According to preliminary data, the agricultural sector contributed around 6.8 percent to the gross domestic product (GDP) of China in 2024, whereas 36.5 percent of the economic value added originated from the industrial sector and 54.6 percent from the service sector, respectively. The total GDP of China at current prices amounted to approximately 134.91 trillion yuan in 2024. Economic development in China The gross domestic product (GDP) serves as a primary indicator to measure the economic performance of a country or a region. It is generally defined as the monetary value of all finished goods and services produced within a country in a specific period of time. It includes all of private and public spending, government spending, investments, and net exports which are calculated as total exports minus imports. In other words, GDP represents the size of the economy.With its national economy growing at an exceptional annual growth rate of above nine percent for three decades in succession, China had become the worlds’ second largest economy by 2010, surpassing all other economies but the United States. Even though China's GDP growth has cooled down in recent years, its economy still expanded at roughly two times the pace of the United States in 2024. Breakdown of GDP in China When compared to other developed countries, the proportions of agriculture and industry in China's GDP are significantly higher. Even though agriculture is a major industry in the United States, it only accounted for about one percent of the economy in 2023. While the service sector contributed to more than 70 percent of the economy in most developed countries, it's share was considerably lower in China. This was not only due to China's lower development level, but also to the country’s focus on manufacturing and export. However, as the future limitations of this growth model become more and more apparent, China is trying to shift it's economic focus to the high-tech and service sectors. Accordingly, growth rates of the service sector have been considerably higher than in industry and agriculture in the years before the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

In 2024, the industrial sector generated around 30.1 percent of China's GDP. It was by far the largest contributor, followed by the wholesale and retail industry that was responsible for 10.2 percent and the financial sector that produced 7.3 percent of the country's economic output. Since China is the second-largest economy in the world, the industrial sector’s output alone exceeded the entire economy of Germany. China’s export and investment-driven economy China economic development of the early 2000s was mainly driven by investments and exports. A country's gross domestic product (GDP) consists of three parts: Consumption, investments, and net exports. Typically, emerging economies rely mainly on investments and exports for growing their economy and China was no exception. By the end of the 2010s, investments fueled more than 40 percent of China's GDP and exports were responsible for almost another 20 percent. In comparison to that, in most developed economies, investments make up only 20 percent of the economic output. Instead, the main economic driver is consumption. The economic structure in China created a huge industrial sector. For instance, China was the biggest steel exporter, the leading merchandise exporter, and exported more than a third of global household goods. Great push towards transformation In early 2018, the Chinese government proclaimed that the country's economy had reached a new development stage where consumption and services replaced investment and manufacturing as the main driver of economic growth. The fear of the middle-income trap and changing demographics were the main reasons for Beijing's emphasis on economic transformation. Although incomes in China had not stagnated, policymakers attempted to preempt “getting stuck” by steering the economy towards high-quality growth and consumption-focus. Furthermore, a society that was older and had a higher share of middle-class population had different requirements to the economy. In the case of a successful transformation, China's economy would become more similar to those of developed nations. For instance, the financial sector was the largest contributor to the United States economy. In the case of Germany, the service sector generates the largest share of gross domestic product.

In 2024, the service sector of the economy in China grew by around 5.0 percent compared to the previous year. This year, the industrial sector in China has been growing at a higher pace than the service sector.

The statistic shows the distribution of the workforce across economic sectors in China from 2013 to 2023. In 2023, around 22.8 percent of the workforce were employed in the agricultural sector, 29.1 percent in the industrial sector and 48.1 percent in the service sector. This year, the share of agriculture increased for the first time in more than two decades, which highlights the difficult situation of the labor market due to the pandemic and economic downturn at the end of the year.

Distribution of the workforce in China

In 2012, China became the largest exporting country worldwide with an export value of about two trillion U.S. dollars. China’s economic system is largely based on growth and export, with the manufacturing sector being a crucial contributor to the country’s export competitiveness. Economic development was accompanied by a steady rise of labor costs, as well as a significant slowdown in labor force growth. These changes present a serious threat to the era of China as the world’s factory. The share of workforce in agriculture also steadily decreased in China until 2021, while the agricultural gross production value displayed continuous growth, amounting to approximately 7.8 trillion yuan in 2021.

Development of the service sector

Since 2011, the largest share of China’s labor force has been employed in the service sector. However, compared with developed countries, such as Japan or the United States, where 73 and 79 percent of the work force were active in services in 2021 respectively, the proportion of people working in the tertiary sector in China has been relatively low. The Chinese government aims to continue economic reform by moving from an emphasis on investment to consumption, among other measures. This might lead to a stronger service economy. Meanwhile, the size of the urban middle class in China is growing steadily. A growing number of affluent middle class consumers could promote consumption and help China move towards a balanced economy.

