Quality of life comparison
If you lived in Brunei instead of Macau, you would:
Health
live 7.8 years less
In Macau, the average life expectancy is 83 years (81 years for men, 86 years for women) as of 2024. In Brunei, that number is 76 years (73 years for men, 78 years for women) as of 2024.
Economy
be 2.2 times more likely to be unemployed
In Macau, 2.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Brunei, that number is 5.3% as of 2025.
make 57.5% less money
Macau has a GDP per capita of $75,902 as of 2025, while in Brunei, the GDP per capita is $32,235 as of 2025.
Life
have 2.5 times more children
In Macau, there are approximately 5.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024. In Brunei, there are 13.3 babies per 1,000 people as of 2024.
be 87.4% more likely to die during infancy
In Macau, approximately 4.6 children (per 1,000 live births) die before they reach the age of one as of 2022. In Brunei, on the other hand, 8.6 children do as of 2024.
Geography
see 3.9 times more coastline
Macau has a total of 41 km of coastline. In Brunei, that number is 161 km.
Infrastructure
find 29.1% less home broadband
Macau has 29.9 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people as of 2024. Brunei has 21.2 as of 2024.
Environment
emit 8.0 times more CO2
Macau emits 2.5 tonnes of CO2 per person each year as of 2024. Brunei emits 20.2 tonnes as of 2024.
Sources: World Bank (2024–2025), The World Factbook (2022). How we calculate this
Compare further: Macau vs. Brunei
Brunei: At a glance
How big is Brunei compared to Macau? See an in-depth size comparison.