Macao vs Maldives
Maldives is 2.59 times larger than Macao. Macao would fit into Maldives about 2.6 times.
MacaoMaldivesMacao moved onto Maldives · Equal-area projection
0.39×
Macao is 0.39× the area of Maldives. Put the other way, Maldives is 2.59× the size of Macao.
 Macao |  Maldives | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaMaldives: 2.59× the area | 115 km² | 298 km²#187 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Coast, no land border |
| Land neighbours | 1 | 0 |
| People | ||
| PopulationMacao: 1.29× the population | 685,9002025 | 529,676#167 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityMacao: 3.36× the density | 5,964 / km² | 1,777 / km²#6 of 194 |
| Urban populationMacao: 2.35× the urban share | 100%2025 | 43%#145 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateMaldives: 2.69× the births per woman | 0.58 per woman2024 | 1.56 per woman#127 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthMaldives: 0.51 points higher | −0.16%2025 | +0.35%#141 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateMaldives: 2.0× the birth rate | 5.3 per 1,0002024 | 10.6 per 1,000#132 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateMacao: 1.5× the death rate | 3.6 per 1,0002024 | 2.4 per 1,000#186 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Maldives: 5.3 points higher | 13.7%2025 | 19.0%#119 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Macao: 10.1 points higher | 15.1%2025 | 5.0%#123 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationMacao: 3.8 per 1,000 higher | −0.5 per 1,0002025 | −4.3 per 1,000#171 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadMaldives: 6.0× the refugees for its size | 0.02 per 1,0002025 | 0.12 per 1,000#113 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyMacao: 2.0 years longer | 83.3 years2024 | 81.3 years#37 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortality | — | 4.7 per 1,000 births#144 of 191 · 2024 |
| Doctors | — | 2.24 per 1,000#80 of 178 · 2019 |
| University enrolmentMacao: 2.93× the university enrolment | 141.9%2024 | 48.5%#77 of 145 · 2022 |
| Human Development Index | — | 0.766#92 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaMacao: 5.4× the income per person | $69,9202024 | $12,950#72 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPMacao: 6.73× the economy | $52.06B2025 | $7.74B2025 |
| Income group | High income | Upper-middle income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Macao: 4.8× the output per person | $137,0312025 | $28,555#72 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthMaldives: 1.6 points higher | +4.7%2025 | +6.3%#26 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationMaldives: 3.7 points higher | +0.3%2025 | +4.0%#55 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentMaldives: 1.96× the unemployment | 2.3%2025 | 4.5%#106 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | — | 0.0%#136 of 149 · 2019 |
| Income inequality (Gini) | — | 29.3#125 of 149 · 2019 |
| Jobs in agricultureMaldives: 10.9 points higher | 0.4% of jobs2025 | 11.3% of jobs#105 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryMaldives: 5.9 points higher | 11.0% of jobs2025 | 16.9% of jobs#115 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesMacao: 16.8 points higher | 88.6% of jobs2025 | 71.8% of jobs#44 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentMaldives: 8.9 points higher | 2.2% of GDP2025 | 11.1% of GDP#12 of 184 · 2025 |
| ExportsMacao: 14.1 points higher | 92.3% of GDP2025 | 78.2% of GDP#16 of 168 · 2024 |
| Internet usersMacao: 1.05× the share online | 90%2024 | 85%#78 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsMacao: 1.36× the mobile subscriptions | 201 per 1002024 | 148 per 100#28 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest area | — | 13% of land#140 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personMaldives: 1.41× the CO₂ per person | 2.53 t a year2024 | 3.57 t a year#73 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyMacao: 9.8 points higher | 11.0%2022 | 1.2%#172 of 190 · 2022 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5) | — | 11.2 µg/m³#145 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected land | — | 3.0% of land#176 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable land | — | 13.1% of land#79 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stress | — | 15.7%#74 of 176 · 2022 |
| Precipitation | — | 1,972 mm#35 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityMacao: 0.98 higher | +1.062025 | +0.08#100 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionMacao: 0.90 higher | +0.572025 | −0.33#105 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateAbout the same homicide rate | 0.6 per 100,0002023 | 0.6 per 100,000#132 of 146 · 2019 |
| State | ||
| Status | Territory of China | Independent state |
| Government | Dependent territoryexecutive-led limited democracy; a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China | Presidential republic |
| Capital | — | Male |
| Currency | Hong Kong dollar (HKD), Macanese pataca (MOP) | Maldivian rufiyaa (MVR) |
| Official languages | Portuguese, Cantonese, Standard Chinese | Maldivian |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC+8 | UTC+5 |
| Calling code | +853 | +960 |
| Region | Eastern Asia, Asia | Southern Asia, Asia |
Area: Wikidata. Population, income, health, economy, environment and governance: World Bank. Human Development Index: UNDP. Government: CIA World Factbook. Ranks among the 194 independent states. All sources
Why the map you grew up with disagrees
On a Mercator map, area grows with distance from the equator. Macao sits at about 22° N and is stretched to 1.17× its true area; Maldives at 4° N is stretched to 1.0×. Here the two are distorted about the same amount, so Mercator gets this pair roughly right. The figure above uses the Equal Earth projection, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
Questions about this pair
- Is Macao bigger than Maldives?
- No. Macao is 2.59 times smaller than Maldives. Macao covers 115 km² and Maldives covers 298 km².
- How many times does Macao fit into Maldives?
- About 2.6 times: Maldives has 2.59× the area of Macao.
- Why do Macao and Maldives look different on Google Maps?
- Web maps use the Mercator projection, which stretches area with distance from the equator. Macao is drawn about 1.17× its true area there and Maldives about 1.0×. For this pair the distortion is similar, so Mercator gets the comparison roughly right. Kartavera uses Equal Earth, where every square kilometre is drawn the same size.
- Which has more people, Macao or Maldives?
- Macao: 685,900 people against 529,676. Density: Macao 5,964 per km², Maldives 1,777 per km².
- Which is richer, Macao or Maldives?
- By gross national income per person, Macao: $69,920 against $12,950 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2024) — 5.4× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Macao or Maldives?
- In Macao: life expectancy at birth is 83.3 years, against 81.3 — 2.0 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Macao and Maldives have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Macao: dependent territory; Maldives: presidential republic.