Macau statistics service reports 0.1% GDP growth in Q3 2026
Regulation2 min read
Macau’s Statistics and Census Service reported that real GDP rose 0.1% year on year in the third quarter of 2026. It said exports of gaming services fell 4.8%, while other tourism services and gross fixed capital formation increased.
In the third quarter of 2026, Macau's real GDP expanded by only 0.1% compared with the same period a year earlier. The Statistics and Census Service put the figure in a preliminary release issued on Friday. Output for the three months to 30 September came to MOP106.06 billion. That pace was weaker than the 0.3% seen in the second quarter and far below the 7.1% posted in the first.
Gaming service exports were 4.8% lower year on year during the quarter. The statistics service linked the drop to what it described as "a short-term adjustment in gross revenue from games of chance caused by external conditions." Casino gross gaming revenue fell year on year in September for a fourth month running, according to separate government data. Macau treats gaming and tourism services as exports in its GDP accounts, since they capture what visitors spend at casinos and other tourism-focused businesses.
Exports of other tourism-related services rose 6.6% year on year, which the statistics service attributed to increased visitor numbers during the summer vacation season and to tourism campaigns. Gross fixed capital formation increased 17.2%, supported by faster progress on public and private construction projects, according to the statistics service.
Across the first nine months of 2026, Macau's GDP rose 2.9% year on year, reaching MOP316.13 billion. Gross fixed capital formation was up 4.6%, private consumption expenditure climbed 2.8%, and services exports advanced 3.4% over the same period. According to the statistics service, service exports drew support from higher visitor arrivals, which it credited to government measures promoting visitation and to a series of large-scale themed events.
In a consultation paper released towards the end of September, the IMF said Macau's economic and fiscal stability depended largely on the casino industry and on tourists from mainland China, leaving it exposed to external shocks and cyclical volatility. The IMF identified competition within the gaming industry, a slowdown in mainland China, trade disputes and global market instability as risks. It expected real GDP to grow 3.3% in 2026 and 3.1% in 2027, down from a 4.7% forecast for 2025, citing external pressures on Macau's economic outlook.