(April 16, 2026)

National Bureau of Statistics

In the first quarter, under the strong leadership of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core, various regions and departments thoroughly implemented the decisions and arrangements of the Central Committee and the State Council, accelerated the implementation of more proactive and effective macro policies, focused on stabilizing employment, enterprises, markets, and expectations, and expedited the cultivation of new productive forces. Production supply grew faster, market demand continued to improve, employment remained generally stable, market prices moderately rebounded, high-quality development advanced in new and better directions, the national economy achieved a good start, and development resilience and vitality were further demonstrated.

Preliminary calculations show that the gross domestic product (GDP) in the first quarter was 33,419.3 billion yuan, an increase of 5.0% year-on-year at constant prices, accelerating by 0.5 percentage points compared to the fourth quarter of last year. By industry, the added value of the primary industry was 1,194.1 billion yuan, an increase of 3.8%; the secondary industry added value was 11,613.5 billion yuan, an increase of 4.9%; and the tertiary industry added value was 20,611.7 billion yuan, an increase of 5.2%. Quarter-on-quarter, GDP grew by 1.3% in the first quarter.

1. Agricultural production performed well, and livestock farming remained generally stable

In the first quarter, the added value of agriculture (crop farming) increased by 3.7% year-on-year. The winter wheat planting area remained stable, seedling conditions continued to improve, and spring plowing and preparation progressed smoothly. According to the national planting intention survey, the intended planting area for grain this year is generally stable, with rice area remaining roughly unchanged and corn area slightly increasing. In the first quarter, the output of pork, beef, mutton, and poultry was 26.62 million tons, an increase of 4.8% year-on-year, with pork and poultry production increasing by 4.2% and 9.3%, respectively, while beef and mutton production decreased by 1.4% and 2.0%, respectively. Milk production increased by 3.4%, while egg production decreased by 3.1%. In the first quarter, 200.26 million pigs were slaughtered, an increase of 2.8% year-on-year, and at the end of the quarter, the pig inventory was 423.58 million, an increase of 1.5%.

2. Industrial production accelerated, with rapid growth in equipment manufacturing and high-tech manufacturing

In the first quarter, the added value of industrial enterprises above designated size nationwide increased by 6.1% year-on-year, accelerating by 1.1 percentage points compared to the fourth quarter of last year. By sector, the added value of the mining industry increased by 6.0% year-on-year, manufacturing increased by 6.4%, and electricity, heat, gas, and water production and supply increased by 4.3%. The added value of equipment manufacturing increased by 8.9%, and high-tech manufacturing increased by 12.5%, faster than the overall industrial added value above designated size by 2.8 and 6.4 percentage points, respectively. By economic type, the added value of state-controlled enterprises increased by 4.8% year-on-year; joint-stock enterprises increased by 6.6%; foreign-invested enterprises and enterprises from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan increased by 3.9%; and private enterprises increased by 6.1%. By product, the output of 3D printing equipment, lithium-ion batteries, and industrial robots increased by 54.0%, 40.8%, and 33.2% year-on-year, respectively. In March, the added value of industrial enterprises above designated size increased by 5.7% year-on-year and 0.28% month-on-month. In March, the manufacturing purchasing managers' index was 50.4%, up 1.4 percentage points from the previous month, and the enterprise production and operation activity expectation index was 53.4%. In January-February, the total profit of industrial enterprises above designated size nationwide was 1,024.6 billion yuan, an increase of 15.2% year-on-year.

3. Service industry grew rapidly, with strong momentum in modern services

In the first quarter, the added value of the service industry increased by 5.2% year-on-year. Among them, the added value of leasing and business services, information transmission, software and information technology services, financial services, transportation, storage and postal services, and accommodation and catering services increased by 12.2%, 10.6%, 6.5%, 4.3%, and 4.3%, respectively. In March, the national service industry production index increased by 5.0% year-on-year. Among them, the production indices of information transmission, software and information technology services, leasing and business services, and financial services increased by 11.8%, 10.1%, and 6.7%, respectively. In January-February, the operating income of service enterprises above designated size nationwide increased by 7.4% year-on-year. In March, the service industry business activity index was 50.2%, up 0.5 percentage points from the previous month, and the service industry business activity expectation index was 54.8%. Among them, the business activity indices of railway transportation, telecommunications, broadcasting, television and satellite transmission services, monetary financial services, and insurance were above 55.0%, indicating high prosperity.