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in China was worth 17794.78 billion US dollars in 2023, according to official data from the World Bank. The GDP value of China represents 16.88 percent of the world economy. This dataset provides - China GDP - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

GDP from Services in China increased to 765582.50 CNY Hundred Million in the fourth quarter of 2024 from 561501.80 CNY Hundred Million in the third quarter of 2024. This dataset provides - China Gdp From Services- actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

CN: Gross Domestic Product: Current PPP data was reported at 34,643.710 USD bn in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 31,773.150 USD bn for 2022. CN: Gross Domestic Product: Current PPP data is updated yearly, averaging 4,522.776 USD bn from Dec 1981 (Median) to 2023, with 43 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 34,643.710 USD bn in 2023 and a record low of 350.540 USD bn in 1981. CN: Gross Domestic Product: Current PPP data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s China – Table CN.OECD.MSTI: Gross Domestic Product, GDP PPP and GDP Deflator: Non OECD Member: Annual.

The national breakdown by source of funds does not fully match with the classification defined in the Frascati Manual. The R&D financed by the government, business enterprises, and by the rest of the world can be retrieved but part of the expenditure has no specific source of financing, i.e. self-raised funding (in particular for independent research institutions), the funds from the higher education sector and left-over government grants from previous years.

The government and higher education sectors cover all fields of NSE and SSH while the business enterprise sector only covers the fields of NSE. There are only few organisations in the private non-profit sector, hence no R&D survey has been carried out in this sector and the data are not available.

From 2009, researcher data are collected according to the Frascati Manual definition of researcher. Beforehand, this was only the case for independent research institutions, while for the other sectors data were collected according to the UNESCO concept of “scientist and engineer”.

In 2009, the survey coverage in the business and the government sectors has been expanded.

Before 2000, all of the personnel data and 95% of the expenditure data in the business enterprise sector are for large and medium-sized enterprises only. Since 2000 however, the survey covers almost all industries and all enterprises above a certain threshold. In 2000 and 2004, a census of all enterprises was held, while in the intermediate years data for small enterprises are estimated.

Due to the reform of the S&T system some government institutions have become enterprises, and their R&D data have been reflected in the Business Enterprise sector since 2000.

In 2023, the distribution of the gross domestic product (GDP) across economic sectors in different regions of China still revealed a heavy reliance on the primary and secondary sectors in most parts of the country. While the primary and secondary sectors accounted for only 0.2 and 14.9 percent, respectively, of the gross regional product of Beijing, they accounted for 11.1 and 47.5 percent, respectively, in Inner Mongolia.

Contains data from the World Bank's data portal covering the following topics which also exist as individual datasets on HDX: Agriculture and Rural Development, Aid Effectiveness, Economy and Growth, Education, Energy and Mining, Environment, Financial Sector, Health, Infrastructure, Social Protection and Labor, Private Sector, Public Sector, Science and Technology, Social Development, Urban Development, Gender, Climate Change, External Debt, Trade.

According to preliminary figures, the growth of real gross domestic product (GDP) in China amounted to 5.0 percent in 2024. For 2025, the IMF expects a GDP growth rate of around 4.6 percent. Real GDP growth The current gross domestic product is an important indicator of the economic strength of a country. It refers to the total market value of all goods and services that are produced within a country per year. When analyzing year-on-year changes, the current GDP is adjusted for inflation, thus making it constant. Real GDP growth is regarded as a key indicator for economic growth as it incorporates constant GDP figures. As of 2023, China was among the leading countries with the largest gross domestic product worldwide, second only to the United States which had a GDP volume of almost 27.5 trillion U.S. dollars. The Chinese GDP has shown remarkable growth over the past years. Upon closer examination of the distribution of GDP across economic sectors, a gradual shift from an economy heavily based on industrial production towards an economy focused on services becomes visible, with the service industry outpacing the manufacturing sector in terms of GDP contribution. Key indicator balance of trade Another important indicator for economic assessment is the balance of trade, which measures the relationship between imports and exports of a nation. As an economy heavily reliant on manufacturing and industrial production, China has reached a trade surplus over the last decade, with a total trade balance of around 823 billion U.S. dollars in 2023.

China GDP: Value Added data was reported at 99,356,033.560 RMB mn in 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 93,689,271.010 RMB mn for 2021. China GDP: Value Added data is updated yearly, averaging 10,140,386.875 RMB mn from Dec 1981 (Median) to 2022, with 42 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 99,356,033.560 RMB mn in 2022 and a record low of 460,111.001 RMB mn in 1981. China GDP: Value Added data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s China – Table CN.OECD.MSTI: Gross Domestic Product, GDP PPP and GDP Deflator: Non OECD Member: Annual.

Contains data from the World Bank's data portal. There is also a consolidated country dataset on HDX.

