macao (cn) Capital: macao Pos.: Surface: 33 Kmq Population 2025: 722.000 Pop. density: 21.878,79 in./Kmq Pop. growth :  + 1,32 % GDP per capita: 72.107 $ PPP per capita: 130.224 $ Nominal GDP 2025: 52,061 billions $ Estimate Growth GDP 2025: +5,2 % Estimate Growth PPP 2025: +7,8 % GDP PPP 2025: 94,022 billions $ Internet TLD:  MO It is a special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. Formerly a Portuguese colony, the territory of Portuguese Macau was first leased to Portugal as a trading post by the Ming dynasty in 1557. Portugal paid an annual rent and administered the territory under Chinese sovereignty until 1887. Portugal later gained perpetual colonial rights in the Sino-Portuguese Treaty of Peking. The colony remained Portuguese until 1999, when it was transferred to China Economy: It has a capitalist service economy largely based on casino gaming and tourism. Macau's gaming industry is the largest in the world, generating over MOP195 billion (US$24 billion) in revenue and about seven times larger than that of Las Vegas.Its gambling revenue was $37 billion in 2018. The regional economy is heavily reliant on casino gaming. The vast majority of government funding (79.6 per cent of total tax revenue) comes from gaming. The vast majority of casino patrons are tourists from mainland China Economy macao (cn) population 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020 2022 2023 2024 2025  TOP