STATISTICAL COMMUNIQUÉ OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ON THE 2024 NATIONAL ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT（CHAPTER 1）

STATISTICAL COMMUNIQU OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA

ON THE 2024 NATIONAL ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT^[1] （CHAPTER 1）

National Bureau of Statistics of China

February 28, 2025

I. General Outlook

According to preliminary estimates, the gross domestic product (GDP)^[2] in 2024 was 134,908.4 billion yuan, up by 5.0 percent over the previous year. Of this total, the value added of the primary industry was 9,141.4 billion yuan, up by 3.5 percent over the previous year, that of the secondary industry was 49,208.7 billion yuan, up by 5.3 percent, and that of the tertiary industry was 76,558.3 billion yuan, up by 5.0 percent. The value added of the primary industry accounted for 6.8 percent of the GDP; that of the secondary industry accounted for 36.5 percent; and that of the tertiary industry accounted for 56.7 percent. The contribution of the final consumption expenditure to GDP growth rate was up by 2.2 percentage points, that of the gross capital formation to GDP growth rate up by 1.3 percentage points and that of the net exports of goods and services to GDP growth rate up by 1.5 percentage points. By quarter, the GDP went up by 5.3 percent year on year for the first quarter, up by 4.7 percent for the second quarter, 4.6 percent for the third quarter and 5.4 percent for the fourth quarter. The per capita GDP in 2024 was 95,749 yuan, up by 5.1 percent over the previous year. The gross national income^[3] in 2024 was 133,967.2 billion yuan, up by 5.1 percent over the previous year. The overall labor productivity^[4] was 173,898 yuan per person, up by 4.9 percent over the previous year.

Figure 1: Gross Domestic Product and Growth Rates 2020-2024

Figure 2: Shares of the Three Industries’ Value Added in GDP 2020-2024

Figure 3: The Overall Labor Productivity 2020-2024

By the end of 2024, the total number of national population^[5] reached 1,408.28 million, a decrease of 1.39 million over that at the end of 2023. Of this total, urban permanent residents numbered 943.50 million. There were 9.54 million births in 2024 with a crude birth rate of 6.77 per thousand; and there were 10.93 million deaths with a crude death rate of 7.76 per thousand. The natural growth rate was -0.99 per thousand.

Table 1: Population and Its Composition by the End of 2024

At the end of 2024, the number of employed people in China was 734.39 million, of which, that in urban areas was 473.45 million, accounting for 64.5 percent of the total employed people. The newly increased employed people in urban areas^[7] numbered 12.56 million in 2024, 0.12 million more than that of the previous year. The urban surveyed unemployment rate in 2024 averaged 5.1 percent. The urban surveyed unemployment rate at the year end was 5.1 percent. The total number of migrant workers^[8] was 299.73 million, up by 0.7 percent over that of 2023. Specifically, the number of migrant workers who left their hometowns and worked in other places was 178.71 million, up by 1.2 percent, and those who worked in their own localities reached 121.02 million, up by 0.1 percent.

Figure 4：Newly Increased Employed People in Urban Areas 2020-2024

The consumer prices in 2024 went up by 0.2 percent over the previous year. The producer prices for industrial products went down by 2.2 percent and the purchasing prices for industrial producers down by 2.2 percent. The producer prices for farm products^[9] dropped by 0.9 percent. In December, out of the 70 large and medium-sized cities, 23 cities experienced a month-on-month rise in sales prices of newly-built commercial residential buildings, 4 cities maintained the same level and 43 cities experienced a decline; 9 cities experienced a month-on-month rise in sales prices of second-hand housing, 1 city maintained the same level and 60 cities experienced a decline. Two cities experienced a year-on-year rise in sales prices of newly-built commercial residential buildings, and 68 cities experienced a decline. The number of cities experiencing a year-on-year decline in sales prices of second-hand housing was 70.

Figure 5：Monthly Changes of Consumer Prices in 2024

Table 2: Year-on-Year Changes of Consumer Prices in 2024

Unit: %

At the end of 2024, China’s foreign exchange reserves reached 3,202.4 billion US dollars, a decrease of 35.6 billion US dollars compared with that at the end of 2023. The average exchange rate of the year was 7.1217 RMB to 1 USD dollar, depreciated by 1.1 percent over that of 2023.

