While demographic headwinds persist with a second year of population decline, China's economic engine continues to defy gravity, boasting a $17.79 trillion GDP, a 5.2% growth rate that beat government targets, and a staggering $3.38 trillion in exports that cement its role as the world's indispensable workshop.
Key Takeaways
- China's nominal GDP in 2023 reached 17.79 trillion US dollars, making it the world's second-largest economy
- China's GDP growth rate in 2023 was 5.2%, exceeding the government's target of around 5%
- The manufacturing sector contributed 26.3% to China's GDP in 2023
- China's population in 2023 was 1,409,670,000, marking the second consecutive year of decline
- The birth rate in China was 6.39 per 1,000 people in 2023
- Death rate in China stood at 7.87 per 1,000 in 2023
- Total land area of China is 9,596,960 square kilometers
- Coastline length is 14,500 kilometers
- Arable land constitutes 11.62% of total land area
- China is a unitary one-party socialist republic led by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)
- Xi Jinping has been General Secretary of the CCP since 2012 and President since 2013
- National People's Congress (NPC) has 2,977 members as of 2023
- Internet users: 1.09 billion in 2023
- Mobile phone subscriptions: 1.72 billion in 2023
- 5G base stations: over 3.6 million in 2023
China's economy grew steadily in 2023 despite its population declining for a second year.
Demographics
- China's population in 2023 was 1,409,670,000, marking the second consecutive year of decline
- The birth rate in China was 6.39 per 1,000 people in 2023
- Death rate in China stood at 7.87 per 1,000 in 2023
- Natural population growth rate was -1.48 per 1,000 in 2023
- Life expectancy at birth in China was 78.2 years in 2023
- Median age of the population in China is 39.0 years as of 2023
- Urban population percentage reached 66.16% in 2023
- Sex ratio at birth was 111.1 males per 100 females in 2023
- Total fertility rate was 1.0 children per woman in 2023
- Population aged 0-14 was 17.2% in 2023
- Working-age population (15-64) comprised 68.3% in 2023
- Population aged 65+ was 14.5% in 2023
- Net migration rate was -0.15 migrants per 1,000 population in 2023
- Overseas Chinese population is approximately 60.4 million as of 2023
- Ethnic Han Chinese make up 91.11% of the population
- Largest minority group Zhuang at 1.26%
- Shanghai's population is 24.87 million in 2023
- Beijing's population is 21.54 million in 2023
- Number of births in 2023 was 9.02 million
- Number of deaths was 11.10 million in 2023
- Infant mortality rate was 4.8 per 1,000 live births in 2023
- Maternal mortality ratio declined to 15.1 per 100,000 live births in 2023
- Literacy rate for population aged 15+ is 97.15% in 2023
- Average household size is 2.62 persons in 2023
- Internal migrants (floating population) numbered 492 million in 2023
Demographics Interpretation
China's remarkable demographic script has hit a dramatic second-act twist, where its citizens are living longer and moving to cities in record numbers, yet the looming final act features a shrinking, aging cast with too few understudies being born to sustain the show.
