Macau’s migrant population grows, ageing ratio climbs 106%

Macau’s demographics slightly increased last year as its number of non-residents grew, following the city’s reopening after the pandemic. This fact has renewed a push to fix staff shortages.

Data from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) shows that the total population of Macau (683,700) at the end of 2023 increased by 1.6% (10,900) year-on-year, as there are 7,500 non-residents workers living in Macau.

Government data shows that Macau recorded 176,661 non-resident workers by the end of December 2023, which was 90% of the December 2019 figure, before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Because Macau’s post-
pandemic economic recovery experienced a labor shortage during the first half of last year, particularly in the hospitality sector, the hotel and restaurant industries (employing 49,387 workers), as well as the construction sector (employing 30,209 workers) attracted the most migrant workers to the city.

Meanwhile, the elderly population exceeded the youth population for the first time; that is, the ageing ratio climbed to 106.1%.

The proportion of youths, or those aged 0-14, dropped by 0.9 percentage points to 13.2%, whereas the proportion of those aged 65 and above, grew 0.7 percentage points to 14.0%.

Local population – that being the total population less non-resident workers and non-local students living in Macau – totaled 571,200 at end-2023, up slightly by 0.1% year-on-year.

The elderly dependency ratio for the local population rose by 1.7 percentage points to 24.8%, equivalent to about four adults supporting one older adult. In addition, there were 204,400 households in Macau, an increase of 700.

Meanwhile, the birth rate fell to 5.5%, as the city recorded 3,712 births in 2023, a decrease of 632 compared to the previous year.

As regards population movements, those new arrivals from mainland China in possession of one-way permits grew by 1,113 year-on-year, to 3,416 in 2023. Women comprised 67.2% of this total. Meanwhile, those individuals holding newly granted rights of residency increased by 321 to 878, with 362 of these from Hong Kong.

Marriage registrations totaled 3,168 in 2023, up by 441 year-on-year.