MACAO -- The Statistics and Census Service (DSEC) of the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) reported on Wednesday that the SAR's total population at the end of 2024 increased slightly by 0.7 percent year-on-year to 688,300.

The lift was mainly due to a rise in the number of non-resident workers living in Macao, said the DSEC. The local population, meaning the total population excluding non-resident workers and non-local students, edged down by 0.4 percent year-on-year to 568,700.

Data analyzed by age group showed that the youth population (aged 0-14) comprised 12.5 percent of the total population, whereas the elderly (aged 65 and above) constituted 14.6 percent.

Compared with the third quarter of 2024, live births increased by 77 in the fourth quarter of 2024, standing at 987. Mortality was 611, up by 13.