4. Market sales accelerated, with rapid growth in service retail

In the first quarter, the total retail sales of consumer goods nationwide were 12,769.5 billion yuan, an increase of 2.4% year-on-year, accelerating by 0.7 percentage points compared to the fourth quarter of last year. By location of operating units, urban retail sales of consumer goods were 11,057.4 billion yuan, an increase of 2.3% year-on-year, while rural retail sales of consumer goods were 1,712.1 billion yuan, an increase of 3.1%. By consumption type, retail sales of goods were 11,307.2 billion yuan, an increase of 2.2%, while catering revenue was 1,462.3 billion yuan, an increase of 4.2%. Sales of basic living goods and some upgraded goods grew rapidly, with retail sales of grain, oil, and food, clothing, shoes, hats, textiles, communication equipment, and gold, silver, and jewelry by units above designated size increasing by 10.0%, 9.3%, 20.8%, and 12.6% year-on-year, respectively. In March, the total retail sales of consumer goods increased by 1.7% year-on-year and 0.14% month-on-month. In the first quarter, service retail sales increased by 5.5% year-on-year, maintaining the same growth rate as last year. Among them, retail sales of communication information services, tourism consulting and rental services, and cultural and leisure services grew rapidly. In the first quarter, the nationwide online retail sales of goods and services were 4,977.4 billion yuan, an increase of 8.0% year-on-year. Among them, online retail sales of goods were 3,161.4 billion yuan, an increase of 7.5%, accounting for 24.8% of the total retail sales of consumer goods; online retail sales of services were 1,816.0 billion yuan, an increase of 8.8%.

5. Fixed asset investment grew steadily, with rapid growth in infrastructure investment

In the first quarter, nationwide fixed asset investment (excluding rural households) was 10,270.8 billion yuan, an increase of 1.7% year-on-year, compared to a decline of 3.8% for the whole of last year. Excluding real estate development investment, nationwide fixed asset investment increased by 4.8%. By sector, infrastructure investment increased by 8.9% year-on-year, manufacturing investment increased by 4.1%, and real estate development investment decreased by 11.2%. The nationwide sales area of newly built commercial housing was 195.25 million square meters, a decrease of 10.4% year-on-year, and the sales amount was 1,726.2 billion yuan, a decrease of 16.7%. By industry, investment in the primary industry increased by 15.9% year-on-year, investment in the secondary industry increased by 5.8%, and investment in the tertiary industry decreased by 1.0%. Private investment decreased by 2.2% year-on-year, with the decline narrowing by 4.2 percentage points compared to last year; excluding real estate development investment, private investment increased by 1.3%. Investment in high-tech industries increased by 7.4% year-on-year, with investment in computer and office equipment manufacturing, aerospace equipment manufacturing, and information services increasing by 28.3%, 19.0%, and 20.9%, respectively. In March, fixed asset investment (excluding rural households) increased by 0.52% month-on-month.

6. Rapid growth in goods imports and exports, with continued optimization of trade structure

In the first quarter, the total value of goods imports and exports was 11,838.0 billion yuan, an increase of 15.0% year-on-year. Among them, exports were 6,846.7 billion yuan, an increase of 11.9%, and imports were 4,991.3 billion yuan, an increase of 19.6%. General trade imports and exports increased by 9.0% year-on-year. Imports and exports with countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative increased by 14.2%. Imports and exports by private enterprises increased by 16.2%, accounting for 57.3% of the total value of imports and exports. Exports of mechanical and electrical products increased by 18.3%. In March, the total value of imports and exports was 4,104.6 billion yuan, an increase of 9.2% year-on-year.

