Macao’s external merchandise trade totalled 105.2 billion patacas (US$13. 1 billion) in the first three quarters of 2024, according to the Statistics and Census Service, down by 8.4 percent compared to the same period last year.
The total value of merchandise exports grew by 5 percent to 9.99 billion patacas (US$1.2 billion), with re-exports making up the majority at 8.87 billion patacas (US$1.1 billion), or a rise of 6.2 percent. The value of domestic exports stood at 1.12 billion patacas (US$140 million), or a fall of 3.9 percent.
The total value of merchandise imports dropped by 9.6 percent compared to the first three quarters of 2023, to stand at 95.22 billion patacas (US$11.9 billion). The merchandise trade deficit totalled 85.23 billion patacas (US$10.6 billion) in the first nine months of 2024, down by 10.62 billion patacas (US$1.3 billion) in a year-on-year comparison.
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Analysed by destination, merchandise exports to Hong Kong, the Belt and Road Countries and the EU expanded in the first three quarters of this year, whereas exports to mainland China and the USA saw appreciable declines. In commodity terms, exports of textiles and garments grew by 13.5 percent year-on-year to 1.17 billion patacas (US$146 million).
By place of origin, merchandise imports from mainland China, the EU and the Belt and Road Countries decreased in the first three quarters of 2024, while those from Japan increased by 4.9 percent to 6.73 billion patacas (US$841 million).
Analysed by month, total merchandise exports amounted to 1 billion patacas in September 2024 (US$125 million), down by 14.1 percent year-on-year. Total merchandise imports dipped by 10.5 percent to 10.51 billion (US$1.3 billion).
