Macau’s population, comprising residents, non-resident workers, non-local students and others, dipped by 0.11 percent quarter-on-quarter to 688,100 in the first quarter of this year, the Statistics and Census Bureau (DSEC) has announced in a chart.
In the fourth quarter of last year, the population stood at 688,900, according to the chart released yesterday.
Year-on-year, the population rose by 0.029 percent, from 687,900 in the first quarter of last year.
Females accounted for 53.93 percent of the population in the first quarter of 2026.
The number of live births fell by 6.75 percent, from 740 in the last quarter of 2025 to 690 in the first quarter of this year. The number of marriage registrations dropped by 9.2 percent quarter-on-quarter, from 896 to 814.
Based on Macau’s land area of 33.4 km2, the special administrative region’s population density per km2 amounted to 20,601 in the first quarter of this year, the world’s highest of any country and territory, ahead of Monaco (population: 38,400, land area: 2.1 km2, population density: 18,285), according to official data from the principality.
At the end of 1999, when the Macau Special Administrative Region (MSAR) was established by the People’s Republic of China (PRC), Macau had a land area of 23.8 km2 and a population of 437,455, according to official MSAR data.
Caption: Pedestrians stroll through Largo do Senado, Macau’s main square, on Sunday evening, May 10, 2026. - Photo: Carl Leong