7. Consumer price growth expanded, and industrial producer prices continued to rise

In the first quarter, the national consumer price index (CPI) increased by 0.9% year-on-year, with the growth rate expanding by 0.4 percentage points compared to the fourth quarter of last year. By category, prices for food, tobacco, alcohol, and dining out increased by 0.5% year-on-year; clothing prices increased by 1.8%; housing prices decreased by 0.2%; prices for daily necessities and services increased by 2.3%; transportation and communication prices decreased by 1.1%; education, culture, and entertainment prices increased by 1.0%; healthcare prices increased by 1.8%; and prices for other goods and services increased by 14.1%. Among food, tobacco, alcohol, and dining out prices, pork prices decreased by 11.3%, grain prices decreased by 0.3%, fresh fruit prices increased by 4.3%, and fresh vegetable prices increased by 7.6%. Core CPI, excluding food and energy prices, increased by 1.2% year-on-year. In March, the national consumer price index increased by 1.0% year-on-year and decreased by 0.7% month-on-month.

In the first quarter, the national industrial producer price index (PPI) decreased by 0.6% year-on-year, with the decline narrowing by 1.5 percentage points compared to the fourth quarter of last year. In March, PPI increased by 0.5% year-on-year, compared to a decrease of 0.9% in the previous month, and increased by 1.0% month-on-month. In the first quarter, the national industrial producer purchase price index decreased by 0.5% year-on-year. In March, the purchase price index increased by 0.8% year-on-year, compared to a decrease of 0.7% in the previous month, and increased by 1.2% month-on-month.

8. Employment remained generally stable, with urban surveyed unemployment rate unchanged year-on-year

In the first quarter, the average urban surveyed unemployment rate nationwide was 5.3%, unchanged from the same period last year. In March, the urban surveyed unemployment rate nationwide was 5.4%. The surveyed unemployment rate for local registered labor was 5.4%, while the surveyed unemployment rate for non-local registered labor was 5.3%, including 5.7% for non-local agricultural registered labor. The urban surveyed unemployment rate in 31 major cities was 5.3%. The average weekly working hours of employees in enterprises nationwide were 48.1 hours. At the end of the first quarter, the total number of rural laborers working outside their hometowns was 188.38 million, an increase of 0.2% year-on-year.

9. Residents' income continued to grow, with rural residents' income growing faster than urban residents

In the first quarter, the per capita disposable income of residents nationwide was 12,782 yuan, a nominal increase of 4.9% year-on-year, and an actual increase of 4.0% after deducting price factors. By place of residence, the per capita disposable income of urban residents was 16,549 yuan, a nominal increase of 4.2% year-on-year, and an actual increase of 3.2%; the per capita disposable income of rural residents was 7,433 yuan, a nominal increase of 6.1% year-on-year, and an actual increase of 5.4%. By income source, the per capita wage income, net operating income, net property income, and net transfer income of residents nationwide increased nominally by 4.9%, 6.6%, 1.6%, and 5.1%, respectively. The median per capita disposable income of residents nationwide was 10,433 yuan, a nominal increase of 5.0% year-on-year.

Overall, in the first quarter, the growth rate of major macroeconomic indicators rebounded, new drivers of growth developed rapidly, and the national economy achieved a good start. However, it is also necessary to recognize that the external environment is becoming more complex and volatile, domestic contradictions between strong supply and weak demand remain prominent, and the foundation for economic improvement still needs to be consolidated. In the next stage, it is necessary to adhere to Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, resolutely implement the decisions and arrangements of the Central Committee and the State Council, fully and accurately implement the new development philosophy, accelerate the construction of a new development pattern, focus on promoting high-quality development, adhere to the general principle of seeking progress while maintaining stability, implement more proactive and effective macro policies, continuously expand domestic demand, optimize supply, improve increments, activate stock, focus on stabilizing employment, enterprises, markets, and expectations, and continuously consolidate and expand the trend of stable and positive economic development.