What is the population of Macau S.A.R?

Macau S.A.R has a population of about 685,900, the #168 largest of 225 countries in YearMaps. Source: World Bank, 2025.

How big is Macau S.A.R?

Macau S.A.R covers 115 km², ranking #219 by area, with about 5,964 people per square kilometre.

What is the largest city in Macau S.A.R?

Macau is the largest city in Macau S.A.R, with a metropolitan population of about 568,700.

What is the highest mountain in Macau S.A.R?

The highest summit recorded for Macau S.A.R in YearMaps is Alto Coloane at 176 m (577 ft). Summits on a border are counted for both countries.

Macau S.A.R Map — Cities, Rivers & History

Interactive Map of Macau S.A.R

7.4

Centred on Macau S.A.R at 22.2030° N, 113.5451° E. Use the layer panel to switch on rivers, dams, ports, peaks and historical borders.

About Macau S.A.R

Macau or Macao is a special administrative region of China. It consists of the Macau Peninsula, the islands of Taipa and Coloane, the Cotai reclamation zone between Taipa and Coloane, and several smaller islets. It borders Zhuhai to the north and west, and it lies west of Hong Kong, separated by the Pearl River estuary. With a population of about 720,000 people and a land area of 32.9 square kilometres (12.7 sq mi), it is the most densely populated region in the world.

Formerly a Portuguese colony, the territory of Portuguese Macau was first leased to Portugal by the Ming dynasty as a trading post in 1557. Portugal paid an annual rent and administered the territory under Chinese sovereignty until 1887, when Portugal gained perpetual colonial rights with the signing of the Sino-Portuguese Treaty of Peking. The colony remained under Portuguese rule until the 1999 handover to China. Macau is a special administrative region of China, which maintains separate governing and economic systems from those of mainland China under the principle of "one country, two systems". The unique blend of Portuguese, French, English, Italian, and Chinese architecture in the city's downtown area has resulted in its designation as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005.

Macau is famous and globally recognised for its casinos, known by the gambling industry as the gambling capital of the world. It is also one of the most visited cities in the world. The gambling industry of Macau is around seven times larger than that of Las Vegas, Nevada. As a result, the city has one of the highest GDPs per capita and GDPs per capita by purchasing power parity in the world.

Macau has a very high Human Development Index of 0.934, as calculated by the Government of Macau, and has the third-highest life expectancy in the world. The territory is highly urbanised, holding the status of the most densely populated territory on Earth; two-thirds of the region's total area is built on land reclaimed from the sea.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Macau (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Geography and Climate of Macau S.A.R

Portuguese ships began arriving in 1513. In the 1550s, Portuguese paying tribute to China settled in Macau, which became the official entrepôt for all international trade with China and Japan and the first European settlement in the Far East. The first governor was appointed in the 17th century, but the Portuguese remained largely under the control of the Chinese. In the 1930s and ’40s Macau was declared a neutral territory during the Sino-Japanese War and World War II and became a refuge for both Chinese and Europeans. Portugal officially made Macau an overseas province in 1951. In April 1987, Portugal and China reached an agreement to return Macau to Chinese rule in 1999, using the Hong Kong Joint Declaration between China and the UK as a model. In this agreement, China promised that, under its "one country, two systems" formula, China's political and economic system would not be imposed on Macau, and that Macau would enjoy a "high degree of autonomy" in all matters except foreign affairs and defense for the next 50 years. However, after China's multi-year crackdown against the pro-democracy movement in nearby Hong Kong, the governments of China and the Macau Special Administrative Region worked to limit Macau's political autonomy by suppressing opposition activity in the 2021 legislative elections.

