The number of residents aged 65 or over has surpassed the child population (aged 14 or under) for the first time, with senior citizens representing 14 percent of the population and children accounting for 13.2 percent. That’s according to the latest figures released by the Statistics and Census Service (also referred to by its Portuguese initials DSEC).
The department says there was a fall of 0.9 percent in the proportion of the population belonging to the young demographic, while seniors saw their proportion rise by 0.7 percent.
The birth rate in 2023 also fell below the previous year’s to stand at 5.5 per thousand, down from 6.4 per thousand in 2022 – the lowest fertility rate in the SAR since 1985. Live births totalled 3,712, a decline of 632 relative to 2022 numbers.
[See more: The government is being urged to boost Macao’s birth rate]
In terms of the overall population, DSEC reported that a total of 683,700 people were living in the city at the end of 2023, an increase of 10,900 individuals or 1.6 percent when compared to 2022.
Much of the surge was attributed to a boost in the foreign worker population, which rose by 7,500 people. Local residents meanwhile saw their numbers increase by 0.1 percent year-on-year, reaching a total of 571,200.
Marriage registrations grew by 441 year-on-year, with a total of 3,168. Divorce cases also jumped to 1,299, an increase of 193 in comparison to 2022.
