Share of population living in urban areas in Macao

Macao: Share of population living in urban areas was 99.8% in 2020. ▬ Flat

Latest (2020)
99.8%
World rank
5th
of 236 countries
All-time high
99.9%
in 2010
All-time low
99.3%
in 1980
Years of data
15
1950–2020

Share of population living in urban areas in Macao, 1950–2020

0204060801001950198520201950: 99.4 %1955: 99.4 %1960: 99.3 %1965: 99.5 %1970: 99.4 %1975: 99.4 %1980: 99.3 %1985: 99.4 %1990: 99.9 %1995: 99.8 %2000: 99.8 %2005: 99.9 %2010: 99.9 %2015: 99.9 %2020: 99.8 %

Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Measured in %.

Analysis

Macao recorded 99.8% for share of population living in urban areas in 2020.

That represents a change of down 0.1% over ten years.

Over the whole period, share of population living in urban areas in Macao peaked at 99.9% in 2010 and was at its lowest, 99.3%, in 1980.

Macao ranks 5th of 236 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.

Share of population living in urban areas in Macao, year by year

Annual values for Share of population living in urban areas in Macao, 1950 to 2020.
Year % Change
1950 99.4%
1955 99.4% -0.0%
1960 99.3% -0.1%
1965 99.5% +0.2%
1970 99.4% -0.1%
1975 99.4% -0.0%
1980 99.3% -0.1%
1985 99.4% +0.1%
1990 99.9% +0.5%
1995 99.8% -0.1%
2000 99.8% -0.0%
2005 99.9% +0.1%
2010 99.9% +0.0%
2015 99.9% -0.0%
2020 99.8% -0.1%

Macao compared with similar countries

  • Macao's 99.8% is above the median for high income countries, which is 76.2%, 1.3× the median. (85 countries reporting)
  • Macao's 99.8% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 70.5%, 1.4× the median. (37 countries reporting)

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1950s 99.4% 99.4% 99.4% 2
1960s 99.4% 99.3% 99.5% 2
1970s 99.4% 99.4% 99.4% 2
1980s 99.3% 99.3% 99.4% 2
1990s 99.9% 99.8% 99.9% 2
2000s 99.8% 99.8% 99.9% 2
2010s 99.9% 99.9% 99.9% 2
2020s 99.8% 99.8% 99.8% 1

Countries ranked near Macao

  1. 4 Singapore 99.9% compare
  2. 6 Hong Kong 99.5% compare
  3. 7 Bermuda 98.4% compare
  4. 8 Bangladesh 98.0% compare

See the full ranking of 236 places →

More reference data data for Macao

All data for Macao →

Frequently asked questions

What is share of population living in urban areas in Macao?
Share of population living in urban areas in Macao was 99.8% in 2020, according to European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data.
What is the highest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Macao?
The highest recorded value was 99.9% in 2010.
What is the lowest share of population living in urban areas recorded in Macao?
The lowest recorded value was 99.3% in 1980.
How does Macao rank for share of population living in urban areas?
Macao ranks 5th out of 236 countries with data for 2020.
Is share of population living in urban areas rising or falling in Macao?
Over the last ten years it is down 0.1%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Macao data come from?
The figures come from European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data, published as part of Share of population living in urban areas. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Share of population living in urban areas in Macao. Statizoid, drawing on European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data. Retrieved 23 September 2026, from https://reference.statizoid.com/stat/urban-share-european-commission/macao-sar-china/

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About this data

Indicator
Share of population living in urban areas
Unit
%
Source
European Commission, Joint Research Centre (JRC) (2025) – with major processing by Our World in Data
Licence
CC BY 4.0 (Our World in Data)
Coverage
236 places, 3,540 data points, 1950–2020
Last refreshed

Estimated share of the population living in urban areas (the sum of cities and towns and suburbs). Urban areas are identified using satellite imagery and population data, applying the same definitions across countries.