Legend:
 Definition
 Field Listing
 Rank Order
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Background:
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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 China on 20 December 1999. China has promised that, under its "one country, two systems" formula, China's socialist economic system will not be practiced in Macau, and that Macau will enjoy a high degree of autonomy in all matters except foreign and defense affairs for the next 50 years.
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Population:
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456,989 (July 2007 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 15.4% (male 36,413/female 33,981)
15-64 years: 76.6% (male 166,797/female 183,088)
65 years and over: 8% (male 15,541/female 21,169) (2007 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 36.6 years
male: 36 years
female: 36.9 years (2007 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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0.841% (2007 est.)
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Birth rate:
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8.57 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
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Death rate:
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4.59 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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4.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.072 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.911 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.734 male(s)/female
total population: 0.918 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 4.33 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 4.51 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 4.13 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 82.27 years
male: 79.44 years
female: 85.25 years (2007 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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1.03 children born/woman (2007 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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NA
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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NA
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Nationality:
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noun: Chinese
adjective: Chinese
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Ethnic groups:
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Chinese 95.7%, Macanese (mixed Portuguese and Asian ancestry) 1%, other 3.3% (2001 census)
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Religions:
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Buddhist 50%, Roman Catholic 15%, none and other 35% (1997 est.)
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Languages:
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Cantonese 87.9%, Hokkien 4.4%, Mandarin 1.6%, other Chinese dialects 3.1%, other 3% (2001 census)
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 91.3%
male: 95.3%
female: 87.8% (2001 census)
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Macau Special Administrative Region
conventional short form: Macau
local long form: Aomen Tebie Xingzhengqu (Chinese); Regiao Administrativa Especial de Macau (Portuguese)
local short form: Aomen (Chinese); Macau (Portuguese)
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Dependency status:
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special administrative region of China
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Government type:
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limited democracy
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Administrative divisions:
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none (special administrative region of China)
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Independence:
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none (special administrative region of China)
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National holiday:
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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
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Constitution:
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Basic Law, approved on 31 March 1993 by China's National People's Congress, is Macau's "mini-constitution"
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Legal system:
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based on Portuguese civil law system
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Suffrage:
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direct election 18 years of age, universal for permanent residents living in Macau for the past seven years; indirect election limited to organizations registered as "corporate voters" (257 are currently registered) and a 300-member Election Committee drawn from broad regional groupings, municipal organizations, and central government bodies
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: President of China HU Jintao (since 15 March 2003)
head of government: Chief Executive Edmund HO Hau-wah (since 20 December 1999)
cabinet: Executive Council consists of one government secretary, three legislators, four businessmen, one pro-Beijing unionist, and one pro-Beijing educator
elections: chief executive chosen by a 300-member Election Committee for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 29 August 2004 (next to be held in 2009)
election results: Edmund HO Hau-wah reelected received 296 votes; three members submitted blank ballots; one member was absent
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Legislative branch:
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unicameral Legislative Assembly (29 seats; 12 members elected by popular vote, 10 by indirect vote, and 7 appointed by the chief executive; to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 25 September 2005 (next in September 2009)
election results: percent of vote - New Democratic Macau Association 18.8%, Macau United Citizens' Association 16.6%, Union for Development 13.3%, Union for Promoting Progress 9.6%, Macau Development Alliance 9.3%, others 32.4%; seats by political group - New Democratic Macau Association 2, Macau United Citizens' Association 2, Union for Development 2, Union for Promoting Progress 2, Macau Development Alliance 1, others 3; 10 seats filled by professional and business groups; seven members appointed by chief executive
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Judicial branch:
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Court of Final Appeal in Macau Special Administrative Region
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Political parties and leaders:
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Civil Service Union [Jose Maria Pereira COUTINHO]; Development Union [KWAN Tsui-hang]; Macau Development Alliance [Angela LEONG On-kei]; Macau United Citizens' Association [CHAN Meng-kam]; New Democratic Macau Association [Antonio NG Kuok-cheong]; United Forces
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA
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International organization participation:
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IHO, IMF, IMO (associate), ISO (correspondent), UNESCO (associate), UNWTO (associate), UPU, WCO, WMO, WTO
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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none (special administrative region of China)
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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the US has no offices in Macau; US interests are monitored by the US Consulate General in Hong Kong
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Flag description:
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light 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 center of arc and four smaller
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Economy - overview:
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Macau's economy has enjoyed strong growth in recent years on the back of its expanding tourism and gaming sectors. Since opening up its locally-controlled casino industry to foreign competition in 2001, the territory has attracted 10s of billions of dollars in foreign investment that have helped transform it into one of the world's largest gaming centers. In 2006, Macau's gaming revenue surpassed that of the Las Vegas strip, and gaming-related taxes accounted for 75% of total government revenue. The expanding casino sector, and China's decision beginning in 2002 to relax travel restrictions, have reenergized Macau's tourism industry, which saw total visitors grow to 22 million in 2006, up 32% in two years. Macau's strong economic growth has put pressure its labor market prompting businesses to look abroad to meet their staffing needs. The resulting influx of non-resident workers, who totaled one-fifth of the workforce in 2006, has fueled tensions among some segments of the population. Macau's traditional manufacturing industry has been in a slow decline. In 2006, exports of textiles and garments generated only $1.8 billion compared to $6.9 billion in gross gaming receipts. Much of Macau's textile industry may move to the mainland because of the termination in 2005 of the Multi-Fiber Agreement, which provided a near guarantee of export markets, leaving the territory more dependent on gambling and trade-related services to generate growth. However, the Closer Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Macau and mainland China that came into effect on 1 January 2004 offers many Macau-made products tariff-free access to the mainland. Macau's currency, the Pataca, is closely tied to the Hong Kong dollar, which is also freely accepted in the territory.
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$10 billion (2004)
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GDP (official exchange rate):
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$11.56 billion (2005)
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GDP - real growth rate:
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6.7% (2005)
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GDP - per capita (PPP):
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$24,300 (2005)
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 0.1%
industry: 7.2%
services: 92.7% (2002 est.)
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Labor force:
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248,000 (2005)
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Labor force - by occupation:
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manufacturing 13.7%, construction 10.5%, transport and communications 5.9%, wholesale and retail trade 14.6%, restaurants and hotels 10.3%, gambling 17.9%, public sector 7.8%, other services and agriculture 19.3% (2005 est.)
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Unemployment rate:
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4.1% (2005)
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Population below poverty line:
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NA%
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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4.4% (2005)
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Budget:
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revenues: $3.16 billion
expenditures: $3.16 billion (FY05/06)
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Agriculture - products:
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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
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Industries:
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tourism, gambling, clothing, textiles, electronics, footwear, toys
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Industrial production growth rate:
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NA%
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Electricity - production:
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1.947 billion kWh (2005)
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Electricity - consumption:
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2.16 billion kWh (2005)
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh (2005)
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Electricity - imports:
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341 million kWh (2005)
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day (2005 est.)
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Oil - consumption:
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15,260 bbl/day (2005 est.)
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Oil - exports:
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21 bbl/day (2005)
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Oil - imports:
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12,840 bbl/day (2005)
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Oil - proved reserves:
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0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
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Natural gas - production:
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0 cu m (2005 est.)
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Natural gas - consumption:
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0 cu m (2005 est.)
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Natural gas - exports:
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0 cu m (2005 est.)
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Natural gas - imports:
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0 cu m (2005)
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
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0 cu m (1 January 2006 est.)
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Exports:
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$2.557 billion f.o.b.; note - includes reexports (2006)
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Exports - commodities:
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clothing, textiles, footwear, toys, electronics, machinery and parts
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Exports - partners:
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US 44.1%, China 14.8%, Hong Kong 11.3%, Germany 7.3%, UK 4.1% (2006)
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Imports:
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$4.559 billion c.i.f. (2006)
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Imports - partners:
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China 45.2%, Hong Kong 10.2%, Japan 8.4%, US 5.5%, Singapore 4.1%, France 4% (2006)
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$13.7 million (2004)
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Debt - external:
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$3.1 billion (2004)
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Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
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$NA
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Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
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$NA
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Market value of publicly traded shares:
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$413.1 million (2004)
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Currency (code):
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pataca (MOP)
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Exchange rates:
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patacas per US dollar - NA (2007), 8.0015 (2006), 8.011 (2005), 8.022 (2004), 8.021 (2003)
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year
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This page was last updated on 17 January, 2008
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