2025 China Economic Report: In-Depth Analysis of Industry Performance

In 2025, China’s economy delivered a hard-won report card. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, the annual gross domestic product (GDP) exceeded the 140 trillion yuan mark for the first time, reaching

, with a year-on-year growth of [1][2]. This achievement was made against the backdrop of a complex and volatile external environment and intensified pains from internal structural adjustments, reflecting the strong resilience and vitality of China’s economy.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China’s economic aggregate achieved a “four consecutive leaps”, successively reaching new levels of 110 trillion, 120 trillion, 130 trillion and 140 trillion yuan[1]. The 2025 GDP growth rate showed a trend of high in the first half and low in the second half: 5.4% year-on-year in the first quarter, 5.2% in the second quarter, 4.8% in the third quarter, and 4.5% in the fourth quarter[2].

Industry Sector	Value-Added (Trillion Yuan)	Year-on-Year Growth Rate	Share of GDP
Tertiary Industry	80.89	5.4%	57.7%
Secondary Industry	49.97	4.5%	35.6%
Primary Industry	9.33	3.9%	6.7%

The value-added of the tertiary industry accounted for

of GDP, and the service industry continued to maintain its position as the main engine of economic growth[1][3].

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In 2025, the value-added of above-scale

, 0.5 percentage points faster than the previous year, hitting the highest growth rate since 2022[4][5]. The proportion of high-tech manufacturing in the value-added of above-scale industry rose to , further increasing from the previous year[1].

• Integrated circuit manufacturing:
  +26.7%
  [4]
• Aircraft manufacturing:
  +24.8%
  [4]
• Electronic special materials manufacturing:
  +23.9%
  [4]
• Biological pharmaceutical products manufacturing:
  +12.1%
  [4]

The contribution rate of high-tech manufacturing to the growth rate of all above-scale industries reached

, 1.7 percentage points higher than the previous year, becoming an important growth pole of the industrial economy[5].

The value-added of above-scale

, 1.5 percentage points faster than the previous year; its value-added accounted for of all above-scale industry, 2.2 percentage points higher than the previous year[4][5].

• Automobile manufacturing:
  +11.5%
  (contribution rate to industrial growth reached 12.4%)[4]
• Electronics industry:
  +10.6%
  (contribution rate to industrial growth reached 18.1%)[4]

The value-added of all 8 sub-sectors in equipment manufacturing achieved growth, among which the automobile and electronics industries contributed the most, together accounting for nearly one-third of industrial growth[4].

In 2025,

, and both annual production and sales exceeded the mark[1][6]. More importantly, the share of new energy vehicles in domestic new car sales exceeded for the first time, marking the official entry of China’s automobile market into the new energy vehicle era[1].

The competitiveness of China’s new energy vehicle industry continues to improve; it has not only achieved breakthroughs in the domestic market but also maintained strong growth in exports, becoming a new highlight of foreign trade exports[2].

Digital economy-related industries showed high-speed growth:

Sub-Sector	Growth Rate
Digital product manufacturing	+9.3% [1]
Information transmission, software and information technology services	+11.1% [6]
Server output	+12.6% [4]
Memory chip output	+22.8% [4]

In 2025, the R&D investment intensity reached

, an increase of 0.11 percentage points over the previous year, [1][3]. Data from the World Intellectual Property Organization shows that China’s innovation index ranked among the top 10 in the world for the first time[1].

The robotics industry became a major highlight in 2025:

• Industrial robot output:
  +28.0%
  [6]
• Service robot output:
  +16.1%
  [4]
• Robot reducer output:
  +63.9%
  [4]

Humanoid robots went from appearing on the Spring Festival Gala stage, to being showcased at robot sports events, and then entering factories “in batches”, demonstrating strong development potential[1].

, ranking among the highest growth rates among all industrial products[6]. The high-speed growth in this field reflects the continuous increase in the penetration rate of advanced manufacturing technology in industrial production.

In 2025, the green industry achieved remarkable development results:

• Clean energy power generation (hydropower, nuclear power, wind power, solar energy, etc.) of above-scale industry grew by
  8.8% year-on-year
  [1]
• The proportion of non-fossil energy in total energy consumption increased by about
  2 percentage points
  compared with the previous year[1]
• The energy consumption per unit of value-added of major energy-consuming industries such as building materials, steel, and non-ferrous metals in above-scale industry
  decreased significantly
  [1]

The green transformation of traditional industries has achieved remarkable results, and green production and lifestyles have become more widespread[1].

