Macao’s residents are earning an average monthly net salary of US$2,221 (17,873 patacas) in 2025, according to figures from CEOWORLD. The SAR is positioned 33rd out of 197 countries, regions and territories ranked by the magazine.
That’s two places up from last year, when Macao was ranked 35th with an average monthly net salary of US$2,114. This year saw Hong Kong in the 22nd slot, Taiwan in the 41st and China in the 60th.
The highest-earning countries were Switzerland (US$8,218), Luxembourg (US$6,740) and the US (US$6,562). The top 10 was rounded out by Western European countries with the exceptions of Canada and Singapore – the highest ranking Asian entry with an average monthly net salary of US$4,457.
[See more: Macao has one of the highest weekly working hours in East Asia]
According to CEOWORLD, the world’s highest-paying industries included finance, insurance, electricity, mining, information technology (IT), retail and education. It noted that the lowest-paying jobs could be found in the administrative support, hospitality and construction sectors.
The ranking did not account for the effects of inflation, meaning statistics shown may not reflect real purchasing power. CEOWORLD noted that many places have experienced high inflation rates in recent years, stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic’s massive supply chain disruptions along with geopolitical upheaval including the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Trade tensions between the US and China, among other markets, have also impacted global inflation. Macao, however, experiences very low inflation rates compared with much of the world. Official statistics show consumer prices this past June rose by just 0.25 percent year-on-year.