Location: Eastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and China.
Climate: Subtropical; marine with cool winters, warm summers.
Terrain: Generally flat.
Highest point: Alto Coloane 172 m.
Lowest point: South China Sea 0 m.
Coastline: 41 km.
Land borders: Total: 3 km; regional borders: China 3 km.
Natural resources: NEGL.
Land use: Agricultural land: 0% (2022 est.); forest: 0% (2022 est.); other: 100% (2022 est.)
Natural hazards: Typhoons.
Geographic note: Primarily urban; an area of land reclaimed from the sea measuring 5.2 sq km (2 sq mi) and known as Cotai now connects the islands of Coloane and Taipa; the island area is connected to the mainland peninsula by three bridges.
Languages: Cantonese 81%, Mandarin 4.7%, other Chinese dialects 5.4%, English 3.6%, Tagalog 2.9%, Portuguese 0.6%, other 1.8% (2021 est.)
Religions: Folk religion 58.9%, Buddhist 17.3%, Christian 7.2%, other 1.2%, none 15.4% (2020 est.)
Ethnic groups: Chinese 89.4%, Chinese and Portuguese 1%, Portuguese 0.8%, Chinese and non-Portuguese 0.2%, Portuguese and others 0.2%, other 8.5% (2021 est.)
Economy: High-income, Chinese special administrative region economy; known for apparel exports and gambling tourism; currency pegged to Hong Kong dollar; significant recession due to 2015 Chinese anticorruption campaign; COVID-19 further halved economic activity.

From the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived edition of 2026-01-22. The Factbook is no longer updated, so figures reflect that edition.

Macau S.A.R in Numbers

Population: 685,900
GDP: US$52.1 billion
GDP per person: US$75,902
Life expectancy: 83.3 years
Population growth: -0.16% a year
Population density: 20,631 per km²
Urban population: 100.0%
Surface area: 33 km²
Access to electricity: 100.0%
Internet users: 89.8%

Indicators from World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0). The year under each figure is its reference year.

Macau S.A.R in Depth

History

During the Qin dynasty (221–206 BC), the region was under the jurisdiction of Panyu County, Nanhai Commandery. The region is first known to have been settled during the Han dynasty. It was administratively part of Dongguan Prefecture in the Jin dynasty (266–420 AD), and alternated under the control of Nanhai and Dongguan in later dynasties. In 1152, during the Song dynasty (960–1279 AD), it was under the jurisdiction of the new Xiangshan County. In 1277, approximately 50,000 refugees fleeing the Mongol conquest of China settled in the coastal area.

The first European visitor to reach China by sea was the explorer Jorge Álvares, who arrived in 1513.

Geography

Macau is located on China's southern coast, 60 kilometres (37 mi) west of Hong Kong, on the south shore of Zhongshan Island on the western side of the Pearl River estuary. It is surrounded by the South China Sea in the east and south, and neighbours the Guangdong city of Zhuhai to the west and north. The territory consists of Macau Peninsula, Taipa, and Coloane. A 1-square-kilometre (0.39 sq mi) parcel of land in neighbouring Hengqin island that hosts the University of Macau also falls under the regional government's jurisdiction. The territory's highest point is Coloane Alto, 170.6 metres (560 ft) above sea level.

Urban development is concentrated on peninsular Macau, where most of the population lives.

Economy

Macau has a capitalist service economy largely based on casino gaming and tourism. It is the world's 83rd-largest economy, with a nominal GDP of approximately MOP433 billion (US$53.9 billion). The GDP per capita was US$69,430 in 2023. Although Macau has one of the highest per capita GDPs, the territory also has a high level of wealth disparity. Macau's gambling industry is the largest in the world, generating over MOP195 billion (US$24 billion) in revenue and being about seven times larger than that of Las Vegas. Macau's gambling revenue was $37 billion in 2018. Taxes from gambling revenues fund a robust welfare system and an annual cash payment to Macau's citizens.

The regional economy is heavily reliant on casino gaming.

Demographics

The Statistics and Census Service estimated Macau's population at 667,400 at the end of 2018. With a population density of 21,340 people per square kilometre, Macau is the most densely populated region in the world. The overwhelming majority (88.7 per cent) are Chinese, many of whom originate from Guangdong (31.9 per cent) or Fujian (5.9 per cent). The remaining 11.6 percent are non ethnic Chinese minorities, primarily Filipinos (4.6 percent), Vietnamese (2.4 percent), and Portuguese (1.8 percent). Several thousand residents are of Macanese heritage, native-born multiracial people with mixed Portuguese ancestry.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Macau (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Macau S.A.R: Key Facts

Key facts about Macau S.A.R
Currencies	Macanese pataca, Hong Kong dollar
Official languages	Portuguese, Standard Chinese, Cantonese
Head of government	Sam Hou Fai
Calling code	+853
Internet domain	.mo
Highest point	Alto de Coloane
Established	20 December 1999

Facts from Wikidata Q14773 (CC0).

