Place comparison

Macao compared with Taipei City: area, population and density

Taipei City has about 8.1 times Macao’s land and about 3.6 times its population, so Macao is about 2.3 times as dense as Taipei City.

Place A Grouped by country or region Place B Grouped by country or region

Equal-area outline comparison

Outlines are centered and scaled by official land area; position does not show geographic location.

Area

Population

Population density

Area data date

Population data date

The guide below belongs to this pair: Macao and Taipei City. Change the selector above and the page follows, so the reading always matches the tool.

Direct answer

How different are Macao and Taipei City?

Macao covers 33.4 km² (12.9 sq mi); Macao's area is about 12.3% of Taipei City's. Its reported population is 686,500; Macao's population is about 28.1% of Taipei City's. By average density, Macao's population density is 2.29 times Taipei City's.

Area difference

Macao's area is about 12.3% of Taipei City's 33.4 km² (12.9 sq mi) · 271.8 km² (104.9 sq mi)

Population difference

Macao's population is about 28.1% of Taipei City's 686,500 · 2,439,507

Density difference

Macao's population density is 2.29 times Taipei City's 20,553.9 /km² (53,234 /sq mi) · 8,975.4 /km² (23,246 /sq mi)

Full data and sources for each place: Macao area & population, Taipei City area & population

Straight-line distance between geometric centres: about 879 km; time difference: none.

On a familiar scale

Macao ≈ 57% of Manhattan (reference rung) 49 m² of land per resident
Taipei City ≈ 1.72 × Washington, D.C. (reference rung) 111 m² of land per resident

Reference scales come from U.S. Census Bureau: 2025 Gazetteer Files: land area of states and counties , as of 2025-01-01.

How to read it

Macao has about an eighth of Taipei City’s land but more than a quarter of its people.

Geography and shape

Macao lies on the western side of the Pearl River estuary: a peninsula plus the former islands of Taipa and Coloane, now joined by the Cotai reclamation, with newer reclaimed zones along its shores. Taipei City occupies the centre of the Taipei Basin, ringed by hills and entirely surrounded by New Taipei City.

Population context

Macao has 686,500 people on 33.4 km², about 20,550 per km², both at 30 June 2026. Taipei City has 2,439,507 registered residents on 271.8 km², about 8,975 per km². Macao’s average is about 32 times Taiwan’s national average of 644.

Boundaries and definitions

Macao’s area is the sum of seven official land components, including the Cotai reclamation, New Urban Zones A and C and the port area on the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macao Bridge island. The University of Macau’s Hengqin campus and the 85 km² of sea assigned to Macao are not included. Its population is the official estimate of usual residents, including non-resident workers and students. Taipei City uses household registration at year-end 2025 and excludes New Taipei City, so the two population dates are six months apart.

Macao: Total land area of the Macao Special Administrative Region, the sum of seven official components: Macao Peninsula 9.4, Taipa 7.9, Coloane 7.6, the Cotai reclamation 6.1, New Urban Zone A 1.4, New Urban Zone C 0.3 and the Macao port area on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge island 0.7. The University of Macau's Hengqin campus (1.0 km²) is a separate column in the same official table and is not included, nor is the 85 km² of sea area assigned to the region. Population is the Statistics and Census Service estimate of usual residents, which includes non-resident workers and students. Both figures share a 30 June 2026 reference point. The outline omits the newest reclaimed zones, so it should be read as a silhouette rather than a current coastline.

Taipei City: Taipei City, the special municipality alone. Area and registered population come from the same Ministry of the Interior table at the same year-end 2025 reference date, so the density is like for like. The figure excludes New Taipei City: “Taipei” in everyday speech often means the two cities together (2,324.3664 km², 6,484,338 residents) or the wider metropolitan area, which has no single official boundary. Population is household registration, not resident presence.

In-depth guide

How should Macao and Taipei City be understood in context?

Taipei City is the yardstick most Taiwanese readers carry. Macao is about an eighth of its land but holds 686,500 people — more than a quarter of Taipei City’s population — which puts its average density at about 2.3 times Taipei’s.

An eighth of the land, over a quarter of the people

Macao’s 33.4 km² is about 12% of Taipei City’s 271.8 km²; its 686,500 residents are about 28% of Taipei City’s 2,439,507. Macao averages about 20,550 people per km² against Taipei City’s 8,975.

On a Taiwanese island scale, Penghu County’s 90 islands total 127.96 km², about 3.8 times Macao’s land, yet Macao has about 6.4 times Penghu’s population.

Macao, Taipei and Hong Kong in order

On territory-wide averages, Taipei City at about 8,975 per km² is denser than Hong Kong at about 6,760, because Hong Kong’s total includes large country parks and outlying islands. Macao, at about 20,550, is about 2.3 times Taipei City and about 3 times Hong Kong.

Questions people ask

About this geographic comparison

Which is bigger, Macao or Taipei City?

Taipei City is bigger, with a land area about 8.14× that of Macao (33.4 vs 271.8 km², or 12.9 sq mi vs 104.9 sq mi).

How do Macao and Taipei City differ in area, population and density?

Macao is 12.3% the size of Taipei City — 33.4 km² vs 271.8 km² (12.9 sq mi vs 104.9 sq mi). Population is 28.1% as high; average density is 2.29× higher. Each side’s scope and reference date are set out under “Boundaries and definitions” on this page.

How much more crowded is Macao than Taipei?

About 2.3 times on average: about 20,550 people per km² against Taipei City’s 8,975. Macao fits about 28% of Taipei City’s population onto about 12% of its land.

Sources

Outline data:

Natural Earth · Public domain