macau tourism gdp

Macao - statistics & facts

Demographic development of macao, macao's gambling industry, key insights.

Detailed statistics

Total population of Macao 1990-2022

Gross domestic product (GDP) of Macao 2000-2029

Gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate in Macao 2002-2028

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Gross revenue from gaming and gambling in Macao 2012-2022

Travel, Tourism & Hospitality

Number of monthly visitor arrivals in Macao 2019-2024

Further recommended statistics

• Premium Statistic Total population of Macao 1990-2022
• Premium Statistic Total population in Macao 2022, by age group
• Premium Statistic Number of total non-resident workers in Macao 2012-2022
• Premium Statistic Crude birth rate in Macao 2000-2022
• Premium Statistic Crude mortality rate in Macao 2000-2022
• Premium Statistic Life expectancy at birth in Macao 2012-2022
• Premium Statistic Population density of Macao 1990-2022

Total population of Macao from 1990 to 2022 (in 1,000s)

Total population in Macao 2022, by age group

Total population of Macao in 2022, by age group (in 1,000s)

Number of total non-resident workers in Macao 2012-2022

Total number of non-resident workers in Macao from 2012 to 2022 (in 1,000s)

Crude birth rate in Macao 2000-2022

Crude birth rate in Macao from 2000 to 2022 (per 1,000 people)

Crude mortality rate in Macao 2000-2022

Crude mortality rate in Macao from 2000 to 2022 (per 1,000 people)

Life expectancy at birth in Macao 2012-2022

Life expectancy at birth in Macao from 2012 to 2022

Population density of Macao 1990-2022

Population density of Macao from 1990 to 2022 (in 1,000 people per square kilometer)

Infrastructure

• Premium Statistic Water consumption in Macao 2011-2021
• Premium Statistic Electricity consumption in Macao 2011-2021, by use
• Premium Statistic Number of registered vehicles in Macao 2013-2023

Water consumption in Macao 2011-2021

Water consumption in Macao from 2011 to 2021 (in million cubic meters)

Electricity consumption in Macao 2011-2021, by use

Electricity consumption in Macao from 2011 to 2021, by use (in gigawatt hours)

Number of registered vehicles in Macao 2013-2023

Number of registered vehicles in Macao from 2013 to 2023 (in 1,000)

Employment and earnings

• Premium Statistic Total labor force of Macao 2012-2022
• Premium Statistic Unemployment rate in Macao 2012-2028
• Premium Statistic Total workforce in Macao 2012-2022
• Premium Statistic Workforce in Macao 2022, by industry
• Premium Statistic Median monthly wage in Macao 2012-2022
• Premium Statistic Median monthly wage in Macao 2022, by industry

Total labor force of Macao 2012-2022

Total labor force of Macao from 2012 to 2022 (in 1,000s)

Unemployment rate in Macao 2012-2028

Unemployment rate in Macao from 2012 to 2020 with forecasts until 2028

Total workforce in Macao 2012-2022

Number of people employed in Macao from 2012 to 2022 (in 1,000 people)

Workforce in Macao 2022, by industry

Number of people employed in Macao in 2022, by industry (in 1,000 people)

Median monthly wage in Macao 2012-2022

Median monthly salary in Macao from 2012 to 2022 (in 1,000 Macao patacas)

Median monthly wage in Macao 2022, by industry

Median monthly salary in Macao in 2022, by industry (in Macau patacas)

• Premium Statistic Gross domestic product (GDP) of Macao 2000-2029
• Premium Statistic Gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate in Macao 2002-2028
• Premium Statistic Quarterly GDP growth rate in Macao Q4 2019-Q4 2023
• Premium Statistic Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in Macao 2000-2029
• Premium Statistic GDP distribution across economic sectors in Macao 2012-2022
• Basic Statistic Inflation rate in Macao 2012-2028
• Premium Statistic Monthly inflation rate in Macao April 2022-2024
• Premium Statistic Total retail sales Macau 2013-2023
• Premium Statistic Retail sales Macao 2023, by sector

Gross domestic product (GDP) at current prices of Macao from 2000 to 2023 with forecasts until 2029 (in billion Macau patacas and U.S. dollars)

Growth rate of real gross domestic product (GDP) in Macao from 2002 to 2022 with forecasts until 2028

Quarterly GDP growth rate in Macao Q4 2019-Q4 2023

Quarterly gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate in Macao from 4th quarter 2019 to 4th quarter 2023

Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita in Macao 2000-2029

Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita at current prices in Macao from 2000 to 2022 with forecasts until 2029 (in thousand Macau patacas and U.S. dollars)

GDP distribution across economic sectors in Macao 2012-2022

Distribution of the gross domestic product (GDP) across economic sectors in Macao from 2012 to 2022

Inflation rate in Macao 2012-2028

Inflation rate in Macao from 2012 to 2023 with a forecast until 2028

Monthly inflation rate in Macao April 2022-2024

Monthly consumer price inflation rate in Macao from April 2022 to April 2024

Total retail sales Macau 2013-2023

Total value of retail sales in Macao from 2013 to 2023 (in billion Macao patacas)

Retail sales Macao 2023, by sector

Retail sales in Macao in 2023, by sector (in billion Macao patacas)

Gaming and gambling

• Premium Statistic Service sector GDP of Macao 2021, by sub-sector
• Premium Statistic Number of visitor arrivals Macao 2013-2023
• Premium Statistic Number of monthly visitor arrivals in Macao 2019-2024
• Premium Statistic Number of casinos in Macao 2012-2022
• Premium Statistic Gross revenue from gaming and gambling in Macao 2012-2022
• Basic Statistic Number of gaming tables in casinos in Macao 2012-2022

Service sector GDP of Macao 2021, by sub-sector

Gross domestic product (GDP) in the service sector of Macao in 2021, by sub-sector (in billion Macau patacas)

Number of visitor arrivals Macao 2013-2023

Number of visitor arrivals in Macao from 2013 to 2023 (in million visitors)

Monthly number of tourist arrivals in Macao from April 2019 to April 2024 (in 1,000s)

Number of casinos in Macao 2012-2022

Number of casinos in Macao from 2012 to 2022

Gross revenue from gaming and gambling in Macao from 2012 to 2022 (in billion Macau patacas)

Number of gaming tables in casinos in Macao 2012-2022

Number of gaming tables in casinos in Macao from 2012 to 2022

• Premium Statistic Total government revenue of Macao 2012-2022
• Premium Statistic Total government expenditure of Macao 2012-2022
• Premium Statistic Government's current expenditure of Macao 2022, by type

Total government revenue of Macao 2012-2022

Total government revenue of Macao from 2012 to 2022 (in billion Macau patacas)

Total government expenditure of Macao 2012-2022

Total government expenditure in Macao from 2012 to 2022 (in billion Macau patacas)

Government's current expenditure of Macao 2022, by type

Current government expenditure in Macao in 2022, by type (in billion Macau patacas)

COVID-19 in Macao

• Basic Statistic Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases, recoveries, and deaths worldwide as of May 2, 2023
• Basic Statistic New cases of COVID-19 worldwide from January 23, 2020 to June 13, 2023, by day
• Basic Statistic COVID-19 cases worldwide as of May 2, 2023, by country or territory

Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases, recoveries, and deaths worldwide as of May 2, 2023

Number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases, recoveries, and deaths worldwide as of May 2, 2023

New cases of COVID-19 worldwide from January 23, 2020 to June 13, 2023, by day

Number of new cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) worldwide from January 23, 2020 to June 13, 2023, by day

COVID-19 cases worldwide as of May 2, 2023, by country or territory

Number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases worldwide as of May 2, 2023, by country or territory

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Macau's Economy To Rebound As Tourism Sector Reopens Gradually

Country Risk / Asia / Fri 29 Jan, 2021

• We at Fitch Solutions forecast Macau’s real GDP growth to rebound to 57% in 2021, from our estimate of a 55.5% contraction in 2020.
• We expect domestic consumption to recover significantly as the tourism sector, which is the backbone of the Special Administrative Region’s (SAR) economy, gradually opens up.
• Besides that, investment into the financial sector, as part of the SAR’s effort to diversify away from the gaming industry, will help to drive growth.

