China accounted for the majority of the world's manufacturing capacity across nearly every major cleantech segment in 2024. The Asian country is particularly well placed in the solar PV sector, having accounted for more than ** percent of global PV wafer, and PV polysilicon manufacturing capacity in 2024.

China GDP: % of Manufacturing: Medium and High Tech Industry data was reported at 41.451 % in 2019. This stayed constant from the previous number of 41.451 % for 2018. China GDP: % of Manufacturing: Medium and High Tech Industry data is updated yearly, averaging 41.451 % from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2019, with 30 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 43.881 % in 2002 and a record low of 35.226 % in 1993. China GDP: % of Manufacturing: Medium and High Tech Industry data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s China – Table CN.World Bank.WDI: Gross Domestic Product: Share of GDP. The proportion of medium and high-tech industry value added in total value added of manufacturing; ; United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Competitive Industrial Performance (CIP) database; ;

China Manufacturing: YoY: Value Added of Industry data was reported at 6.100 % in Oct 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 5.700 % for Sep 2018. China Manufacturing: YoY: Value Added of Industry data is updated monthly, averaging 7.000 % from Jun 2013 (Median) to Oct 2018, with 55 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 11.400 % in Oct 2013 and a record low of 5.700 % in Sep 2018. China Manufacturing: YoY: Value Added of Industry data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Industrial Sector – Table CN.MFG: Manufacturing.

Wages in Manufacturing in China increased to 103932 CNY/Year in 2023 from 97528 CNY/Year in 2022. This dataset provides - China Average Yearly Wages in Manufacturing - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Actual value and historical data chart for China Manufacturing Value Added Percent Of GDP

China Manufacturing: Sales Revenue: Year to Date data was reported at 76,221.910 RMB bn in Oct 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 68,605.400 RMB bn for Sep 2018. China Manufacturing: Sales Revenue: Year to Date data is updated monthly, averaging 50,424.960 RMB bn from Jan 2014 (Median) to Oct 2018, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 104,771.097 RMB bn in Dec 2016 and a record low of 12,884.520 RMB bn in Feb 2014. China Manufacturing: Sales Revenue: Year to Date data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Industrial Sector – Table CN.MFG: Manufacturing.

The statistic shows the distribution of the workforce across economic sectors in China from 2014 to 2024. In 2024, around 22.2 percent of the workforce were employed in the agricultural sector, 29 percent in the industrial sector and 48.8 percent in the service sector. In 2022, the share of agriculture had 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 2023 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.

Digital development of China’s manufacturing industry.

In 2022, China's share of the global semiconductor manufacturing capacity amounted to ***** percent. In a global comparison, the U.S. has ** percent of the global production capacity. As a result, China heavily relies on imports to satisfy its semiconductor demands.

China Chain: Factory Outlet Center: Sales: Retail data was reported at 0.370 RMB bn in 2021. This records a decrease from the previous number of 0.618 RMB bn for 2020. China Chain: Factory Outlet Center: Sales: Retail data is updated yearly, averaging 0.618 RMB bn from Dec 2007 (Median) to 2021, with 15 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1.124 RMB bn in 2007 and a record low of 0.011 RMB bn in 2010. China Chain: Factory Outlet Center: Sales: Retail data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Commerce, China General Chamber of Commerce. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Wholesale, Retail and Catering Sector – Table CN.CRAK: Factory Outlet Center.

In October 2025, the Purchasing Leader Index (PLI) in China resided at about ** percent. An indicator of the economic health of the manufacturing sector, the PLI is based on five major indicators: new orders, inventory levels, production, supplier deliveries, and the employment environment. An index value above 50 percent indicates a positive development in the industrial sector, whereas a value below 50 percent indicates a negative situation. The PLI as a major economic indicator The Purchasing Leader Index was first introduced by the US-based Institute of Supply Management in 1948. It has become one of the most widely used and closely watched indicators of business activities worldwide. The PLI is not only an apt indicator for manufacturing growth, it also supports interest rate decisions of central bank institutions. PLI figures around the globe were dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. In the Euro area, the PLI recovered from a considerable drop in April 2020, regaining pre-crisis level in June. In the United States, the monthly PLI indicated an even better improvement from low values in April and March. Recent PLI development in China As is shown in the graph at hand, the PLI of China as the world’s second-largest economy dropped considerably in February 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. In March, the index indicated a striking rebound and ranged at a level slightly above 50 index points afterwards. During 2021, the index was characterized by a slightly downward trend. In 2022, the index displayed an unstable development with two significant dips in April and December, finally concluding with a strong rebound in January 2023. The non-manufacturing PLI in China displayed a similar development.

