Unemployment rate in Macao
Macao: Unemployment rate was 2.35 in 2025. ▼ Falling
Latest (2025)
2.35
Change on year
up 3.8%
World rank
164th
of 186 countries
All-time high
6.87
in 2000
All-time low
1.67
in 2014
Years of data
35
1991–2025
Unemployment rate in Macao, 1991–2025
Source: Our World in Data.
Analysis
Macao recorded 2.35 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 6.87 in 2000 and was at its lowest, 1.67, 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.
Unemployment rate in Macao, year by year
| Year | Value | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 3.01 | — |
| 1992 | 2.2 | -27.0% |
| 1993 | 2.06 | -6.3% |
| 1994 | 2.48 | +20.6% |
| 1995 | 3.58 | +44.4% |
| 1996 | 4.26 | +19.0% |
| 1997 | 3.23 | -24.3% |
| 1998 | 4.61 | +42.9% |
| 1999 | 6.34 | +37.6% |
| 2000 | 6.87 | +8.4% |
| 2001 | 6.37 | -7.3% |
| 2002 | 6.28 | -1.5% |
| 2003 | 6 | -4.5% |
| 2004 | 4.9 | -18.2% |
| 2005 | 4.16 | -15.2% |
| 2006 | 3.82 | -8.1% |
| 2007 | 3.27 | -14.5% |
| 2008 | 3 | -8.3% |
| 2009 | 3.58 | +19.4% |
| 2010 | 2.84 | -20.7% |
| 2011 | 2.56 | -9.9% |
| 2012 | 1.97 | -23.0% |
| 2013 | 1.82 | -7.6% |
| 2014 | 1.67 | -8.2% |
| 2015 | 1.81 | +8.4% |
| 2016 | 1.94 | +7.1% |
| 2017 | 1.98 | +2.2% |
| 2018 | 1.8 | -9.0% |
| 2019 | 1.73 | -4.0% |
| 2020 | 2.54 | +46.9% |
| 2021 | 2.22 | -12.6% |
| 2022 | 2.45 | +10.1% |
| 2023 | 2.21 | -9.8% |
| 2024 | 2.26 | +2.5% |
| 2025 | 2.35 | +3.8% |
Macao compared with similar countries
- Macao's 2.35 is below the median for high income countries, which is 5.04, 47% of the median. (62 countries reporting)
- Macao's 2.35 is below the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 3.05, 77% of the median. (29 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 3.53 | 2.06 | 6.34 | 9 |
| 2000s | 4.83 | 3 | 6.87 | 10 |
| 2010s | 2.01 | 1.67 | 2.84 | 10 |
| 2020s | 2.34 | 2.21 | 2.54 | 6 |
Countries ranked near Macao
- 161 Guatemala 2.6 compare
- 162 Papua New Guinea 2.57 compare
- 163 Japan 2.45 compare
- 165 Cote d'Ivoire 2.32 compare
- 166 Philippines 2.23 compare
- 167 Kuwait 2.18 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 unemployment rate in Macao?
- Unemployment rate in Macao was 2.35 in 2025, according to Our World in Data.
- What is the highest unemployment rate recorded in Macao?
- The highest recorded value was 6.87 in 2000.
- What is the lowest unemployment rate recorded in Macao?
- The lowest recorded value was 1.67 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 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).