We at Fitch Solutions forecast Macau’s real GDP to grow by 57.0% in 2021, a sharp rebound from our estimate of -55.5% for 2020. Although the Covid-19 outbreak was largely contained in Macau, with less than 50 confirmed cases as of the time of writing in end-January 2021, the economy was hit heavily in 2020 due to border restrictions to reduce the risk of spreading of the coronavirus. In our view, Macau’s economic rebound in 2021 will be driven by a recovery of services exports amid a gradual opening up of the tourism sector, which forms the backbone of Macau’s economy. Investment growth will also likely provide considerable support to the economy, as the Special Administrative Region (SAR) seeks to diversify its economy away from the gaming industry to other sectors like the financial sector. The rebound in services exports will bode well for disposable income, in turn supporting domestic consumption. Given that the economy has taken a hard hit from the Covid-19 pandemic, we also expect government consumption growth to remain strong as the SAR government continues to roll out measures to support employment. However, we note that this seemingly strong rebound is driven by base effects, and we expect economic activity will only return to its pre-pandemic levels in 2022.

Gradual Rebound Of Gaming Sector To Drive Growth

Macau - contribution to real gdp growth, percentage points.

We forecast exports to be the impetus behind the economic rebound in Macau, with net exports contributing 44.5 percentage points to growth in 2021, amid a gradual opening of the tourism sector. Macau’s economy is highly dependent on its services exports, which accounted for approximately 80% of its total GDP in 2019. The sector is largely driven by the gaming tourism sector, with mainland tourists making up over 70% of its total tourist arrivals given that gambling is illegal in mainland China. The SAR’s real GDP fell by 60% y-o-y over Q120-Q320, as tourist arrivals fell by around 87% y-o-y over the same period, although the Covid-19 outbreak was largely contained in the city. Border restrictions for Chinese visitors have been lifted since September 2020, and this will help to boost Macau’s tourism sector in 2021. However, we believe the recovery of the sector will be gradual as Chinese visitors and the Macau SAR government will remain cautious given lingering concerns about Covid-19 transmission and economic uncertainty. Amid an emergence of Covid-19 clusters in China, the SAR now requires any Chinese visitors who have visited selected areas in Hebei Province, Beijing City, Liaoning Province, Heilongjiang Province, Jilin Province and Shanghai City, in the past 14 days, to be quarantined for 14 days. Although a vaccine is now available in the mainland and in Macau, we highlight that inoculation will take time, especially in the mainland given its sheer population size. As such, tourist arrivals are unlikely to return to pre-pandemic levels at least in H121.

Tourism A Key Driver Of GDP

Macau - tourist arrivals & real gdp, % chg y-o-y.

The rebound in the services export sector will also lend some support to domestic consumption, and we expect the component to grow by 15% in 2021. The recovery of the tourism sector bodes well for employment and disposable income, which would boost domestic demand. However, we note that the recovery of unemployment rate, which stood at 2.9% as of November 2020, its worst since January 2010, will require time to recover to pre-pandemic levels given that recovery of the tourism sector will be gradual and is subject to risks of greater Covid-19 resurgence especially in the mainland.

Unemployment Rate Has Risen Significantlly

Macau - unemployment & underemployment rate, %.

We believe investment will be another key driver for Macau’s economy in 2021, and forecast gross fixed capital formation to grow by 10.2%. The Covid-19 pandemic has underscored the risk of being overly-reliant further on a single industry for growth, and has likely accelerated the SAR’s plans to diversify its economy away from the gaming industry. One key sector in focus would be the financial industry, under the Pearl River Delta Greater Bay Area (GBA) project. To be sure, in December 2020, Chief Executive Ho Iat-Seng highlighted that developing the financial sector will be a key objective for the SAR in 2020. This would require heavy investment by the government, such as building the required physical and digital infrastructure to improve the financial system.

Government consumption, which we expect to grow by 10.0% in 2021, will also continue to provide slight support to the economy. Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the Macau SAR government introduced around MOP52.6bn (around 12% of GDP) worth of fiscal stimulus measures. These measures include a total of MOP8,000 worth of electronic vouchers (MOP3,000 valid from May-July 2020 and MOP5,000 valid from August-December 2020), tax exemptions and reduction for residents and introducing vocational training programmes for local employees, among others. We expect the government to maintain some of the measures in 2021, such as tax reduction for residents, given that the economy remains vulnerable to shocks such as a resurgence of Covid-19 infections.

This commentary is published by BMI, a Fitch Solutions company, and is not a comment on Fitch Ratings Credit Ratings. Any comments or data included in the report are solely derived from BMI and independent sources. Fitch Ratings analysts do not share data or information with BMI. Copyright © 2023 Fitch Solutions Group Limited. All rights reserved. 30 North Colonnade, London E14 5GN, UK.

