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Macao

GDP/capita CAGR
6.8%
Unemployment (2025)
2.3%
Gini index (n/a)
n/a
CO2/capita (2024)
2.5 t

Macao: strong, sustained growth, 1982–2024

The only place in China where casino gambling is legal, Macao became the world's largest gaming market after its casino monopoly was opened to competition in 2002, giving it one of the highest per-capita incomes in the world but extreme sensitivity to mainland visitor flows, as the 2020-22 pandemic collapse showed. Between 1982 and 2024, Macao's GDP per capita grew from $4,487 to $72,005 (current US$), a compound annual growth rate of 6.8% — strong, sustained growth. Annual GDP growth averaged 6.4% with a year-to-year standard deviation of 16.9 points, reflecting considerable volatility and periodic crises. Sector-composition data for Macao is incomplete over the full period. On human development, life expectancy rose from 72.8 to 83.3 years, while tertiary school enrollment moved from 50.4% to 141.9%, while the urban population share grew from 98.5% to 100.0%.

What this growth cost: Growth was not without cost: per-capita CO2 emissions rose from 1.96 to 2.53 tonnes CO2e per person.

What it trades

Top exported and imported products, approximate share of total trade value.

Top exports

1
Electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof; sound recorders and reproducers, television ...24.7%
2
Natural or cultured pearls, precious or semi-precious stones, precious metals, metals clad ...20.4%
3
Clocks and watches and parts thereof12.4%
4
Articles of apparel and clothing accessories, not knitted or crocheted10.6%
5
Essential oils and resinoids; perfumery, cosmetic or toilet preparations5.2%
6
Articles of leather; saddlery and harness; travel goods, handbags and similar containers; articles ...5.2%
7
Footwear, gaiters and the like; parts of such articles3.6%
8
Beverages, spirits and vinegar3.3%
9
Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances; parts thereof2.0%
10
Iron and steel1.9%

Top imports

1
Natural or cultured pearls, precious or semi-precious stones, precious metals, metals clad ...13.5%
2
Essential oils and resinoids; perfumery, cosmetic or toilet preparations11.4%
3
Electrical machinery and equipment and parts thereof; sound recorders and reproducers, television ...9.4%
4
Articles of leather; saddlery and harness; travel goods, handbags and similar containers; articles ...8.9%
5
Clocks and watches and parts thereof6.5%
6
Beverages, spirits and vinegar6.1%
7
Mineral fuels, mineral oils and products of their distillation; bituminous substances; mineral ...5.0%
8
Articles of apparel and clothing accessories, knitted or crocheted3.6%
9
Fish and crustaceans, molluscs and other aquatic invertebrates3.4%
10
Nuclear reactors, boilers, machinery and mechanical appliances; parts thereof3.2%

Events shaping this economy

Central bank perspective

Why the charts below look the way they do, drawing on the country’s own central bank and monetary authority.

Leading companies in Macao

Sands China · GamingGalaxy Entertainment Group · GamingSJM Holdings · GamingMelco Resorts & Entertainment · GamingCEM · Utilities

Macroeconomic

GDP growth
% annual
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GDP per capita
current US$
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Inflation (CPI)
% annual
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Unemployment
% of labor force
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Government debt
% of GDP
Data not available for Macao
Exports
% of GDP
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Imports
% of GDP
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Foreign direct investment, net inflows
% of GDP
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Current account balance
% of GDP
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Government expenditure
% of GDP
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Structural & Microeconomic

Agriculture, value added
% of GDP
Data not available for Macao
Industry, value added
% of GDP
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Services, value added
% of GDP
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Labor force participation
% of population 15+
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Gini index (inequality)
index (0-100)
Data not available for Macao
Poverty headcount ratio
% of population
Data not available for Macao

Education & Development

Tertiary school enrollment
% gross
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Adult literacy rate
% of people 15+
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Education spending
% of GDP
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Primary pupil-teacher ratio
pupils per teacher
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Life expectancy at birth
years
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Urban population
% of total
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Total population
people
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Environmental Cost

CO2 emissions per capita
t CO2e per capita
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