Abstract

This research was carried out in China between December 2011 and February 2013. Data was collected from 2,700 privately-owned and 148 state-owned firms.

The objective of Enterprise Surveys is to obtain feedback from businesses on the state of the private sector as well as to help in building a panel of enterprise data that will make it possible to track changes in the business environment over time, thus allowing, for example, impact assessments of reforms. Through interviews with firms in the manufacturing and services sectors, the survey assesses the constraints to private sector growth and creates statistically significant business environment indicators that are comparable across countries.

Usually Enterprise Surveys focus only on private companies, but in China, a special sample of fully state-owned establishments was included as this is an important part of the economy. Data on 148 state-owned enterprises is provided separately from the data of 2,700 private sector firms. To maintain comparability of the China Enterprise Surveys to surveys conducted in other countries, only the dataset of privately sector firms should be used.

Geographic coverage

Twenty-five metro areas: Beijing (municipalities), Chengdu City, Dalian City, Dongguan City, Foshan City, Guangzhou City, Hangzhou City, Hefei City, Jinan City, Luoyang City, Nanjing City, Nantong City, Ningbo City, Qingdao City, Shanghai (municipalities), Shenyang City, Shenzhen City, Shijiazhuang City, Suzhou City, Tangshan City, Wenzhou City, Wuhan City, Wuxi City, Yantai City, Zhengzhou City.

Analysis unit

The primary sampling unit of the study is an establishment.The establishment is a physical location where business is carried out and where industrial operations take place or services are provided. A firm may be composed of one or more establishments. For example, a brewery may have several bottling plants and several establishments for distribution. For the purposes of this survey an establishment must make its own financial decisions and have its own financial statements separate from those of the firm. An establishment must also have its own management and control over its payroll.

Universe

The whole population, or universe of the study, is the non-agricultural economy of firms with at least 5 employees and positive amounts of private ownership. The non-agricultural economy comprises: all manufacturing sectors according to the group classification of ISIC Revision 3.1: (group D), construction sector (group F), services sector (groups G and H), and transport, storage, and communications sector (group I). Note that this definition excludes the following sectors: financial intermediation (group J), real estate and renting activities (group K, except sub-sector 72, IT, which was added to the population under study), and all public or utilities sectors.

Kind of data

Sample survey data [ssd]

Sampling procedure

The sample for China ES was selected using stratified random sampling. Three levels of stratification were used in this country: industry, establishment size, and region.

Industry stratification was designed in the following way: the universe was stratified into 11 manufacturing industries and 7 services industries as defined in the sampling manual. Each manufacturing industry had a target of 150 interviews. Sample sizes were inflated by about 20% to account for potential non-response cases when requesting sensitive financial data and also because of likely attrition in future surveys that would affect the construction of a panel. Note that 100% government owned firms are categorized independently of their industrial classification. The 148 surveyed state-owned enterprises were categorized as a separate sector group to preserve the representativeness of other sector groupings for the private economy.

Size stratification was defined following the standardized definition for the rollout: small (5 to 19 employees), medium (20 to 99 employees), and large (more than 99 employees). For stratification purposes, the number of employees was defined on the basis of reported permanent full-time workers. This seems to be an appropriate definition of the labor force since seasonal/casual/part-time employment is not a common practice, except in the sectors of construction and agriculture.

Regional stratification was defined in twenty-five metro areas: Beijing (municipalities), Chengdu City, Dalian City, Dongguan City, Foshan City, Guangzhou City, Hangzhou City, Hefei City, Jinan City, Luoyang City, Nanjing City, Nantong City, Ningbo City, Qingdao City, Shanghai (municipalities), Shenyang City, Shenzhen City, Shijiazhuang City, Suzhou City, Tangshan City, Wenzhou City, Wuhan City, Wuxi City, Yantai City, Zhengzhou City.

The sample frame was obtained by SunFaith from SinoTrust.

The enumerated establishments were then used as the frame for the selection of a sample with the aim of obtaining interviews at 3,000 establishments with five or more employees. The quality of the frame was assessed at the onset of the project through calls to a random subset of firms and local contractor knowledge. The sample frame was not immune from the typical problems found in establishment surveys: positive rates of non-eligibility, repetition, non-existent units, etc.

Given the impact that non-eligible units included in the sample universe may have on the results, adjustments are needed when computing the appropriate weights for individual observations. The percentage of confirmed non-eligible units as a proportion of the total number of sampled establishments contacted for the survey was 31% (6,485 out of 20,616 establishments).

Mode of data collection

Face-to-face [f2f]

Research instrument

The following survey instruments are available: - Services Questionnaire, - Manufacturing Questionnaire, - Screener Questionnaire.