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Economic Impact Research

• In 2023, the Travel & Tourism sector contributed 9.1% to the global GDP; an increase of 23.2% from 2022 and only 4.1% below the 2019 level.
• In 2023, there were 27 million new jobs, representing a 9.1% increase compared to 2022, and only 1.4% below the 2019 level.
• Domestic visitor spending rose by 18.1% in 2023, surpassing the 2019 level.
• International visitor spending registered a 33.1% jump in 2023 but remained 14.4% below the 2019 total.

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From the outset, our Members realised that hard economic facts were needed to help governments and policymakers truly understand the potential of Travel & Tourism. Measuring the size and growth of Travel & Tourism and its contribution to society, therefore, plays a vital part in underpinning WTTC’s work.

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Each year, WTTC and Oxford Economics produce reports covering the economic contribution of our sector in 185 countries, for 26 economic and geographic regions, and for more than 70 cities. We also benchmark Travel & Tourism against other economic sectors and analyse the impact of government policies affecting the sector such as jobs and visa facilitation.

Visit our Research Hub via the button below to find all our Economic Impact Reports, as well as other reports on Travel and Tourism. 

Macau Tourist Arrivals

The number of tourist arrivals in macau increased by 14.4% year-on-year to 2.6 million in april 2024, recovering to 75.8% of april 2019 level. both same-day visitors and overnight visitors grew by 23% and 6.3% year-on-year respectively. visitors from mainland china rose by 25.3% year-on-year to 1.74 million and visitors from taiwan were up 120.6% to 73 thousand, while visitors from hong kong declined by 22% to 582 thousand. as for international visitors, they totalled 208 thousand, which is 68.6% of q1 2019 level. source: statistics and census service, government of macao sar, tourist arrivals in macau decreased to 2720584 in march from 3293564 in february of 2024. tourist arrivals in macau averaged 1808365.06 from 1999 until 2024, reaching an all time high of 3623116.00 in august of 2019 and a record low of 9759.00 in july of 2022. this page provides the latest reported value for - macao tourist arrivals - plus previous releases, historical high and low, short-term forecast and long-term prediction, economic calendar, survey consensus and news. macau tourist arrivals - data, historical chart, forecasts and calendar of releases - was last updated on may of 2024., tourist arrivals in macau decreased to 2720584 in march from 3293564 in february of 2024. tourist arrivals in macau is expected to be 2900000.00 by the end of this quarter, according to trading economics global macro models and analysts expectations. in the long-term, the macau tourist arrivals is projected to trend around 3910000.00 in 2025, according to our econometric models.,   markets,   gdp,   labour,   prices,   money,   trade,   government,   business,   consumer,   housing,   taxes,   climate.

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South-east asia tourism to china jumps after visa rules ease.

CHINA is regaining its status as a hotspot for South-east Asian tourists lured by new visa-free entry programmes and easier access to the mainland’s cashless payment systems, according to booking platform Klook Travel Technology

Reservations from South-east Asia into the mainland so far in 2024 have been “several times” higher than pre-pandemic levels, Ethan Lin, Klook’s chief executive, said in an interview at the UBS Asian Investment Conference in Hong Kong. Overall inbound travel to the mainland could fully recover to pre-Covid figures by 2025, he added.

People from parts of the region “don’t have that many places they can go that are visa-free”, Lin said. “So China has now become one of the major places that they really travel to.”

China in recent months loosened visa restrictions for people from Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore, along with some European countries and cruise ship passengers, in an apparent bid to boost both inbound tourism and investment.

Officials have also begun easing access to the country’s largely cashless payment system, which can be unfriendly to people without Chinese bank accounts and payment apps, and last week warned hotels and hostels against rejecting overseas customers. Some smaller Chinese accommodation providers often turn away foreigners on the grounds they are not well-equipped or licensed to host them.

China reported 82 million tourist arrivals last year – returning to about 56 per cent of the 2019 level, before the pandemic shuttered mainland borders – according to the country’s National Bureau of Statistics. The number of visits made by people from outside of Hong Kong and Macau was only at 13.8 million, lagging pre-Covid figures by some 57 per cent. BLOOMBERG

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The IMF says Macao’s GDP growth will fall to 9.6 percent in 2025

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Macao’s economy is predicted to grow by nearly 14 percent this year before slowing to a growth rate of 9.6 percent in 2025, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said in its recently published World Economic Outlook . 

