Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Macau instead of Hong Kong, you would:

Health

live 1.4 years longer

In Hong Kong, the average life expectancy is 84 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2022. In Macau, that number is 85 years (82 years for men, 88 years for women) as of 2022.

Economy

make 58.4% more money

Hong Kong has a GDP per capita of $64,400 as of 2023, while in Macau, the GDP per capita is $102,000 as of 2023.

be 42.7% less likely to be unemployed

In Hong Kong, 3.9% of adults are unemployed as of 2023. In Macau, that number is 2.2% as of 2023.

pay a 20.0% lower top tax rate

Hong Kong has a top tax rate of 15.0% as of 2016. In Macau, the top tax rate is 12.0% as of 2016.

Life

have 13.2% more children

In Hong Kong, there are approximately 7.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Macau, there are 8.6 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.

be 80.0% more likely to die during infancy

In Hong Kong, approximately 2.5 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.

Expenditures

spend 57.5% more on education

Hong Kong spends 4.0% of its total GDP on education as of 2021. Macau spends 6.3% of total GDP on education as of 2020.

Geography

see 94.4% less coastline

Hong Kong has a total of 733 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, Inland Revenue Department, Hong Kong.

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.
Read more

How big is Macau compared to Hong Kong? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Macau.or Hong Kong It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.