Unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates in Macao

Macao: Unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates was 2.5% in 2020. ▼ Falling

Latest (2020)
2.5%
Change on year
up 46.9%
World rank
157th
of 185 countries
All-time high
6.9%
in 2000
All-time low
1.7%
in 2014
Years of data
31
1989–2020

Unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates in Macao, 1989–2020

2461989200420201989: 3.7 %1990: 3.2 %1991: 3 %1992: 2.3 %1993: 2.1 %1994: 2.5 %1995: 3.6 %1996: 4.2 %1997: 3.1 %1998: 4.5 %2000: 6.9 %2001: 6.5 %2002: 6.4 %2003: 6.1 %2004: 4.9 %2005: 4.2 %2006: 3.8 %2007: 3 %2008: 3 %2009: 3.6 %2010: 2.8 %2011: 2.6 %2012: 2 %2013: 1.8 %2014: 1.7 %2015: 1.8 %2016: 2 %2017: 2 %2018: 1.8 %2019: 1.7 %2020: 2.5 %

Source: Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Macao recorded 2.5% for unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates in 2020.

Compared with earlier readings it is up 46.9% on the previous year and down 9.2% over ten years.

Over the whole period, unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates in Macao peaked at 6.9% in 2000 and was at its lowest, 1.7%, in 2014.

Macao ranks 157th of 185 countries on this measure, in the bottom quarter.

The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 31 years of available data.

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1980s 3.7% 3.7% 3.7% 1
1990s 3.2% 2.1% 4.5% 9
2000s 4.8% 3.0% 6.9% 10
2010s 2.0% 1.7% 2.8% 10
2020s 2.5% 2.5% 2.5% 1

Countries ranked near Macao

  1. 154 Papua New Guinea 2.7% compare
  2. 155 Isle of Man 2.7% compare
  3. 156 Seychelles 2.6% compare
  4. 157 Mexico 2.5% compare
  5. 159 Japan 2.5% compare
  6. 160 Tanzania 2.4% compare

See the full ranking of 185 places →

More reference data data for Macao

All data for Macao →

Frequently asked questions

What is unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates in Macao?
Unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates in Macao was 2.5% in 2020, according to Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data.
What is the highest unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates recorded in Macao?
The highest recorded value was 6.9% in 2000.
What is the lowest unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates recorded in Macao?
The lowest recorded value was 1.7% in 2014.
How does Macao rank for unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates?
Macao ranks 157th out of 185 countries with data for 2020.
Is unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates rising or falling in Macao?
Over the last ten years it is down 9.2%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
Where does this Macao data come from?
The figures come from Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data, published as part of Unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

Download this data

CSV · JSON — 31 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data).

About this data

Indicator
Unemployment rates: modeled vs. national estimates
Unit
%
Source
Labour Force Statistics, via World Bank (2026) – processed by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
185 places, 5,169 data points, 1960–2025
Last refreshed

Share of the labor force without work, but actively looking for a job and available to start soon. Figures refer to national estimates and may not be fully comparable across countries.