Statistical Communiqué of the People's Republic of China on the 2021 National Economic and Social Development1
Chapter I General Outlook
National Bureau of Statistics of China
February 28, 2022
According to preliminary estimation, the gross domestic product (GDP)2 in 2021 was 114,367.0 billion yuan, up by 8.1 percent over the previous year with the average two-year growth3 of 5.1 percent. Of this total, the value added of the primary industry was 8,308.6 billion yuan, up by 7.1 percent over the previous year, that of the secondary industry was 45,090.4 billion yuan, up by 8.2 percent and that of the tertiary industry was 60,968.0 billion yuan, up by 8.2 percent. The value added of the primary industry accounted for 7.3 percent of the GDP; that of the secondary industry accounted for 39.4 percent; and that of the tertiary industry accounted for 53.3 percent. The contribution of the final consumption expenditure to GDP growth rate was up by 5.3 percentage points, that of the gross capital formation to GDP growth rate up by 1.1 percentage points and that of the net exports of goods and services to GDP growth rate up by 1.7 percentage points. The per capita GDP in 2021 was 80,976 yuan, up by 8.0 percent over the previous year. The gross national income4 in 2021 was 113,351.8 billion yuan, up by 7.9 percent over the previous year. The overall labor productivity5was 146,380 yuan per person in 2021, up by 8.7 percent over the previous year.
Figure 1: Gross Domestic Product and Growth Rates 2017-2021
Figure 2: Shares of the Three Industries’ Value Added of GDP 2017-2021
Figure 3: The Overall Labor Productivity 2017-20216
By the end of 2021, the total number of national population7 reached 1,412.60 million, an increase of 0.48 million over that at the end of 2020. Of this total, urban permanent residents numbered 914.25 million. There were 10.62 million births in 2021 with a crude birth rate of 7.52 per thousand; and there were 10.14 million deaths with a crude death rate of 7.18 per thousand. The natural growth rate was 0.34 per thousand. The number of population who live in places other than their household registration areas8 reached 504 million, of which 385 million were floating population9.
Table 1: Population and Its Composition by the End of 2021
At the end of 2021, the number of employed people in China was 746.52 million, and that in urban areas was 467.73 million, accounting for 62.7 percent for the total employed people, 1.1 percentage points higher than that at the end of the previous year. The newly increased employed people in urban areas numbered 12.69 million in 2021, 0.83 million more than the previous year. The surveyed urban unemployment rate in 2021 averaged 5.1 percent. The surveyed urban unemployment rate at the year end was 5.1 percent, and the registered urban unemployment rate was 3.96 percent. The total number of migrant workers11 was 292.51 million, up by 2.4 percent over that of 2020. Specifically, the number of migrant workers who left their hometowns and worked in other places was 171.72 million, up by 1.3 percent, and those who worked in their own localities reached 120.79 million, up by 4.1 percent.
Figure 4：Newly Increased Employed People in Urban Areas 2017-2021
The consumer prices in 2021 went up by 0.9 percent over the previous year. The producer prices for industrial products went up by 8.1 percent and the purchasing prices for industrial producers up by 11.0 percent. The producer prices for farm products12 dropped by 2.2 percent. In December, out of the 70 large and medium-sized cities, 53 cities experienced a year-on-year rise in sales prices of new commercial residential buildings and 17 cities experienced a decline; 43 cities experienced a year-on-year rise in sales prices of second-hand housing, one city maintained the same, and 26 cities experienced a decline.
Figure 5：Monthly Changes of Consumer Prices in 2021
Table 2: Changes of Consumer Prices in 2021
At the end of 2021, China's foreign exchange reserves reached 3,250.2 billion US dollars, an increase of 33.6 billion US dollars compared with that at the end of 2020. The average exchange rate of the year was 6.4515 RMB to 1 USD dollar, appreciated by 6.9 percent over that of 2020.
Figure 6：Year-end China's Foreign Exchange Reserves 2017-2021
New industries, new forms and models of business gathered speed to grow. Among the industries above the designated size, the value added of the high technology manufacturing industry14 increased by 18.2 percent over the previous year, accounting for 15.1 percent of that of all industrial enterprises above the designated size. The value added for the manufacture of equipment15 was up by 12.9 percent, accounting for 32.4 percent of that of all industrial enterprises above the designated size. Among the service enterprises above the designated size16, the business revenue of the strategic emerging service industries17 went up by 16.0 percent compared with the previous year. In 2021, the investment in high technology industries18 increased by 17.1 percent over the previous year. In 2021, the output of new energy vehicles reached 3.677 million, up by 152.5 percent compared with the previous year; and that of integrated circuits was 359.43 billion, up by 37.5 percent. In 2021, the online retail sales19 reached 13,088.4 billion yuan, up by 14.1 percent over the previous year on comparable basis. In 2021, the number of newly registered market entities was 28.87 million with 25 thousand market entities newly registered per day on average. By the end of 2021, the market entities totaled 0.15 billion.