Figure 6：Year-end China's Foreign Exchange Reserves 2020-2024

New quality productive forces developed at a steady pace. Among the industries above the designated size^[11], the value added of the manufacture of equipment^[12] was up by 7.7 percent over the previous year, accounting for 34.6 percent of that of all industrial enterprises above the designated size. The value added of the high technology manufacturing industry^[13] increased by 8.9 percent, accounting for 16.3 percent of that of all industrial enterprises above the designated size. The output of new energy vehicles reached 13.168 million, up by 38.7 percent over the previous year; that of solar cells (photovoltaic cells) was 0.68 billion kilowatts, up by 15.7 percent; that of service robots reached 10.519 million, up by 15.6 percent; and that of 3D printing devices totaled 3.418 million, up by 11.3 percent. Among the service enterprises above the designated size^[14], the business revenue of the strategic emerging service industries^[15] went up by 7.9 percent compared with the previous year. The investment in high technology industries^[16] increased by 8.0 percent over the previous year and the investment in technology transformation of manufacturing^[17] grew by 8.0 percent. The e-commerce transactions^[18] reached 46,409.1 billion yuan, up by 3.9 percent over the previous year. The online retail sales^[19] reached 15,228.7 billion yuan, up by 7.2 percent over the previous year. In 2024, the number of newly established business entities was 27.37 million, with 24 thousand enterprises newly established per day on average.

Solid progress was made in the integrated development of urban and rural areas and coordinated regional development. By the end of 2024, the urbanization rate of permanent residents reached 67.00 percent, 0.84 percentage points higher than that at the end of 2023. By region^[20], in 2024, the gross domestic product in the eastern region was 70,235.6 billion yuan, an increase of 5.0 percent over the previous year; the central region, 28,715.6 billion yuan, up by 5.0 percent; the western region, 28,735.0 billion yuan, up by 5.2 percent; and the northeastern region, 6,345.1 billion yuan, up by 4.4 percent. In 2024, the gross domestic product in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region reached 11,539.4 billion yuan, up by 5.2 percent over the previous year; that in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, 63,022.8 billion yuan, up by 5.4 percent; and that in the Yangtze River Delta, 33,169.1 billion yuan, up by 5.5 percent. Major regional strategies such as the construction of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Areas, and the ecological protection and high-quality development of the Yellow River Basin made new achievements.

Figure 7：Year-end Urbanization Rates of Permanent Residents 2020-2024

Green and low-carbon transformation was further promoted. According to preliminary estimates, the national carbon dioxide emissions per 10,000 yuan worth of GDP^[21] in 2024 dropped by 3.4 percent over that of the previous year. The electricity generated by clean energy such as hydropower, nuclear power, wind power and solar power was 3,712.6 billion kilowatts-hours, up by 16.4 percent over the previous year. Of the monitored 339 cities at prefecture level and above, 65.5 percent reached the air quality standard and 34.5 percent failed. Of the 3,641 sections under the national monitoring program for surface water, 90.4 percent were of fairly clean water quality (Grade I to III), 7.8 percent were Grade IV, 1.2 percent were Grade V and 0.6 percent were worse than Grade V national standard.

Notes:

[1] All figures in this Communiqué are preliminary statistics. Statistics in this Communiqué do not include Hong Kong SAR, Macao SAR and Taiwan Province. Due to the rounding-off reasons, the subentries may not add up to the aggregate totals.

[2] Gross domestic product (GDP), value added of the three and related industries, regional GDP, per capita GDP and gross national income (GNI) as quoted in this Communiqué are calculated at current prices whereas their growth rates are at constant prices. According to the results of the Fifth National Economic Census, and in light of the synchronous reform on the accounting methods of owner-occupied dwellings services for urban residents, historical data of GDP, value added of the three and related industries and overall labor productivity (including Figure 1, Figure 2, Figure 3, Figure 9, Figure 10 and Figure 11) were revised.

[3] Gross national income, also known as gross national product, refers to the total primary distribution of the income created by all the resident units of a country (or a region) during a certain period of time. It equals to gross domestic product plus the net primary distribution of income from abroad.