Private markets drive economic growth, tapping initiative and investment to create productive jobs and raise incomes. Trade is also a driver of economic growth as it integrates developing countries into the world economy and generates benefits for their people. Data on the private sector and trade are from the World Bank Group's Private Participation in Infrastructure Project Database, Enterprise Surveys, and Doing Business Indicators, as well as from the International Monetary Fund's Balance of Payments database and International Financial Statistics, the UN Commission on Trade and Development, the World Trade Organization, and various other sources.

China GERD Performed: Higher Education Sector data was reported at 7.837 % in 2022. This records an increase from the previous number of 7.800 % for 2021. China GERD Performed: Higher Education Sector data is updated yearly, averaging 8.525 % from Dec 1991 (Median) to 2022, with 32 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 12.633 % in 1994 and a record low of 6.840 % in 2016. China GERD Performed: Higher Education Sector data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s China – Table CN.OECD.MSTI: Gross Domestic Expenditure on Research and Development: Non OECD Member: Annual.

The national breakdown by source of funds does not fully match with the classification defined in the Frascati Manual. The R&D financed by the government, business enterprises, and by the rest of the world can be retrieved but part of the expenditure has no specific source of financing, i.e. self-raised funding (in particular for independent research institutions), the funds from the higher education sector and left-over government grants from previous years.

The government and higher education sectors cover all fields of NSE and SSH while the business enterprise sector only covers the fields of NSE. There are only few organisations in the private non-profit sector, hence no R&D survey has been carried out in this sector and the data are not available.

From 2009, researcher data are collected according to the Frascati Manual definition of researcher. Beforehand, this was only the case for independent research institutions, while for the other sectors data were collected according to the UNESCO concept of “scientist and engineer”.

In 2009, the survey coverage in the business and the government sectors has been expanded.

Before 2000, all of the personnel data and 95% of the expenditure data in the business enterprise sector are for large and medium-sized enterprises only. Since 2000 however, the survey covers almost all industries and all enterprises above a certain threshold. In 2000 and 2004, a census of all enterprises was held, while in the intermediate years data for small enterprises are estimated.

Due to the reform of the S&T system some government institutions have become enterprises, and their R&D data have been reflected in the Business Enterprise sector since 2000.

Contains data from the World Bank's data portal covering the following topics which also exist as individual datasets on HDX: Agriculture and Rural Development, Aid Effectiveness, Economy and Growth, Education, Energy and Mining, Environment, Financial Sector, Health, Infrastructure, Social Protection and Labor, Poverty, Private Sector, Public Sector, Science and Technology, Social Development, Urban Development, Gender, Millenium development goals, Climate Change, External Debt, Trade.

The grey relational grades of China’s digital economy with the sports industry and other major economic sectors.

Hong Kong Employment: All Industry Sectors data was reported at 2,871,540.000 Person in Jun 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 2,867,383.000 Person for Mar 2018. Hong Kong Employment: All Industry Sectors data is updated quarterly, averaging 2,294,646.500 Person from Mar 1980 (Median) to Jun 2018, with 154 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 2,871,540.000 Person in Jun 2018 and a record low of 1,750,442.000 Person in Mar 1980. Hong Kong Employment: All Industry Sectors data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Census and Statistics Department. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Hong Kong SAR – Table HK.G033: Employment: Quarterly Survey of Employment and Vacancies: by Industry: HSIC 2.0.

Hong Kong SAR (China) Vacancies: All Industry Sectors data was reported at 66,457.000 Unit in Sep 2024. This records a decrease from the previous number of 69,444.000 Unit for Jun 2024. Hong Kong SAR (China) Vacancies: All Industry Sectors data is updated quarterly, averaging 54,495.500 Unit from Jun 1980 (Median) to Sep 2024, with 178 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 127,765.000 Unit in Mar 1989 and a record low of 15,919.000 Unit in Mar 2003. Hong Kong SAR (China) Vacancies: All Industry Sectors data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Census and Statistics Department. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Hong Kong SAR (China) – Table HK.G086: Vacancies: Quarterly Survey of Employment and Vacancies: by Industry: HSIC 2.0. [COVID-19-IMPACT]

China Flow of Funds: Domestic Sector: Use: Income from Property: Other data was reported at 514.149 RMB bn in 2016. This records an increase from the previous number of 338.640 RMB bn for 2015. China Flow of Funds: Domestic Sector: Use: Income from Property: Other data is updated yearly, averaging 19.249 RMB bn from Dec 1992 (Median) to 2016, with 25 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 514.149 RMB bn in 2016 and a record low of 0.366 RMB bn in 1992. China Flow of Funds: Domestic Sector: Use: Income from Property: Other data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s National Accounts – Table CN.AD: Flow of Funds Accounts: Physical Transaction: Domestic Sector.

The Chinese iron ore and steel sectors face economic challenges with declining property investment and fluctuating prices, amid efforts by Beijing to stimulate growth.

Industrial Production in China increased 5.90 percent in February of 2025 over the same month in the previous year. This dataset provides - China Industrial Production - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.