Macau Population
Macau had an estimated population of 685,900 in mid-2025 (World Bank), making it the 167th most populous of 217 countries and territories, with 0.01% of everyone alive. The counter above projects that figure forward at the current growth rate of −0.16% a year.
Macau at a glance
How Macau's population is changing
Macau's population is roughly stable: −0.16% a year, which works out to about −1,099 people per year, or −3 a day. Births (5.3 per 1,000) and deaths (3.6 per 1,000) alone would give +0.17% a year; net migration removes about 328 people a year (−0.05%). Roughly one in every 11,978 people on Earth lives in Macau.
Population of Macau since 1960
In 1960, Macau had 173,315 people. By 2025 that was 685,900 — 4.0× larger. The fastest growth came between 1960 and 1970, when the population rose by 49%.
| Year | Population | Change vs previous row |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 173,315 | — |
| 1970 | 257,396 | +48.5% |
| 1980 | 239,650 | −6.9% |
| 1990 | 334,950 | +39.8% |
| 2000 | 430,600 | +28.6% |
| 2010 | 537,000 | +24.7% |
| 2020 | 685,400 | +27.6% |
| 2025 | 685,900 | +0.1% |
Macau from 1800 to 2100
Modelled estimates put Macau at about 17,310 people in 1800; the UN estimates 722,018 in 2025 (42× 1800) and projects 331,174 for 2100 in its medium scenario. The population is projected to peak around 2031 at 727,320 and decline afterwards.
| Year | Population | Kind |
|---|---|---|
| 1800 | 17,310 | modelled estimate |
| 1900 | 64,000 | modelled estimate |
| 1950 | 196,669 | UN estimate |
| 2000 | 437,316 | UN estimate |
| 2025 | 722,018 | UN projection |
| 2050 | 668,856 | UN projection |
| 2075 | 504,069 | UN projection |
| 2100 | 331,174 | UN projection |
Country live/base figures use World Bank estimates; this historical/future chart uses a separate UN series and need not match the World Bank base in overlapping years. Before 1950: HYDE 3.3 / Gapminder reconstructions via Our World in Data — historical modelling, not censuses. 1950–2023: UN World Population Prospects 2024. 2024–2100: UN medium projection. Open the time machine to see the whole map in any year.
Largest listed places in Macau
1 records sorted by displayed base population. Definitions vary (province/administrative unit, UN urban centre or GeoNames settlement); this is not a harmonised city ranking. Shares use World Bank 2025 country population 685,900. Dates and boundaries may differ. Overlapping entities are not summed.
| # | Place | Population | Definition | Share | Source / reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Macau | 649,335 | GeoNames settlement | 94.67% | GeoNames settlement record; Population reference date not supplied in local record |
How Macau compares
Macau has almost the same population as Luxembourg (686,970).
| Rank | Country | Population | vs Macau | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #165 |  Bhutan | 796,682 | +16% | compare → |
| #166 |  Luxembourg | 686,970 | +0% | compare → |
| #168 |  Suriname | 639,850 | −7% | compare → |
| #169 |  Montenegro | 623,129 | −9% | compare → |
Compare Macau with any country →
Same region (East Asia & Pacific): China, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand.
Explore around Macau
Nearest countries
Macau has no land border. Closest by distance:
Hong Kong 7,498,900 · 10.9× the population · compare
Vietnam 101,598,527 · 148.1× the population · compare
Philippines 116,786,962 · 170.3× the population · compare
Laos 7,873,046 · 11.5× the population · compare
In its region
Macau is the 22nd most populous of the 37 economies in East Asia & Pacific, holding 0.0% of the region's 2,367,527,180 people.
Rankings featuring Macau
- Fastest-shrinking countries #23
- Lowest birth rates #4
- Most densely populated countries #1
- Highest life expectancy #16
- Most urbanised countries #5
- Richest countries by GDP per capita #14
Cities
Macau — all Macau's cities on the map.
World population history · The world when you were born · Macau when you were born · Time machine · Embed this live counter on your site
About these numbers
Population, growth, birth and death rates, migration, density, age structure, life expectancy, fertility and GDP per capita come from the World Bank Indicators API (latest available year shown beside each figure). The live counter applies the annual growth rate continuously from 1 July 2025 — a model, not a measurement. City populations are the latest census or official estimate held by GeoNames and are not projected. Sub-city units are folded into their parent city.
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Read this country carefully
This page is a structured reference entry. Its sources, geographic definition and reference dates determine what the figures mean; it is not independent reporting about the causes of change. Read the accompanying explanation before comparing different places or vintages.