---

In 2025, the total retail sales of consumer goods reached

, with a year-on-year growth of 3.7%[1][2]. , an increase of 5 percentage points year-on-year, becoming the main driver and stabilizer of economic growth[1].

• Retail sales of services grew by
  5.5% year-on-year
  [1]
• Retail sales of cultural, sports and leisure services, communication and information services, tourism consulting and leasing services, and transportation services grew rapidly[1]
• Retail sales of furniture, household appliances and audio-visual equipment of above-limit units achieved double-digit growth[6]

Against the backdrop of a complex international environment, the total import and export volume of goods in 2025 reached

, with a year-on-year growth of 3.8%, hitting a record high[1][2]:

• Exports reached 26.99 trillion yuan, growing by
  6.1%
  [2]
• Imports reached 18.48 trillion yuan, growing by
  0.5%
  [2]
• Imports and exports of private enterprises grew by
  7.1% year-on-year
  [1]
• Exports of high-tech products grew by
  13.2% year-on-year
  [1]

China has maintained growth in goods trade for the ninth consecutive year, which is also the longest consecutive growth period since its accession to the WTO[2].

---

In 2025, national fixed asset investment (excluding rural households) reached 48.52 trillion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 3.8%, mainly dragged down by real estate investment[2]. However,

[2].

• Investment in information services grew by
  28.4% year-on-year
  [1]
• Investment in aviation, spacecraft and equipment manufacturing grew by
  16.9% year-on-year
  [1]

The investment structure continues to optimize, and the characteristic of agglomeration towards high-tech industries and advanced manufacturing has become more prominent[1].

---

In 2025, various indicators in the people’s livelihood field remained stable:

Indicator	Data
Per capita disposable income of national residents	43,377 yuan , nominal growth of 5.0%[2]
Median per capita disposable income of residents	36,231 yuan , nominal growth of 4.4%[3]
Average national urban surveyed unemployment rate	5.2% [2]

Resident income growth kept pace with economic growth, and the level of people’s livelihood security continued to improve[1][2].

---

China’s economy in 2025 showed distinct characteristics of

[6]:

• Stability
  : Steady growth in economic aggregate, strong people’s livelihood security
• Progress
  : Continuous optimization of industrial structure, new achievements in high-quality development
• Innovation
  : Accelerated cultivation of new quality productive forces, continuous growth of new drivers
• Resilience
  : Withstood multiple pressures, demonstrated strong risk resistance capability

Looking ahead to 2026, Kang Yi, Director of the National Bureau of Statistics, stated that there are still many positive factors supporting continued consumption growth, and the trend of steady economic growth is expected to continue[1]. China will implement more proactive macro policies, continue to expand domestic demand, optimize supply, develop new quality productive forces according to local conditions, and promote effective improvement in the quality and reasonable growth in the quantity of the economy[1].

---

[1] National Bureau of Statistics - China’s GDP Exceeds 140 Trillion Yuan for the First Time in 2025, with Economic Aggregate Reaching New Heights Consecutively (http://www.bbtnews.com.cn/2026/0119/582187.shtml)

[2] Sina Finance - Interpreting 2025 China Economic Data: Bright Spots and Challenges Under 5% Growth (https://finance.sina.cn/stock/ggyj/2026-01-19/detail-inhhvwpr7863681.d.html)

[3] Economic Observer - The Gold Content of 2025 China’s Economy Goes Beyond 140 Trillion Yuan (http://www.eeo.com.cn/2026/0119/780797.shtml)

[4] Securities Times - Industrial Momentum Accelerates Towards Newness: High-Tech Manufacturing Growth Hits a Three-Year High (https://www.stcn.com/article/detail/3601211.html)

[5] CCTV News - Strong Momentum of “Stability, Progress, Innovation, and Resilience”! Looking at 2025 Economic Data from a Symbolic Turning Point (https://news.cctv.com/2026/01/19/ARTIcylVJ2dWAJ8MiGCadmXN260119.shtml)

[6] National Bureau of Statistics - Director of the National Bureau of Statistics Answers Reporters’ Questions on the 2025 Annual National Economic Operation (https://www.stats.gov.cn/sj/zxfbhjd/202601/t20260119_1962345.html)