Macau’s population rose by 0.2 percent year-over-year to 688,000 at the end of the third quarter, driven by immigration despite a continued decline in births, the Statistics and Census Bureau (DSEC) has announced.
Between January and September, according to DSEC data, 2,205 mainland Chinese were permitted to settle in Macau, while 761 Hong Kong and Taiwan residents as well as foreign nationals were granted the right of abode and 41,256 non-resident workers were granted a work permit.
According to a bureau statement released on Friday, females accounted for 54.0 percent of the total population, which includes permanent and non-permanent residents as well as non-resident workers.
Live births in the first nine months of the year totaled 2,037, a 4.4 percent drop compared to the same period last year. Males accounted for 52.3 percent of the newborn population.
During the first three quarters, 1,959 deaths were recorded, representing a 7.0 percent increase year-over-year. The total included 58 suicides, down 19.4 percent from the 72 recorded during the first nine months of last year.
Macau continues to maintain one of the world's highest population densities. At the end of September, the territory recorded a population density of 20,599 people per square kilometre, based on a total land area of 33.4 square kilometres.