Solid progress was made in the coordinated development across urban and rural areas and different regions. By the end of 2021, the urbanization rate of permanent residents reached 64.72 percent, 0.83 percentage points higher than the end of 2020. By region20, in 2021, the gross domestic product in the eastern areas was 59,220.2 billion yuan, an increase of 8.1 percent over the previous year; the central areas, 25,013.2 billion yuan, up by 8.7 percent; the western areas, 23,971.0 billion yuan, up by 7.4 percent; and the northeastern areas, 5,569.9 billion yuan, up by 6.1 percent. In 2021, the gross domestic product in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region reached 9,635.6 billion yuan, up by 7.3 percent over the previous year; that in the Yangtze River Economic Belt, 53,022.8 billion yuan, up by 8.7 percent; and that in the Yangtze River Delta, 27,605.4 billion yuan, up by 8.4 percent. Major regional strategies such as the construction of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Areas, the ecological protection of the Yellow River Basin, and the high-quality development were further implemented.
Figure 7：Year-end Urbanization Rates of Permanent Residents 2017-202121
New achievement was made in ecological environmental protection. The national energy consumption per 10,000 yuan worth of GDP22 in 2021 dropped by 2.7 percent over the previous year. Of the monitored 339 cities at prefecture level and above, 64.3 percent reached the air quality standard and 35.7 percent failed. The annual average concentration of particulate matter (PM 2.5) was 30 micrograms per cubic meter, down by 9.1 percent over the previous year. Of the 3,641 sections under the national monitoring program for surface water, 84.9 percent were fairly clean water quality (Grade I to III)， 11.8 percent were Grade IV, 2.2 percent were Grade V and 1.2 percent was 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.
3. The average two-year growth is the geometric mean of the growth with the data of the same period in 2019 as the base.
4. 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.
5. The overall labor productivity refers to the ratio between the GDP (at 2020 constant prices) and the total number of persons employed. Historical data were revised according to the results of the Seventh National Population Census.
6. See note 5.
7. 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.
8. Population who live in places other than their household registration areas refers to those who reside in areas other than their household registration and have been away from there for over 6 months.
9. Floating population refers to population who live in places other than their household registration excluding those with current residences different from the places of their household registration but still in the same city. Population who live in places other than their household registration but still in the same city refers to those whose current residences are different from the registered towns or streets in the same district or in different districts but still in the same municipality or prefecture-level city.
10. By the end of 2021, the population aged 0 to 14 (under the age of 15) was 246.78 million and that aged 15 to 59 (under the age of 60) was 898.46 million.
11. 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.
12. The producer prices for farm products refer to the prices of farm products sold directly by producers.
13. The prices for residence include prices for rent, maintenance and management, water, electricity and fuel etc.
14. 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.
15. 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.
16. 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 technology services and education with annual business revenue of 10 million yuan and above; and legal entities of services to households, repair and other services and culture, sports and entertainment, and social services with annual business revenue of 5 million and above.
17. 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. The growth rate of the business revenue of the strategic emerging service industries in 2021 was calculated on a comparable basis.
18. 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.
19. Online retail sales refer to the retail sales of goods and services realized through internet trading platforms (online platforms mainly in trading physical commodities, including self-built websites and third-party platforms).
20. The eastern areas include 10 provinces and municipalities: Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Fujian, Shandong, Guangdong and Hainan; the central areas cover 6 provinces: Shanxi, Anhui, Jiangxi, Henan, Hubei and Hunan; the western areas include 12 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities: Inner Mongolia, Guangxi, Chongqing, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Tibet, Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia and Xinjiang; the northeastern areas include 3 provinces: Liaoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang.
21. The year-end urbanization rates of permanent residents from 2017 to 2019 were revised according to the results of the Seventh National Population Census.
22. The energy consumption per 10,000 yuan worth of GDP is calculated at 2020 constant prices.
Source: <http://www.stats.gov.cn/english/PressRelease/202202/t20220227_1827963.html>
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