Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Macau instead of China, you would:

Health

live 8.9 years longer

In China, the average life expectancy is 76 years (74 years for men, 81 years for women) as of 2020. In Macau, that number is 85 years (82 years for men, 88 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 2.8 times more money

China has a GDP per capita of $18,200 as of 2022, while in Macau, the GDP per capita is $51,800 as of 2022.

be 51.6% less likely to be unemployed

In China, 5.0% of adults are unemployed as of 2022. In Macau, that number is 2.4% as of 2022.

pay a 73.3% lower top tax rate

China has a top tax rate of 45.0% as of 2016. In Macau, the top tax rate is 12.0% as of 2016.

Life

be 32.1% less likely to die during infancy

In China, approximately 6.8 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Macau, on the other hand, 4.6 children do as of 2022.

have 15.7% fewer children

In China, there are approximately 10.2 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Macau, there are 8.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

Basic Needs

be 20.5% more likely to have internet access

In China, approximately 73.0% of the population has internet access as of 2021. In Macau, about 88.0% do as of 2021.

Expenditures

spend 75.0% more on education

China spends 3.6% of its total GDP on education as of 2020. Macau spends 6.3% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 99.7% less coastline

China has a total of 14,500 km of coastline. In Macau, that number is 41 km.

The statistics above were calculated using the following data sources: The World Factbook, Secretariat for Economy and Finance, State Administration of Taxation.

Macau: At a glance

Macau is a sovereign country in East/Southeast Asia, with a total land area of approximately 28 sq km. Colonized by the Portuguese in the 16th century, Macau was the first European settlement in the Far East. Pursuant to an agreement signed by China and Portugal on 13 April 1987, Macau became the Macau Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People's Republic of China on 20 December 1999. In this agreement, China promised that, under its "one country, two systems" formula, China's political and economic system would not be imposed on Macau, and that Macau would enjoy a "high degree of autonomy" in all matters except foreign affairs and defense for the subsequent 50 years.
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How big is Macau compared to China? See an in-depth size comparison.

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