Key Stats
| Category | Statistic |
|---|---|
| Continent: | Asia |
| Capital: | Macau |
| Population: | 713,082 |
| % Urban: | 100 % |
| Population Under 15 Yrs: | 14 % |
| Official Language: | Chinese and Portuguese. The majority (86%) speak Cantonese, but Mandarin is also widely spoken |
| Literacy Rate: | 97 % |
| Life Expectancy: | 85.4 yrs (3/236) |
| % Christian: | 5.4 % |
| % Evangelical: | 1.6 % |
| Largest Religion: | Chinese |
| % Largest Religion: | 62 % |
| People Groups: | 12 |
| Least Reached People Groups: | 5 |
| % Unevangelized: | 28 % |
Macau
Macau is the first Christian territory in Asia to become non-Christian since the Muslim conquest in West Asia over 600 years ago. 95% of the population were Catholic in 1600; fewer than 5% are Christian today. Protestant missions to China started in Macau. Here, missionaries baptized the first Chinese convert, translated the first Chinese Bible, and buried the first Protestant missionary to the Chinese. Many now follow Buddhism, Daoism, or traditional Chinese religions. The gambling industry, fear of the local god “A-Ma”, and high turnover of leaders in churches, all hinder the spread of the gospel. Pray for believers to win back this territory for the Saviour.
More Information
- Get all of this content and daily notifications in our free mobile app. Download here ›
- Sign up for a daily e-mail that gets you the featured prayer point of the day straight to your inbox.
- This content is a curated selection of points from our book, Operation World. Find out more about it and all the rest of Our Publications ›
Content taken or adapted from Operation World, 7th Edition (2010) and Pray for the World (2015). Both books are published by InterVarsity Press. All rights reserved.