The Services Questionnaire is administered to the establishments in the services sector. The Manufacturing Questionnaire is built upon the Services Questionnaire and adds specific questions relevant to manufacturing.

The standard Enterprise Survey topics include firm characteristics, gender participation, access to finance, annual sales, costs of inputs/labor, workforce composition, bribery, licensing, infrastructure, trade, crime, competition, capacity utilization, land and permits, taxation, informality, business-government relations, innovation and technology, and performance measures. Over 90% of the questions objectively ascertain characteristics of a country’s business environment. The remaining questions assess the survey respondents’ opinions on what are the obstacles to firm growth and performance.

Cleaning operations

Data entry and quality controls are implemented by the contractor and data is delivered to the World Bank in batches (typically 10%, 50% and 100%). These data deliveries are checked for logical consistency, out of range values, skip patterns, and duplicate entries. Problems are flagged by the World Bank and corrected by the implementing contractor through data checks, callbacks, and revisiting establishments.

Response rate

The number of contacted establishments per realized interview was 7.24. This number is the result of two factors: explicit refusals to participate in the survey, as reflected by the rate of rejection (which includes rejections of the screener and the main survey) and the quality of the sample frame, as represented by the presence of ineligible units. The number of rejections per contact was 0.55.

Item non-response was addressed by two strategies: a- For sensitive questions that may generate negative reactions from the respondent, such as corruption or tax evasion, enumerators were instructed to collect the refusal to respond as a different option from don’t know. b- Establishments with incomplete information were re-contacted in order to complete this information, whenever necessary.

Survey non-response was addressed by maximizing efforts to contact establishments that were initially selected for interview. Attempts were made to contact the establishment for interview at different times/days of the week before a replacement establishment (with similar strata characteristics) was suggested for interview. Survey non-response did occur but substitutions were made in order to potentially achieve strata-specific goals.

The graph shows China's share in global gross domestic product adjusted for purchasing-power-parity until 2024, with a forecast until 2030. In 2024, China's share was about 19.3 percent. China's global GDP share Due to the introduction of capitalist market principles in 1978, China's economic market began to show immense change and growth. China's real GDP growth ranged at 5.0 percent in 2024. China's per capita GDP is also expected to continue to grow, reaching 13,300 U.S. dollars in 2024. Comparatively, Luxembourg and Switzerland have some of the world’s largest GDP per capita with 141,100 U.S. dollars and 111,700 U.S. dollars, respectively, expected for 2025.China is the largest exporter and second largest importer of goods in the world and is also among the largest manufacturing economies. The country also ranges among the world's largest agricultural producers and consumers. It relies heavily on intensive agricultural practices and is the world's largest producer of pigs, chickens, and eggs. Livestock production has been heavily emphasized since the mid-1970s. China’s chemical industry has also seen growth with a heavy focus on fertilizers, plastics, and synthetic fibers. China's use of chemical fertilizers amounted to approximately 50.2 million metric tons in 2023. GDP composition in China Industry and construction account for less than 40 percent of China's GDP. Some of the major industries include mining and ore processing, food processing, coal, machinery, textiles and apparel, and consumer products. Almost half of China's output is dedicated to investment purposes. However, as the country tends to support gross output, innovation, technological advancement, and even quality are often lacking.

China GDP: Year to Date: SI: Industry: Manufacturing data was reported at 8,211.440 RMB bn in Mar 2025. This records a decrease from the previous number of 33,550.683 RMB bn for Dec 2024. China GDP: Year to Date: SI: Industry: Manufacturing data is updated quarterly, averaging 15,675.130 RMB bn from Mar 2015 (Median) to Mar 2025, with 41 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 33,550.683 RMB bn in Dec 2024 and a record low of 4,506.660 RMB bn in Mar 2015. China GDP: Year to Date: SI: Industry: Manufacturing 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.AA: Gross Domestic Product: Quarterly.

