Birth rate plunges to record low in second quarter

The city’s demographic challenges deepened in the second quarter of this year as the number of births fell to a record low, according to data released by the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC).

Between April and June, only 650 live births were recorded in the territory – a 5.8% decline from the previous quarter and the lowest quarterly figure since at least 1998, the earliest year for which DSEC provides comparable data.

The number represents a 3.1% drop from the same period last year, when 671 births were recorded, which was itself a historic low.

The latest figures underscore the severity of the city’s fertility crisis. In 2024, the city recorded one of the world’s lowest fertility rates, at just 0.58 births per woman.

That figure fell further to 0.47 in 2025, with only 2,871 newborns recorded for the entire year – the lowest annual tally in nearly five decades.

Of the 650 births registered in the second quarter, 320 were male and 330 were female. The decline over the past decade has been stark: compared with the second quarter of 2016, the number of births has fallen by 60.34%.

Deaths outnumber births

During the same period, 653 deaths were recorded – 362 men and 291 women – resulting in a negative natural increase. The three leading causes of death were tumors, which accounted for 217 deaths (a 15.2% decline from the previous quarter); diseases of the circulatory system, with 185 deaths (a 4.5% increase); and diseases of the respiratory system, with 68 deaths (a 2.9% decrease).

Notably, deaths among the population aged 15 to 39 surged by 66.7% quarter-over-quarter, rising from 12 to 20 cases.

Despite the negative natural increase, Macau’s total population stood at 686,500 at the end of the second quarter – a slight 0.2% dip from the previous quarter but a 26.6% increase year-over-year. Females continued to outnumber males, with 371,000 women compared with 315,500 men, accounting for approximately 54% of the total population.

Marriage and residency trends

The number of marriages registered in the second quarter fell sharply, with 633 unions recorded – a 22.2% decline from the previous quarter. According to DSEC, 474 men (down 24.4%) and 495 women (down 21.7%) entered into their first marriage during the period.

Regarding property regimes, 187 couples opted for the community of acquisitions regime, 193 chose separation of property, 84 selected general community of property, 76 chose community of acquisitions with participation, and 93 couples did not specify a regime.

On the immigration front, 271 new residence permits were granted during the quarter, marking a 35.5% increase from the previous quarter. Approximately 83% of these permits went to individuals from Asia, primarily from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Conversely, the number of permits revoked or expired rose by 13.3%, reaching 68. The DSEC also reported that the number of mainland Chinese individuals holding “Special Safe-Conduct Permits” who had recently arrived in Macau fell by 8.1% to 702 people, with the majority coming from Guangdong (482) and Fujian (74).

For the first half of the year, the number of mainland Chinese holding “Special Travel Permits” stood at 1,466, while new residence permits issued in the Macau SAR totaled 471 – representing declines of 9.3% and 47.4%, respectively, compared with the same period in 2025.