Employment rate in Macao
Macao: Employment rate was 66.3% in 2025. ▲ Rising
Employment rate in Macao, 1991–2025
Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
In 2025, employment rate in Macao stood at 66.3%.
That represents a change of down 0.7% on the previous year and down 4.7% over ten years.
Over the whole period, employment rate in Macao peaked at 70.2% in 2014 and was at its lowest, 56.5%, in 1991.
Macao ranks 30th of 186 countries on this measure, in the top quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently rising across the 35 years of available data.
Employment rate in Macao, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 56.5% | — |
| 1992 | 57.0% | +0.8% |
| 1993 | 58.9% | +3.5% |
| 1994 | 60.3% | +2.3% |
| 1995 | 61.0% | +1.2% |
| 1996 | 61.8% | +1.3% |
| 1997 | 63.5% | +2.8% |
| 1998 | 62.4% | -1.8% |
| 1999 | 61.5% | -1.4% |
| 2000 | 61.0% | -0.9% |
| 2001 | 60.8% | -0.4% |
| 2002 | 60.1% | -1.1% |
| 2003 | 58.0% | -3.5% |
| 2004 | 59.6% | +2.8% |
| 2005 | 61.3% | +2.7% |
| 2006 | 63.3% | +3.4% |
| 2007 | 66.4% | +4.8% |
| 2008 | 67.7% | +2.0% |
| 2009 | 67.5% | -0.3% |
| 2010 | 68.0% | +0.8% |
| 2011 | 69.1% | +1.6% |
| 2012 | 69.3% | +0.4% |
| 2013 | 69.6% | +0.3% |
| 2014 | 70.2% | +0.9% |
| 2015 | 69.5% | -1.0% |
| 2016 | 68.7% | -1.2% |
| 2017 | 68.5% | -0.3% |
| 2018 | 68.8% | +0.5% |
| 2019 | 68.6% | -0.3% |
| 2020 | 66.9% | -2.4% |
| 2021 | 67.4% | +0.7% |
| 2022 | 65.0% | -3.5% |
| 2023 | 66.5% | +2.2% |
| 2024 | 66.7% | +0.4% |
| 2025 | 66.3% | -0.7% |
Macao compared with similar countries
- Macao's 66.3% is above the median for high income countries, which is 58.9%, 1.1× the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Macao's 66.3% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 61.9%, 1.1× the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 60.3% | 56.5% | 63.5% | 9 |
| 2000s | 62.6% | 58.0% | 67.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 69.0% | 68.0% | 70.2% | 10 |
| 2020s | 66.5% | 65.0% | 67.4% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Macao
More work & labour data for Macao
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 208.94 (2027)
- Labour force participation rate (ILO modelled estimates) 66.82 (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) 420.81 (2027)
- Unemployment rate (ILO modelled estimates) 2.74 (2027)
- Labour dependency ratio 0.769 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2021 international $ at PPP 206,074 (2027)
- Output per worker, GDP constant 2015 US $ 117,019 (2027)
- Employment-to-population ratio (ILO modelled estimates) 64.99 (2027)
- Persons outside the labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+) 2.38 % change on previous year (2027)
- Labour force (ILO modelled estimates) (15+), annual growth rate -0.2761 % change on previous year (2027)
Frequently asked questions
- What is employment rate in Macao?
- Employment rate in Macao was 66.3% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest employment rate recorded in Macao?
- The highest recorded value was 70.2% in 2014.
- What is the lowest employment rate recorded in Macao?
- The lowest recorded value was 56.5% in 1991.
- How does Macao rank for employment rate?
- Macao ranks 30th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is employment rate rising or falling in Macao?
- Over the last ten years it is down 4.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is rising.
- Where does this Macao data come from?
- The figures come from ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Employment rate. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
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About this data
Share of the working-age population (ages 15 and older) who are employed.