Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Macao
Macao: Share of workers in vulnerable employment was 3.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Macao, 1991–2025
Source: International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.
Analysis
The most recent figure for share of workers in vulnerable employment in Macao is 3.3%, measured in 2025.
Compared with earlier readings it is down 8.3% on the previous year and down 0.8% over ten years.
Over the whole period, share of workers in vulnerable employment in Macao peaked at 8.4% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 3.0%, in 2018.
That places Macao 181st out of 186 countries with data for 2025, putting it in the bottom quarter.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.
Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Macao, year by year
| Year | % | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 7.7% | — |
| 1992 | 7.5% | -2.1% |
| 1993 | 7.4% | -1.2% |
| 1994 | 7.3% | -1.1% |
| 1995 | 7.3% | -0.6% |
| 1996 | 7.3% | -0.2% |
| 1997 | 6.4% | -12.2% |
| 1998 | 6.3% | -1.9% |
| 1999 | 7.3% | +16.5% |
| 2000 | 8.4% | +15.2% |
| 2001 | 7.8% | -7.1% |
| 2002 | 7.0% | -10.6% |
| 2003 | 7.5% | +8.1% |
| 2004 | 8.1% | +7.0% |
| 2005 | 6.4% | -20.2% |
| 2006 | 5.5% | -13.9% |
| 2007 | 5.2% | -6.9% |
| 2008 | 4.6% | -10.0% |
| 2009 | 4.9% | +4.4% |
| 2010 | 4.8% | -0.3% |
| 2011 | 4.4% | -9.8% |
| 2012 | 4.1% | -5.9% |
| 2013 | 3.5% | -13.7% |
| 2014 | 3.2% | -9.9% |
| 2015 | 3.4% | +5.0% |
| 2016 | 3.2% | -3.6% |
| 2017 | 3.4% | +5.1% |
| 2018 | 3.0% | -10.6% |
| 2019 | 3.3% | +7.8% |
| 2020 | 3.5% | +6.6% |
| 2021 | 3.2% | -7.3% |
| 2022 | 3.9% | +20.2% |
| 2023 | 3.9% | -0.8% |
| 2024 | 3.6% | -6.0% |
| 2025 | 3.3% | -8.3% |
Macao compared with similar countries
- Macao's 3.3% is below the median for high income countries, which is 9.5%, 35% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Macao's 3.3% is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 33.6%, 10% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7.2% | 6.3% | 7.7% | 9 |
| 2000s | 6.5% | 4.6% | 8.4% | 10 |
| 2010s | 3.6% | 3.0% | 4.8% | 10 |
| 2020s | 3.6% | 3.2% | 3.9% | 6 |
Countries ranked near Macao
- 178 Norway 4.2% compare
- 179 Oman 3.8% compare
- 180 United States 3.8% compare
- 182 Kuwait 2.4% compare
- 183 Saudi Arabia 1.7% compare
- 184 United Arab Emirates 1.5% compare
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 share of workers in vulnerable employment in Macao?
- Share of workers in vulnerable employment in Macao was 3.3% in 2025, according to International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
- What is the highest share of workers in vulnerable employment recorded in Macao?
- The highest recorded value was 8.4% in 2000.
- What is the lowest share of workers in vulnerable employment recorded in Macao?
- The lowest recorded value was 3.0% in 2018.
- How does Macao rank for share of workers in vulnerable employment?
- Macao ranks 181st out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
- Is share of workers in vulnerable employment rising or falling in Macao?
- Over the last ten years it is down 0.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Macao data come from?
- The figures come from International Labour Organization (ILOEST/ILOSTAT) and World Bank staff estimates (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of workers in vulnerable employment. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 35 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).
About this data
Share of employed population who are working as independent own-account workers (self-employed without staff), or contributing family workers (self-employed in a household business or farm).