Population growth in Macao
Macao: Population growth was -0.2% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Population growth in Macao, 1961–2025
Source: World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division. Measured in annual %.
Analysis
In 2025, population growth in Macao stood at -0.2%.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 113.3% on the previous year and down 104.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, population growth in Macao peaked at 21.4% in 1964 and was at its lowest, -4.0%, in 1971.
That places Macao 184th out of 218 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Population growth in Macao, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.0% | — |
| 1962 | 2.6% | +55272.6% |
| 1963 | 2.4% | -6.0% |
| 1964 | 21.4% | +791.5% |
| 1965 | 16.3% | -23.9% |
| 1966 | -1.0% | -106.2% |
| 1967 | -1.0% | -5.4% |
| 1968 | -1.0% | -0.2% |
| 1969 | -1.0% | +6.6% |
| 1970 | 0.8% | -179.6% |
| 1971 | -4.0% | -585.8% |
| 1972 | -1.0% | -75.9% |
| 1973 | -0.9% | -3.4% |
| 1974 | -0.9% | +0.9% |
| 1975 | -1.0% | +5.4% |
| 1976 | -1.1% | +11.8% |
| 1977 | -1.1% | +3.1% |
| 1978 | -0.2% | -79.1% |
| 1979 | 1.2% | -606.6% |
| 1980 | 1.9% | +56.5% |
| 1981 | 2.1% | +13.4% |
| 1982 | 3.9% | +85.5% |
| 1983 | 5.6% | +41.8% |
| 1984 | 4.9% | -12.2% |
| 1985 | 2.4% | -51.3% |
| 1986 | 2.2% | -9.4% |
| 1987 | 3.6% | +65.3% |
| 1988 | 2.9% | -18.0% |
| 1989 | 2.8% | -3.4% |
| 1990 | 3.0% | +5.1% |
| 1991 | 4.9% | +63.0% |
| 1992 | 5.3% | +9.5% |
| 1993 | 3.5% | -34.9% |
| 1994 | 3.3% | -5.5% |
| 1995 | 3.1% | -5.4% |
| 1996 | 1.4% | -54.6% |
| 1997 | 0.5% | -62.4% |
| 1998 | 1.2% | +125.3% |
| 1999 | 1.2% | +0.8% |
| 2000 | 0.7% | -37.9% |
| 2001 | 0.8% | +2.3% |
| 2002 | 1.0% | +35.1% |
| 2003 | 1.2% | +14.3% |
| 2004 | 2.5% | +109.6% |
| 2005 | 4.1% | +63.9% |
| 2006 | 5.2% | +29.0% |
| 2007 | 4.3% | -17.4% |
| 2008 | 3.7% | -13.5% |
| 2009 | -1.1% | -128.4% |
| 2010 | 0.4% | -135.2% |
| 2011 | 2.3% | +521.6% |
| 2012 | 3.3% | +41.2% |
| 2013 | 4.1% | +26.4% |
| 2014 | 4.9% | +18.7% |
| 2015 | 3.4% | -31.7% |
| 2016 | 1.5% | -55.8% |
| 2017 | -0.6% | -142.5% |
| 2018 | 1.6% | -354.8% |
| 2019 | 2.0% | +22.6% |
| 2020 | 2.0% | +0.3% |
| 2021 | -0.4% | -121.5% |
| 2022 | -0.8% | +80.4% |
| 2023 | 0.2% | -128.9% |
| 2024 | 1.2% | +442.8% |
| 2025 | -0.2% | -113.3% |
Macao compared with similar countries
- Macao's -0.2% is below the median for high income countries, which is 0.4%. (85 countries reporting)
- Macao's -0.2% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.6%. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Population growth in Macao changed far more than this series normally does. A large move can be a real event or a change in how the figure was measured — the source note below says who published it.
| Year | Change | From | To |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | +55272.6% | 0.0% | 2.6% |
| 1964 | +791.5% | 2.4% | 21.4% |
| 1979 | +606.6% | -0.2% | 1.2% |
| 1971 | -585.8% | 0.8% | -4.0% |
| 2011 | +521.6% | 0.4% | 2.3% |
| 2024 | +442.8% | 0.2% | 1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4.3% | -1.0% | 21.4% | 9 |
| 1970s | -0.8% | -4.0% | 1.2% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.2% | 1.9% | 5.6% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.7% | 0.5% | 5.3% | 10 |
| 2000s | 2.2% | -1.1% | 5.2% | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.3% | -0.6% | 4.9% | 10 |
| 2020s | 0.3% | -0.8% | 2.0% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Macao
More climate change data for Macao
- Share of global CO₂ emissions and population 0.0% (2100)
- Population, total, annual growth rate -0.1601 % change on previous year (2025)
- Population, total, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, annual growth rate -0.1601 % change on previous year (2025)
- Urban population, per unit of GDP 0 units per US$ of GDP (2025)
- Urban population, per capita 1 units per person (2025)
- Urban population 685,900 (2025)
- Urban population growth -0.2% (2025)
- Population, total 685,900 (2025)
- Cumulative CO₂ emissions, gaps filled 57.53 million tonnes (2024)
Frequently asked questions
- What is population growth in Macao?
- Population growth in Macao was -0.2% in 2025, according to World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division.
- What is the highest population growth recorded in Macao?
- The highest recorded value was 21.4% in 1964.
- What is the lowest population growth recorded in Macao?
- The lowest recorded value was -4.0% in 1971.
- How does Macao rank for population growth?
- Macao ranks 184th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is population growth rising or falling in Macao?
- Over the last ten years it is down 104.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is volatile.
- Where does this Macao data come from?
- The figures come from World Population Prospects, United Nations (UN), note: Derived from total population, publisher: UN Population Division, published as part of Population growth (annual %). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 65 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Annual population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Population is based on the de facto definition of population, which counts all residents regardless of legal status or citizenship.