Macau

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Introduction

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.

Geography

Location

Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China

Geographic coordinates

22 10 N, 113 33 E

Map references

Southeast Asia

Area

total: 28.2 sq km
land: 28.2 sq km
water: 0 sq km
country comparison to the world: 237

Area - comparative

less than one-sixth the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries

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

Coastline

41 km

Maritime claims

not specified

Climate

subtropical; marine with cool winters, warm summers

Terrain

generally flat

Elevation

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

Natural resources

NEGL

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.)

Irrigated land

0 sq km (2012)

Population distribution

population fairly equally distributed

Natural hazards

typhoons

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)

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

People and Society

Population

606,340 (July 2018 est.)
note: Macau's statistical agency estimated the total population to be approximately 648,550 as of September 2017
country comparison to the world: 170

Nationality

noun: Chinese
adjective: Chinese

Ethnic groups

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

Religions

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

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:

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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.)

Median age

total: 39.8 years (2018 est.)
male: 39.9 years
female: 39.7 years
country comparison to the world: 51

Population growth rate

0.71% (2018 est.)
country comparison to the world: 141

Birth rate

8.4 births/1,000 population (2018 est.)
country comparison to the world: 217

Death rate

4.6 deaths/1,000 population (2018 est.)
country comparison to the world: 203

Net migration rate

3.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2018 est.)
country comparison to the world: 38

Population distribution

population fairly equally distributed

Urbanization

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

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.)

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
country comparison to the world: 211

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 84.6 years (2018 est.)
male: 81.6 years
female: 87.7 years
country comparison to the world: 4

Total fertility rate

0.95 children born/woman (2018 est.)
country comparison to the world: 223

Physicians density

2.41 physicians/1,000 population (2010)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths

NA

Education expenditures

2.7% of GDP (2017)
country comparison to the world: 152

Literacy

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

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

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

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 5.3%
male: 6.7%
female: 3.9% (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 163

Government

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

Government type

executive-led limited democracy; a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China

Administrative divisions

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

Independence

none (special administrative region of 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

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)

Legal system

civil law system based on the Portuguese model

Citizenship

see China

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

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

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%

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

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

International organization participation

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

Diplomatic representation in the US

none (Special Administrative Region of China)

Diplomatic representation from the US

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

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

National symbol(s)

lotus blossom; national colors: green, white, yellow

National anthem

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

Economy

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.

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
country comparison to the world: 98

GDP (official exchange rate)

$50.36 billion (2017 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

9.1% (2017 est.)
-0.9% (2016 est.)
-21.6% (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 6

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$110,000 (2017 est.)
$102,100 (2016 est.)
$102,600 (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 4

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.)

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

Industries

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

Industrial production growth rate

2% (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 131

Labor force

400,000 (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 159

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.)

Unemployment rate

2% (2017 est.)
1.9% (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 18

Population below poverty line

NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA

Distribution of family income - Gini index

35 (2013)
38 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 98

Budget

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

Taxes and other revenues

29.2% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 85

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

10% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 2

Public debt

0% of GDP (2017 est.)
0% of GDP (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 210

Fiscal year

calendar year

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

1.2% (2017 est.)
2.4% (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 65

Commercial bank prime lending rate

5.25% (31 December 2017 est.)
5.25% (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 145

Stock of narrow money

$8.866 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$7.858 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 86

Stock of broad money

$8.866 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$7.858 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 88

Stock of domestic credit

$18.24 billion (31 December 2017 est.)
$17.16 billion (31 December 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 93

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.)
country comparison to the world: 44

Current account balance

$16.75 billion (2017 est.)
$12.22 billion (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 18

Exports

$1.45 billion (2018)
note: includes reexports
country comparison to the world: 149

Exports - partners

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

Exports - commodities

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

Imports

$9.7 billion (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 102

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)

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
country comparison to the world: 59

Debt - external

$0 (31 December 2013)
$0 (31 December 2012)
country comparison to the world: 207

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$18.91 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
$14.91 billion (31 December 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 81

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$1.166 billion (2012 est.)
$667.8 million (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 89

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.)

Energy

Electricity access

electrification - total population: 100% (2016)

Electricity - production

929 million kWh (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 154

Electricity - consumption

5.077 billion kWh (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 123

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 162

Electricity - imports

4.306 billion kWh (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 43

Electricity - installed generating capacity

472,000 kW (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 150

Electricity - from fossil fuels

100% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 12

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 132

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 184

Electricity - from other renewable sources

0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 200

Crude oil - production

0 bbl/day (2018 est.)
country comparison to the world: 165

Crude oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 157

Crude oil - imports

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 156

Crude oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
country comparison to the world: 160

Refined petroleum products - production

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 168

Refined petroleum products - consumption

12,700 bbl/day (2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 158

Refined petroleum products - exports

0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 174

Refined petroleum products - imports

14,180 bbl/day (2015 est.)
country comparison to the world: 137

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 161

Natural gas - consumption

178.2 million cu m (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 107

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 142

Natural gas - imports

175.5 million cu m (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 73

Natural gas - proved reserves

0 cu m (1 January 2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 162

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

2.563 million Mt (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 153

Communications

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 142,000
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 24 (July 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 131

Telephones - mobile cellular

total subscriptions: 1,969,972
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 327 (July 2016 est.)
country comparison to the world: 150

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)

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.)
country comparison to the world: 149

Broadband - fixed subscriptions

total: 177,959
subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 30 (2017 est.)
country comparison to the world: 111

Military and Security

Military and security forces

no regular indigenous military forces

Military - note

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

Transportation

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 millionmt-km (2015)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

B-M (2016)

Airports

1 (2013)
country comparison to the world: 227

Airports - with paved runways

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

Heliports

2 (2013)

Roadways

total: 428 km (2017)
paved: 428 km (2017)
country comparison to the world: 193

Merchant marine

total: 1
by type: other 1 (2018)
country comparison to the world: 173

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s): Macau

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international

none

Illicit drugs

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

Flag of Macau

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