Macao vs Malta
Malta is 2.75 times larger than Macao. Macao would fit into Malta about 2.7 times.
MacaoMaltaMacao moved onto Malta · Equal-area projection
0.36×
Macao is 0.36× the area of Malta. Put the other way, Malta is 2.75× the size of Macao.
 Macao |  Malta | |
|---|---|---|
| Size | ||
| AreaMalta: 2.75× the area | 115 km² | 316 km²#186 of 194 |
| Coastline | Has a coast | Coast, no land border |
| Land neighbours | 1 | 0 |
| People | ||
| PopulationMacao: 1.18× the population | 685,9002025 | 579,704#166 of 194 · 2025 |
| DensityMacao: 3.25× the density | 5,964 / km² | 1,835 / km²#4 of 194 |
| Urban populationMacao: 1.04× the urban share | 100%2025 | 96%#9 of 192 · 2025 |
| Fertility rateMalta: 1.74× the births per woman | 0.58 per woman2024 | 1.01 per woman#188 of 192 · 2024 |
| Population growthMalta: 2.05 points higher | −0.16%2025 | +1.89%#51 of 192 · 2025 |
| Birth rateMalta: 1.45× the birth rate | 5.3 per 1,0002024 | 7.7 per 1,000#174 of 192 · 2024 |
| Death rateMalta: 2.03× the death rate | 3.6 per 1,0002024 | 7.3 per 1,000#93 of 192 · 2024 |
| Children under 15Macao: 0.8 points higher | 13.7%2025 | 12.9%#182 of 192 · 2025 |
| People over 65Malta: 5.4 points higher | 15.1%2025 | 20.5%#28 of 192 · 2025 |
| Net migrationMalta: 9.4 per 1,000 higher | −0.5 per 1,0002025 | +8.9 per 1,000#9 of 192 · 2025 |
| Refugees abroadAbout as many refugees for its size | 0.02 per 1,0002025 | 0.02 per 1,000#145 of 190 · 2025 |
| Health & education | ||
| Life expectancyMacao: 0.3 years longer | 83.3 years2024 | 83.0 years#18 of 192 · 2024 |
| Infant mortality | — | 4.7 per 1,000 births#144 of 191 · 2024 |
| Doctors | — | 4.51 per 1,000#16 of 178 · 2022 |
| University enrolmentMacao: 1.76× the university enrolment | 141.9%2024 | 80.5%#23 of 145 · 2023 |
| Human Development Index | — | 0.924#23 of 190 · 2023 |
| Economy | ||
| GNI per capitaMacao: 1.69× the income per person | $69,9202024 | $41,440#26 of 185 · 2025 |
| GDPMacao: 1.87× the economy | $52.06B2025 | $27.77B2025 |
| Income group | High income | High income |
| GDP per capita (PPP)Macao: 1.9× the output per person | $137,0312025 | $72,210#21 of 184 · 2025 |
| GDP growthMacao: 0.7 points higher | +4.7%2025 | +4.0%#69 of 187 · 2025 |
| InflationMalta: 2.1 points higher | +0.3%2025 | +2.4%#103 of 176 · 2025 |
| UnemploymentMalta: 1.26× the unemployment | 2.3%2025 | 2.9%#144 of 178 · 2025 |
| Extreme poverty | — | 0.4%#107 of 149 · 2023 |
| Income inequality (Gini) | — | 31.8#104 of 149 · 2023 |
| Jobs in agricultureMalta: 0.5 points higher | 0.4% of jobs2025 | 0.9% of jobs#172 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in industryMalta: 6.7 points higher | 11.0% of jobs2025 | 17.7% of jobs#110 of 178 · 2025 |
| Jobs in servicesMacao: 7.2 points higher | 88.6% of jobs2025 | 81.4% of jobs#10 of 178 · 2025 |
| Foreign investmentMalta: 167.9 points higher | 2.2% of GDP2025 | 170.1% of GDP#1 of 184 · 2024 |
| ExportsMalta: 26.8 points higher | 92.3% of GDP2025 | 119.1% of GDP#5 of 168 · 2025 |
| Military spending | — | 0.5% of GDP#146 of 155 · 2025 |
| Internet usersMalta: 1.05× the share online | 90%2024 | 94%#33 of 184 · 2024 |
| Mobile subscriptionsMacao: 1.42× the mobile subscriptions | 201 per 1002024 | 142 per 100#32 of 191 · 2024 |
| Energy & environment | ||
| Forest area | — | 2% of land#174 of 192 · 2024 |
| CO₂ per personMalta: 1.26× the CO₂ per person | 2.53 t a year2024 | 3.18 t a year#81 of 185 · 2024 |
| Renewable energyMacao: 2.4 points higher | 11.0%2022 | 8.6%#150 of 190 · 2021 |
| Access to electricityThe same | 100.0%2024 | 100.0%#1 of 192 · 2024 |
| Air pollution (PM2.5) | — | 10.8 µg/m³#149 of 191 · 2023 |
| Protected land | — | 29.0% of land#37 of 191 · 2025 |
| Arable land | — | 22.2% of land#46 of 190 · 2024 |
| Water stress | — | 72.6%#24 of 176 · 2022 |
| Precipitation | — | 560 mm#137 of 180 · 2022 |
| Governance & safety | ||
| Political stabilityMacao: 0.02 higher | +1.062025 | +1.04#31 of 193 · 2025 |
| Control of corruptionMacao: 0.39 higher | +0.572025 | +0.18#72 of 193 · 2025 |
| Homicide rateAbout the same homicide rate | 0.6 per 100,0002023 | 0.6 per 100,000#132 of 146 · 2023 |
| State | ||
| Status | Territory of China | Independent state |
| Government | Dependent territoryexecutive-led limited democracy; a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China | Parliamentary republic |
| Member of | — | EU, Euro area, Schengen Area |
| Capital | — | Valletta |
| Currency | Hong Kong dollar (HKD), Macanese pataca (MOP) | Euro (EUR) |
| Official languages | Portuguese, Cantonese, Standard Chinese | English, Maltese |
| Traffic drives | On the left | On the left |
| Time zone | UTC+8 | UTC+1, summer time UTC+2 |
| Calling code | +853 | +356 |
| Region | Eastern Asia, Asia | Southern Europe, Europe |
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; Malta at 36° N is stretched to 1.52×. 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 Malta?
- No. Macao is 2.75 times smaller than Malta. Macao covers 115 km² and Malta covers 316 km².
- How many times does Macao fit into Malta?
- About 2.7 times: Malta has 2.75× the area of Macao.
- Why do Macao and Malta 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 Malta about 1.52×. 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 Malta?
- Macao: 685,900 people against 579,704. Density: Macao 5,964 per km², Malta 1,835 per km².
- Which is richer, Macao or Malta?
- By gross national income per person, Macao: $69,920 against $41,440 (World Bank, Atlas method, 2024) — 1.69× as much.
- Where do people live longer, Macao or Malta?
- In Macao: life expectancy at birth is 83.3 years, against 83.0 — 0.3 years longer (World Bank, 2024).
- What kind of government do Macao and Malta have?
- By constitution, as the CIA World Factbook describes them — Macao: dependent territory; Malta: parliamentary republic.