In 2024, the gross domestic product (GDP) of China amounted to around 18.7 trillion U.S. dollars. In comparison to the GDP of the other BRIC countries India, Russia and Brazil, China came first that year and second in the world GDP ranking. The stagnation of China's GDP in U.S. dollar terms in 2022 and 2023 was mainly due to the appreciation of the U.S. dollar. China's real GDP growth was 5.4 percent in 2023 and 5.0 percent in 2024. In 2024, per capita GDP in China reached around 13,300 U.S. dollars. Economic performance in China Gross domestic product (GDP) is a primary economic indicator. It measures the total value of all goods and services produced in an economy over a certain time period. China's economy used to grow quickly in the past, but the growth rate of China’s real GDP gradually slowed down in recent years, and year-on-year GDP growth is forecasted to range at only around four percent in the years after 2024. Since 2010, China has been the world’s second-largest economy, surpassing Japan.China’s emergence in the world’s economy has a lot to do with its status as the ‘world’s factory’. Since 2013, China is the largest export country in the world. Some argue that it is partly due to the undervalued Chinese currency. The Big Mac Index, a simplified and informal way to measure the purchasing power parity between different currencies, indicates that the Chinese currency yuan was roughly undervalued by 38 percent in 2024. GDP development Although the impressive economic development in China has led millions of people out of poverty, China is still not in the league of industrialized countries on the per capita basis. To name one example, the U.S. per capita economic output was more than six times as large as in China in 2024. Meanwhile, the Chinese society faces increased income disparities. The Gini coefficient of China, a widely used indicator of economic inequality, has been larger than 0.45 over the last decade, whereas 0.40 is the warning level for social unrest.

In 2024, China exported approximately 3.58 trillion U.S. dollars worth of goods. This indicated an increase in export value of about 5.9 percent compared to the previous year. Export of goods from ChinaChina’s exports have been growing steadily over the past decade, with the exception of 2009 when financial crisis and global economic downturn slowed down global trade and 2016 witnessing another decrease in global demand. Apart from being the most populous country, China has also become the largest manufacturing economy and the largest exporter in the world. ASEAN, European Union, and United States were China's leading export partners in 2023. Machinery such as computers, broadcasting technology, and telephones as well as transport equipment make up the largest part of Chinese exports. This category amounted to approximately 1.65 trillion U.S. dollars in export value in 2023. When it comes to primary goods, food and live animals used for food are the main export products.

In 2023, China's semiconductor industry had a combined market value of **** trillion yuan. The largest segment of the industry is chip design, which contributed a total value of *** billion yuan. Despite China being considered the factory of the world, it only accounts for just over five percent of the global manufacturing capacity. Segmented value chain The semiconductor industry is divided into three, highly specialized niches. Fabless manufacturers design the computer chips and sell the hardware devices. In the next step, they outsource the actual production to foundries, which rely on cutting-edge technology such as lithography machines to keep up with the fast-pace of technological advancements. Finally, to ensure flawless functionality of the process a third set of companies take over the testing and packaging of the final product. Building an industry Within the context of global competition, the Chinese government regards semiconductors as a core technology and therefore strives for international independence. Therefore, Beijing has made the development of the domestic industry a national priority. However, achieving this goal means competing on multiple fronts. The United States is the leader in semiconductor design capabilities and Taiwan has the world’s highest production capabilities. In addition to that, China must still develop its manufacturing, testing, and packaging equipment in order to improve its international competitiveness. To achieve this mammoth task, the government has set up the national semiconductor fund with a funding value of *** billion yuan.

In August 2025, approximately *** billion meters of clothing fabric were produced in China. In the previous year, China produced more than ** billion meters of clothing fabric in total. Domestic clothing industry in China Being a major part of the textile industry, clothing manufacturing with its labor-intensive production processes traditionally plays an important role in national employment. Over the past decades, production presence of the apparel industry has diminished in developed countries as companies have adopted a practice of outsourcing their manufacturing needs to low wage economies. Currently, clothing is one of the most globalized sectors worldwide, serving as a large source of employment in developing countries. China’s recent growth momentum is tightly linked to massive local engagement of the international clothing industry. Due to comparably low labor costs, reduced commercial barriers and better information flows, China still presents one of the most attractive destinations for clothing manufacturing. In 2024, approximately ***** billion units of apparel had been produced in China.International trade International trade figures further emphasize China’s current position as the world’s largest textile-exporting country. In 2022, China accounted for over **** percent of the world textile exports, followed by the European Union and India. Despite a stable growth of China’s clothing industry, several challenges for the sector have emerged on the horizon. Rising labor costs and increasingly strict environmental policies are among the most prominent issues for Chinese clothing companies. In order to cope with the changes, an increasing number of Chinese textile enterprises have turned their focus to upgrading their industrial infrastructure and modernizing their production processes.

China Manufacturing: Profit Ratio from Sales Revenue: Year to Date data was reported at 6.140 % in Oct 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 6.130 % for Sep 2018. China Manufacturing: Profit Ratio from Sales Revenue: Year to Date data is updated monthly, averaging 5.640 % from Jan 2014 (Median) to Oct 2018, with 58 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 6.350 % in Dec 2017 and a record low of 4.660 % in Feb 2015. China Manufacturing: Profit Ratio from Sales Revenue: Year to Date data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by National Bureau of Statistics. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Industrial Sector – Table CN.MFG: Manufacturing.

Technology level heterogeneity analysis.