514 (2010 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
male: 4,274
female: 3,674 (2010 est.)
Military - note:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
defense is the responsibility of China
Transnational Issues:
Disputes - international:
Field Background: For all countries in alphabetical order
none