Macao SAR, China's employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) was 70.9% in 2016, the latest year in the World Bank's World Development Indicators. That is up 7.49 percentage points from 63.41% in 2006.
Key figures
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Latest | 70.9% | 2016 |
| Five years earlier | 70.6% | 2011 |
| Ten years earlier | 63.41% | 2006 |
| Highest | 72.59% | 2014 |
| Lowest | 57.03% | 2003 |
| Average since 2007 | 70.33% | 2007–2016 |
| First recorded | 57.56% | 1992 |
What the numbers say
In 2016, Macao SAR, China's employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) fell 1.4 percentage points on 2015 (from 72.3% to 70.9%).
Across the 21 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2015), the average change was +0.78 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.53 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.9 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
On record, the biggest yearly rise was 7.12 percentage points in 1996 and the biggest yearly fall was 5.13 percentage points in 2002. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.
From 2007 to 2016 the straight-line trend is upward, about 0.5 percentage points a year. A straight line explains 79% of the movement over 10 observed years.
Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.
How it compares
See how every economy compares in the full ranking.
| Value | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Macao SAR, China | 70.9% | 2016 |
| World | 57.81% | 2019 |
| East Asia & Pacific | 66.1% | 2019 |
| High income | 59.07% | 2025 |
Closest to Macao SAR, China in the 2016 ranking
What this measures
Employment to population ratio is the proportion of a country's population that is employed.
Limitations: Comparability of employment-to-population ratios across countries is affected most significantly by variations in the definitions used for the employment and population figures. Differences result from age coverage, such as the lower and upper bounds for labor force activity. Estimates of both employment and population are also likely to vary according to whether members of the armed forces are included. Another area with scope for measurement differences has to do with the national treatment of particular groups of workers. The international definition of employment calls for inclusion of all persons who worked for at least one hour during the reference period.
Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.
All 24 values
| Year | Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 70.9 |
| 2015 | 72.3 |
| 2014 | 72.59 |
| 2013 | 71.4 |
| 2012 | 71 |
| 2011 | 70.6 |
| 2010 | 69.4 |
| 2009 | 69.5 |
| 2008 | 68.5 |
| 2007 | 67.09 |
| 2006 |
Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) in nearby economies
- Australia — 64.15% (2025)
- Brunei Darussalam — 60.2% (2025)
- Cambodia — 77% (2025)
- China — 67.35% (2019)
- Fiji — 51.89% (2024)
- Hong Kong SAR, China — 54.91% (2025)
- Indonesia — 65.04% (2023)
- Japan — 62.23% (2025)
- Korea, Rep.
More social protection & labor data for Macao SAR, China
- Net migration — -328 (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, female (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 43.12% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, male (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 45.29% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate for ages 15-24, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) — 44.14% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, female (% of female population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 73.89% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, male (% of male population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate) — 85.29% (2025)
- Labor force participation rate, total (% of total population ages 15-64) (modeled ILO estimate)
Reading data like this
Questions people ask
- What is Macao SAR, China's employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate)?
- 70.9% in 2016, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).
- How has it changed since 1992?
- It is up 13.34 percentage points from 57.56% in 1992. The highest value was 72.59% in 2014 and the lowest 57.03% in 2003.
- Is the latest change in employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) unusual for Macao SAR, China?
- In 2016, Macao SAR, China's employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (national estimate) fell 1.4 percentage points on 2015 (from 72.3% to 70.9%). Across the 21 yearly changes before that (1993 to 2015), the average change was +0.78 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 2.53 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.9 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.
Source
World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator SL.EMP.TOTL.SP.NE.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Labour Force Statistics database (LFS), International Labour Organization (ILO), uri: https://ilostat.ilo.org/data/bulk/, publisher: ILOSTAT, type: external database, date accessed: September 28, 2026 Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.
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