BRITISH CONSULATE-GENERAL FOR MACAO
9th Floor Bank of America Tower 12 Harcourt Road Hong Kong Mail Address GPO Box No 528 Hong Kong
Telex HX 73031 Cable Address Uktrade Hong Kong Telephone 5-230176 Fax 5-8452870
р.а.
Chris Sainty Esq
HKD
FCO
sear
HKLO20/1
Your reference
RECEIVED IN
25 FEB 1991
Our reference
Date
DESK OFFICER
INDEX
11 February 1991
PA
113
Málán .
CJS
23/2
MACAU ECONOMIC STATISTICS 1990
I
1. Economic statistics from Macau are often elusive and invariably ancient. I have great pleasure therefore in attaching a copy of a new little brochure Macau in Figures 1990, produced by the Statistics Department of the Economic Services Secretariat. have the following comments.
2. The estimated population of 452,000 is way under. Informal government statistics suggest 600,000 is a truer figure. You will recall about 50,000 illegal immigrants registered in the amnesty last year calculated to flush out about 5,000.
Exports are still garments
3. Trade and GDP have grown steadily. (and textiles) dominated (74%), just as government revenue is still gambling based (37%). Government revenue went up 57% because gambling revenue doubled. A consumer price index increase of 8.8% is very similar to that of Hong Kong.
The money supply situation is healthy, which the government is proud of.
4.
can be proud of the Cable and Wireless subsidiary (CTM) performance in doubling the numbers of telephones in 4 years.
5.
6. The only figures which tell us virtually nothing are those for law and order. The police are conspicuously idle and the law is enforced very slackly. If there is less violent crime in Macau as yet than Hong Kong it is because there are less jewellery shops and luxury houses to draw the gangsters, not because of greater security diligence.
/7.
Every effort is made to ensure that the information given herein is accurate, but no legal responsibility is accepted for any errors, omissions or misleading statements in that information caused by negligence or otherwise and no responsibility is accepted in regard to the standing of any firms,
companies or individuals mentioned.