Unemployment rate in Macao

Macao: Unemployment rate was 2.3% in 2025. ▼ Falling

Latest (2025)
2.3%
Change on year
up 3.8%
World rank
164th
of 186 countries
All-time high
6.9%
in 2000
All-time low
1.7%
in 2014
Years of data
35
1991–2025

Unemployment rate in Macao, 1991–2025

2461991200820251991: 3 %1992: 2.2 %1993: 2.1 %1994: 2.5 %1995: 3.6 %1996: 4.3 %1997: 3.2 %1998: 4.6 %1999: 6.3 %2000: 6.9 %2001: 6.4 %2002: 6.3 %2003: 6 %2004: 4.9 %2005: 4.2 %2006: 3.8 %2007: 3.3 %2008: 3 %2009: 3.6 %2010: 2.8 %2011: 2.6 %2012: 2 %2013: 1.8 %2014: 1.7 %2015: 1.8 %2016: 1.9 %2017: 2 %2018: 1.8 %2019: 1.7 %2020: 2.5 %2021: 2.2 %2022: 2.4 %2023: 2.2 %2024: 2.3 %2025: 2.3 %

Source: ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Macao recorded 2.3% for unemployment rate in 2025.

That represents a change of up 3.8% on the previous year and up 29.7% over ten years.

Over the whole period, unemployment rate in Macao peaked at 6.9% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 1.7%, in 2014.

Macao ranks 164th of 186 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 35 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 3.5% 2.1% 6.3% 9
2000s 4.8% 3.0% 6.9% 10
2010s 2.0% 1.7% 2.8% 10
2020s 2.3% 2.2% 2.5% 6

Countries ranked near Macao

  1. 161 Guatemala 2.6% compare
  2. 162 Papua New Guinea 2.6% compare
  3. 163 Japan 2.5% compare
  4. 165 Cote d'Ivoire 2.3% compare
  5. 166 Philippines 2.2% compare
  6. 167 Kuwait 2.2% compare

See the full ranking of 186 places →

More work & labour data for Macao

All data for Macao →

Frequently asked questions

What is unemployment rate in Macao?
Unemployment rate in Macao was 2.3% in 2025, according to ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest unemployment rate recorded in Macao?
The highest recorded value was 6.9% in 2000.
What is the lowest unemployment rate recorded in Macao?
The lowest recorded value was 1.7% in 2014.
How does Macao rank for unemployment rate?
Macao ranks 164th out of 186 countries with data for 2025.
Is unemployment rate rising or falling in Macao?
Over the last ten years it is up 29.7%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
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 Unemployment rate. 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

Indicator
Unemployment rate
Unit
%
Source
ILO Modelled Estimates, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
186 places, 6,496 data points, 1991–2025
Last refreshed

Share of the labor force without work, but actively looking for a job and available to start soon.