The report projected that inflation would increase to 1.7 percent in 2024 and 2.3 percent the following year. 

Unemployment will meanwhile decline to 2 percent this year and 1.9 percent in 2025.

[ See more: The IMF expects Macao’s economy to grow by almost 14 percent this year ]

The IMF attributed the strong performance to “the further recovery in the gaming sector and solid private investments” that include non-gaming projects by casino operators.

The IMF’s 2024 growth forecast is lower than the 16.8 percent growth rate that the University of Macau has predicted for this year. However, it remains higher than the Macau Economic Association’s 10 percent forecast. 

The UN’s financial agency has suggested that Macao could further strengthen its economy by diversifying, taking advantage of its geographic location in the Greater Bay Area, and promoting digitalisation and innovation.

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Hong Kong projects HK$4.3 billion economic boost from ‘mega events’ in 2024

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Hong Kong expects to bring in some HK$4.3 billion to the local economy from “ mega events ” this year, the city’s deputy finance chief has said as he announced 106 events for the latter half of the year.

In all, this year’s 210 events are expected to attract some 1.7 million visitors and HK$7.2 billion in spending, which would amount to some HK$4.3 billion in economic value to the economy, deputy financial secretary Michael Wong said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Of the 106 “mega events” for the second half of the year announced on Tuesday, 15 are new to the city, including the “Kungfu x Dance Carnival 2024,” “Hong Kong Performing Arts Expo,” and the annual crypto and Web3 event “SmartCon 2024.”

Wong told reporters that upcoming events will include art and culture events, sports competitions, conferences and exhibitions, and financial summits.

The government is also in talks with producers of the local martial arts film Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In to put together an exhibition of the film’s sets, he said.

The film, about the Kowloon Walled City, achieved Hong Kong’s second-biggest box office opening ever. It received a 10-minute standing ovation during its premiere at the 77th Cannes Film Festival.

A retrospective exhibition of Chinese-American architect I.M. Pei’s work will be held from the end of June to January next year at the M+ museum, featuring exhibits on display for the first time, Wong said.

The city will also hold a slate of fashion events , including the Hong Kong Fashion Design Week in October.

Hong Kong will also host two world-class sports events, the 2024 Women’s U20 Championship in August, and the WBSC Baseball5 World Cup in October.

Earlier on Tuesday, Chief Executive John Lee said at his weekly press briefing that one “mega event” would be held every two days with the addition of new events.

‘Mega events’ economy

Asked whether the government would have measures in place to prevent another debacle similar to football star Lionel Messi’s no-show at an exhibition match earlier this year, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung said the government would not be deterred.

“No matter what happened in the past, it won’t stop us from trying to bid for more events,” Yeung said, adding that it would be up to organisers to insure themselves against mishaps.

See more: How outrage over Lionel Messi’s Hong Kong no-show spread to China

Tourism Board Executive Director Dane Cheng, also speaking at the press conference, said that an office set up to attract “mega events” to the city had received many inquiries, including those from organisers of major sporting events that had not previously set foot in Hong Kong or Asia.

The tourism body was also looking into bringing European exhibitions to Hong Kong, Cheng said.

Also among the 106 events for the second half of 2024 are the Tai Hang Fire Dragon Dance, Clockenflap, the New Year countdown, the Wine and Dine Festival, and the Asia’s 50 Best Bars awards ceremony.

The government will also hold an exhibition for the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, Wong said.

Last month, the authorities said it had approved over HK$192 million in spending on “mega events” designed to attract tourists since 2023.

Visitors from mainland China have spearheaded a rise in arrival numbers since Hong Kong’s Covid travel curbs were lifted, but  spending has lagged and arrivals from North America and Europe have not recovered to pre-pandemic levels .

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James Lee Reporter

James Lee is a reporter at Hong Kong Free Press with an interest in culture and social issues. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in Journalism from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where he witnessed the institution’s transformation over the course of the 2019 extradition bill protests and after the passing of the Beijing-imposed security law.

Since joining HKFP in 2023, he has covered local politics, the city’s housing crisis, as well as landmark court cases including the 47 democrats national security trial. He was previously a reporter at The Standard where he interviewed pro-establishment heavyweights and extensively covered the Covid-19 pandemic and Hong Kong’s political overhauls under the national security law.

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