[4] The overall labor productivity refers to the ratio between the GDP (at 2020 constant prices) and the total number of persons employed.

[5] The national population refers to the population of the 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government and servicemen of the Chinese mainland, excluding residents of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan and foreigners living in the 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the central government.

[6] By the end of 2024, the population aged 0 to 14 (under the age of 15) was 222.40 million and that aged 15 to 59 (under the age of 60) was 875.57 million.

[7] The number of newly increased employed people in urban areas equals the number of cumulative new employment minus the number of natural attrition in urban areas during the reporting period.

[8] The number of migrant workers includes those who are employed outside their villages and towns for more than six months in the year and those who are engaged in non-agricultural work in their villages and towns for more than six months in the year.

[9] The producer prices for farm products refer to the actual unit prices of farm products sold firsthand by producers.

[10] The prices for housing include prices for rent, maintenance and management, water, electricity and fuel, and services of owner-occupied dwellings etc.

[11] The growth rates and rate changes of relevant indicators of the industries above the designated size in 2024 were calculated on a comparable basis due to adjustments of survey coverage in the statistical survey programs, statistical law enforcement and removal of duplicated data.

[12] Manufacture of equipment includes manufacture of metal products, general purpose equipment, special purpose equipment, automobiles, railway, ship, aerospace and other transport equipment, electrical machinery and apparatus, computers, communication and other electric equipment and measuring instrument and machinery.

[13] High technology manufacturing industry includes manufacture of medicine, manufacture of aerospace vehicle and equipment, manufacture of electronic and communication equipment, manufacture of computers and office equipment, manufacture of medical equipment, manufacture of measuring instrument and equipment and manufacture of optical and photographic equipment.

[14] Service enterprises above the designated size refer to legal entities of transport, storage and post, information transmission, software and information technology services, water conservancy, environment and public facilities management, and health with annual business revenue of 20 million yuan and above; legal entities of real estate (excluding real estate development and operation), leasing and business services, scientific research and technical services and education with annual business revenue of 10 million yuan and above; and legal entities of household services, repair and other services, culture, sports and entertainment, and social services with annual business revenue of 5 million yuan and above. The growth rates of financial indicators of service enterprises above the designated size in 2024 were calculated on a comparable basis.

[15] Strategic emerging service industries refer to the related service sectors of information technology of new generation, manufacture of high-end equipment, new materials, biotech, new energy vehicles, new energy, energy-saving and environmental protection and digital creative industries, and service industries related to new technology, innovation and entrepreneurship.?

[16] Investment in high technology industries refers to investment in six high technology manufacturing industries, including the manufacture of medicine and manufacture of aerospace vehicle and equipment, and nine high technology service industries, including information service and e-commerce service.

[17] Investment in technology transformation of manufacturing refers to the investment by manufacturing enterprises in transformation of existing facilities, techniques and production services by adopting new technologies, techniques, devices and materials.

[18] E-commerce transactions refer to the transactions of goods and services realized through e-commerce trading platforms (including self-built and third-party platforms), including transactions with entities and individuals. The historical data of e-commerce transactions were revised in accordance with the results of the Fifth National Economic Census. The growth rate of 2024 was calculated on a comparable basis.

[19] Online retail sales refer to the retail sales of goods and services realized through internet trading platforms (online platforms mainly in trading physical goods, including self-built websites and third-party platforms). The data of online retail sales and online retail sales of physical goods were revised in accordance with the results of the Fifth National Economic Census. The growth rate of 2024 was calculated on a comparable basis.

[20] The eastern region includes 10 provinces and municipalities: Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Shandong, Guangdong and Hainan; the central region covers 6 provinces: Shanxi, Anhui, Jiangxi, Henan, Hubei and Hunan; the western region includes 12 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities: Inner Mongolia, Guangxi, Chongqing, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Xizang, Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia and Xinjiang; the northeastern region includes 3 provinces: Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang.

[21] The carbon dioxide emissions per 10,000 yuan worth of GDP was calculated at 2020 constant prices.

Source:

Website of National Bureau of Statistics of China <https://www.stats.gov.cn/english/PressRelease/202502/t20250228_1958822.html>