Elderly people, defined as those aged 65 and above, made up 14.6 percent of Macao’s population in 2024. They outnumbered children aged up to 14, who made up only 12.5 percent of the total, according to new data from the the Statistics and Census Service (known by its Portuguese initials DSEC).
The bureau found that there were 688,300 people living in Macao at the end of 2024, an increase of 4,600 year-on-year, or 0.7 percent.
The rise in overall numbers was not due to new births but appears to be mainly the result of the flow of non-resident workers moving to Macao.
The city’s blue card holders rose by 4,900 year-on-year, to total 182,542 at the end of December. The “local population” (a tally that excludes non-resident workers and non-local students) was 568,700, down by 2,500 from a year prior.
[See more: How to boost Macao’s birth rate? The head of the Holy House of Mercy has ideas]
The number of live births in Macao during 2024 came in at 3,607, a decrease of 105 when compared with 2023. The year saw the city’s birth rate drop slightly, to 5.3 births per thousand people (the SAR is known for having one of the lowest levels of fertility in the world).
The city’s population continues to skew female, with women accounting for 53.7 percent of the population.
Marriage registrations totalled 3,187 in 2024, up by just 19 year-on-year. The median age at first marriage is also getting later: 31.4 years of age for men and 29.7 for women, both up by 0.2 year-on-year.
Macao’s mortality rate dropped by 504 people to 2,477 for the year. Cancer was the biggest cause of death (37.8 percent), followed by heart disease (14.6 percent) then pneumonia (10.8 percent).
