The Macanese of Macao

The Macanese of Macao, numbering approximately 9,000 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are an ethnic community of mixed Portuguese and Cantonese heritage whose identity originated in colonial Macau. They preserve a distinct culture through family networks, Macanese traditions, and a unique blend of Chinese and Portuguese influences. They mostly adhere to Protestantism and Yue Chinese is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite: Macanese

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Southeast Asian Peoples
Country: Macao
People Cluster: Other Southeast Asian
Primary Language(s): Yue Chinese (yue)
Primary Religion(s): Protestantism
Population: 9,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 2% or Greater but Less than 5% Evangelical
People Group ID: PG050585
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Macanese of Macao

Join others around the world in praying for the lost to be saved, the gospel to advance, the global Church to grow, and for laborers to be sent out and sustained in the harvest.

Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Protestantism
Religious Affiliation: Christianity

69%
%
Protestantism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Yue Chinese
Language Family: Sino-Tibetan

100%
%
Chinese, Yue Speakers

Media Resources in Yue Chinese:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film
MagdalenaView Film

2 films

Bible Resources in Yue Chinese:

4 entries

Or check out the Yue Chinese bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: No longer Unreached

The Macanese are No Longer Unreached, which means there are more than 2% evangelical Christian populations and there are churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. There is still more to be done among them.

Next steps for the Macanese:
Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting
Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Macanese of Macao

And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
readMatthew 6:7-8

Pray that those who don't have a relationship with their Creator will come to know a God who hears their every need, freeing them from empty rituals and drawing them into a real, trusting relationship with Him.

But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold.
readMark 4:20

Pray that those who have never encountered the gospel will have the opportunity to receive it, and that it will fall on good soil and bear much fruit.

Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time.
readColossians 4:5

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will be wise in the way they walk with the lost and manage their time and other resources in a way that honors God.

To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.
read1 Corinthians 9:22

Ask God to raise up believers from around the world to go and share the hope of Jesus with the lost so that they might trust in Him and have the hope of eternal life.

Macanese Across Countries (ROP3 - 105966) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

2 people groups

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

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