Population sees modest growth in 2024 driven by blue cards

The city’s total population saw a slight increase of 0.7% in 2024, reaching 688,300 by year-end, according to data from the Statistics and Census Service (DSEC).

The growth was primarily driven by a rise in the number of non-resident workers, which increased by 4,900.

Women made up 53.7% of the population, while men accounted for 46.3%.

By age distribution, 12.5% of the population (85,900 individuals) were aged 0-14, while those aged 65 and above constituted 14.6% (100,200 individuals).

The local population, which excludes non-resident workers and non-local students, declined by 0.4% to 568,700 due to a higher net outflow of residents compared to natural population growth.

The number of households in Macau rose to 205,000, an increase of 600 from the previous year. Meanwhile, births declined by 105 to 3,607, bringing the birth rate down to 5.3 per thousand. Mortality also decreased, with 2,477 deaths recorded, resulting in a mortality rate of 3.6 per thousand. The leading causes of death remained malignant neoplasms, heart diseases, and pneumonia.

Population movement figures showed that 3,677 individuals arrived from mainland China on one-way permits, up by 260.

The number of individuals granted right of abode increased by 196 to 1,074, with most coming from Hong Kong.

Marriage registrations totaled 3,187, a slight increase from 2023, while the divorce rate rose to 2.0 per thousand, with 1,361 cases recorded.

The median age for first-time marriage also increased slightly for both men and women. Staff Reporter