Urban population growth (annual %) in Macao
Macao: Urban population growth was -0.2% in 2025. ◆ Volatile
Urban population growth in Macao, 1961–2025
Source: World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN). Measured in annual %.
Analysis
In 2025, urban 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, urban population growth in Macao peaked at 21.6% in 1964 and was at its lowest, -3.8%, in 1971.
Macao ranks 198th of 218 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.
The series is highly variable year to year, so single readings are best treated with caution.
Urban population growth in Macao, year by year
| Year | annual % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1961 | 0.0% | — |
| 1962 | 2.6% | +21644.7% |
| 1963 | 2.5% | -3.4% |
| 1964 | 21.6% | +749.8% |
| 1965 | 16.5% | -23.5% |
| 1966 | -0.8% | -104.7% |
| 1967 | -0.7% | -8.2% |
| 1968 | -0.7% | +0.2% |
| 1969 | -0.8% | +11.3% |
| 1970 | 1.0% | -229.1% |
| 1971 | -3.8% | -472.0% |
| 1972 | -0.8% | -79.1% |
| 1973 | -0.8% | -3.6% |
| 1974 | -0.8% | +1.5% |
| 1975 | -0.8% | +7.1% |
| 1976 | -0.9% | +14.5% |
| 1977 | -1.0% | +4.1% |
| 1978 | -0.1% | -90.1% |
| 1979 | 1.3% | -1469.0% |
| 1980 | 2.0% | +50.4% |
| 1981 | 2.2% | +12.2% |
| 1982 | 4.1% | +80.9% |
| 1983 | 5.7% | +40.7% |
| 1984 | 5.0% | -12.0% |
| 1985 | 2.5% | -50.0% |
| 1986 | 2.3% | -9.0% |
| 1987 | 3.7% | +61.7% |
| 1988 | 3.0% | -17.6% |
| 1989 | 2.9% | -3.5% |
| 1990 | 3.1% | +4.7% |
| 1991 | 5.0% | +60.8% |
| 1992 | 5.4% | +9.2% |
| 1993 | 3.5% | -34.6% |
| 1994 | 3.3% | -5.8% |
| 1995 | 3.1% | -5.8% |
| 1996 | 1.4% | -54.4% |
| 1997 | 0.5% | -61.6% |
| 1998 | 1.2% | +120.0% |
| 1999 | 1.2% | +0.5% |
| 2000 | 0.8% | -37.8% |
| 2001 | 0.8% | +1.6% |
| 2002 | 1.0% | +34.4% |
| 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 0.6%. (85 countries reporting)
- Macao's -0.2% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 0.9%. (37 countries reporting)
Biggest year-on-year movements
Years where Urban 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 | +21644.7% | 0.0% | 2.6% |
| 1979 | +1469.0% | -0.1% | 1.3% |
| 1964 | +749.8% | 2.5% | 21.6% |
| 2011 | +521.6% | 0.4% | 2.3% |
| 1971 | -472.0% | 1.0% | -3.8% |
| 2024 | +442.8% | 0.2% | 1.2% |
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 4.5% | -0.8% | 21.6% | 9 |
| 1970s | -0.7% | -3.8% | 1.3% | 10 |
| 1980s | 3.4% | 2.0% | 5.7% | 10 |
| 1990s | 2.8% | 0.5% | 5.4% | 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 100.0% (2025)
- Urban population 685,900 (2025)
- Population, total 685,900 (2025)
- Population growth -0.2% (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is urban population growth in Macao?
- Urban population growth in Macao was -0.2% in 2025, according to World Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN).
- What is the highest urban population growth recorded in Macao?
- The highest recorded value was 21.6% in 1964.
- What is the lowest urban population growth recorded in Macao?
- The lowest recorded value was -3.8% in 1971.
- How does Macao rank for urban population growth?
- Macao ranks 198th out of 218 countries with data for 2025.
- Is urban 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 Urbanization Prospects, United Nations (UN), published as part of Urban 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 urban population growth rate for year t is the exponential rate of growth of midyear urban population from year t-1 to t, expressed as a percentage. Urban population refers to people living in urban areas as defined by national statistical offices. It is calculated using World Bank total population estimates and urban ratios from the United Nations World Urbanization Prospects.