History of Macau S.A.R: Empires and States

The atlas records 26 polities whose mapped territory included part of Macau S.A.R, from Nanyue in 206 BCE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.

Polities that held Macau S.A.R, in chronological order
Polity	Period here	Extent
Nanyue	206–111 BCE	Nearly all
The Han Dynasty	110 BCE – 237 CE	Nearly all
Xin Dynasty	6–29 CE	Nearly all
Eastern Wu	238–282 CE	Nearly all
Western Jin	283–425 CE	Nearly all
Liu Song Dynasty	426–479 CE	Nearly all
Southern Qi	480–509 CE	Nearly all
Liang Dynasty	510–560 CE	Nearly all
Chen Dynasty	561–591 CE	Nearly all
Sui Dynasty	592–625 CE	Nearly all
The Tang Dynasty	626–910 CE	Nearly all
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms	911–979 CE	Nearly all
Southern Han	911–979 CE	Nearly all
Northern Song	980–1138 CE	Nearly all
The Song Dynasty	980–1278 CE	Nearly all
Southern Song	1139–1278 CE	Nearly all
The Mongol Empire	1279–1293 CE	Nearly all
Yuan Dynasty	1294–1374 CE	Nearly all
The Ming Dynasty	1375–1563 CE	Nearly all
Portuguese Colonies	1564–1910 CE	Nearly all
The Portuguese Empire	1564–1910 CE	Nearly all
The Spanish Empire	1582–1639 CE	Nearly all
Portuguese Republic	1911–1925 CE	Nearly all
Estado Novo	1926–1975 CE	Nearly all
Portugal	1976–2023 CE	Nearly all
People's Republic of China	2000–2024 CE	Nearly all

Historical Maps of Macau S.A.R

Macau S.A.R on the world map in each year one of these states held it:

Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.

Visiting Macau S.A.R

Macau (also spelled Macao, 澳門, Oumún in Cantonese) is a former Portuguese colony, a world-renowned gambling destination, and one of the world's most densely populated places, with a population of 667,000 people (2016) in an area half the size of Manhattan Island. Returned to Chinese rule in 1999, it is now a semi-autonomous "Special Administrative Region", a status it shares with nearby Hong Kong.

Macau is best known as a major destination for gambling. This goes back to colonial times, when Hong Kong had tight limits on gambling—it was legal only at the horse racing track twice a week—but Macau had casinos. Today, Macau is the only part of China where casinos are legal under the auspices of the "One Country, Two Systems" arrangement. Macau overtook Las Vegas as the world's highest revenue gambling destination around 2008 and now has a substantial lead; several of the major Las Vegas-based casinos have built branches in Macau to cash in on the trend.

Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Macau (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Largest Cities in Macau S.A.R

1 city recorded. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.

Largest Cities in Macau S.A.R
#	Name	Population	Region	Role
1	Macau	568,700	—	Admin-0 region capital

Highest Mountains in Macau S.A.R

1 mountain recorded. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries.

Highest Mountains in Macau S.A.R
#	Name	Elevation	Feet	Region
1	Alto Coloane	176 m	577 ft	Asia

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Macau S.A.R: Quick Answers

What is the population of Macau S.A.R?: Macau S.A.R has a population of about 685,900, the #168 largest of 225 countries in YearMaps. Source: World Bank, 2025.
How big is Macau S.A.R?: Macau S.A.R covers 115 km², ranking #219 by area, with about 5,964 people per square kilometre.
Which continent is Macau S.A.R in?: Macau S.A.R is in Asia.
What is the largest city in Macau S.A.R?: Macau is the largest city in Macau S.A.R, with a metropolitan population of about 568,700.
What is the highest mountain in Macau S.A.R?: The highest summit recorded for Macau S.A.R in YearMaps is Alto Coloane at 176 m (577 ft). Summits on a border are counted for both countries.