Economy
- China's nominal GDP in 2023 reached 17.79 trillion US dollars, making it the world's second-largest economy
- China's GDP growth rate in 2023 was 5.2%, exceeding the government's target of around 5%
- The manufacturing sector contributed 26.3% to China's GDP in 2023
- China's total exports in 2023 amounted to 3.38 trillion US dollars
- Foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows to China in 2023 were 163.24 billion US dollars
- China's public debt-to-GDP ratio stood at 83.6% in 2023
- The service sector accounted for 54.6% of China's GDP in 2023
- China's retail sales of consumer goods grew by 7.2% year-on-year in 2023
- Industrial production in China increased by 4.6% in 2023
- China's fixed-asset investment rose by 3.0% in 2023
- Unemployment rate in urban China averaged 5.2% in 2023
- China's consumer price index (CPI) inflation was 0.2% in 2023
- China's current account surplus was 264.8 billion US dollars in 2023
- The value of China's high-tech exports reached 1.02 trillion US dollars in 2023
- China's merchandise trade volume hit 5.82 trillion US dollars in 2023
- Stock market capitalization in China was 10.8 trillion US dollars at end-2023
- China's domestic R&D expenditure was 3.3 trillion yuan in 2023
- The share of digital economy in China's GDP was 41.5% in 2023
- China's outbound direct investment was 147.9 billion US dollars in 2023
- Per capita GDP in China reached 12,614 US dollars in 2023
- China's fiscal revenue grew by 6.4% in 2023
- The proportion of private enterprises in China's industrial output was 62.1% in 2023
- China's e-commerce transaction volume exceeded 45 trillion yuan in 2023
- Energy consumption per unit of GDP decreased by 0.5% in 2023
- China's patent applications filed reached 1.58 million in 2023
- Venture capital investment in China was 72.4 billion US dollars in 2023
- China's logistics market size hit 351 trillion yuan in 2023
- The output of automobiles in China was 30.16 million units in 2023
- China's crude steel production was 1.02 billion tons in 2023
- Semiconductor sales in China grew by 7.7% to 179.48 billion US dollars in 2023
Economy Interpretation
While its engine purrs at a steady, state-managed 5.2% and its factory floor still roars, China's economy is methodically shifting gears, balancing massive state-led scale with cautious consumption, surging tech exports, and a digital transformation, all while carefully managing the significant weight of its own ambition and debt.
Geography
- Total land area of China is 9,596,960 square kilometers
- Coastline length is 14,500 kilometers
- Arable land constitutes 11.62% of total land area
- Forest cover is 23.63% of land area in 2023
- Freshwater withdrawal as percentage of internal resources is 19.2%
- Highest point is Mount Everest at 8,849 meters (shared with Nepal)
- Lowest point is Turpan Pendi at -154 meters
- Major rivers include Yangtze (6,300 km) and Yellow River (5,464 km)
- Number of islands is over 7,500
- Desert and semi-desert areas cover 27% of land
- Annual precipitation averages 645 mm nationwide
- Temperature range from -30°C in winter to 40°C in summer extremes
- Biodiversity: over 30,000 plant species
- Protected areas cover 18% of land territory
- PM2.5 concentration in Beijing averaged 32.6 µg/m³ in 2023
- Carbon dioxide emissions totaled 11.9 billion metric tons in 2023
- Renewable energy capacity reached 1,566 GW in 2023
- Hydropower installed capacity is 421 GW
- Solar PV capacity is 584 GW in 2023
- Wind power capacity is 441 GW in 2023
- Number of cities with over 1 million population: 172 in 2023
- Total railway length is 159,000 km in 2023
- Expressway length exceeds 183,000 km in 2023
- Navigable inland waterways total 127,000 km
Geography Interpretation
China is a study in extremes: from the world's roof to a desert basin, it crams mega-cities and mega-dams onto a tight quilt of arable land, wrestling colossal green energy ambitions against a still-heavy carbon shadow.
Politics
- China is a unitary one-party socialist republic led by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)
- Xi Jinping has been General Secretary of the CCP since 2012 and President since 2013
- National People's Congress (NPC) has 2,977 members as of 2023
- CCP membership exceeded 98.3 million in 2023
- State Council is headed by Premier Li Qiang since 2023
- Military expenditure was 292 billion US dollars in 2023, ranking second globally
- People's Liberation Army (PLA) active personnel: 2,035,000
- China has 34 provincial-level administrative divisions
- Corruption Perceptions Index score: 42/100 in 2023
- Freedom House rating: 9/100 (Not Free) in 2023
- Human Development Index rank: 75th out of 193 in 2023
- Number of billionaires: 495 in 2023
- Passport power rank: 62nd (Henley Passport Index 2023)
- Diplomatic relations with 181 UN member states
- Permanent seats on UN Security Council since 1971
- Belt and Road Initiative countries: 150+ partners
- Anti-corruption campaigns prosecuted over 4.9 million officials since 2012
- Internet censorship: Great Firewall blocks thousands of sites
- Press Freedom Index rank: 179/180 in 2023
- Voter turnout in NPC elections: effectively 100% under controlled system
- Central Committee of CCP has 205 full members
- Politburo Standing Committee: 7 members in 2023
- Local governments: over 600,000 township-level units
Politics Interpretation
To maintain its formidable unity and ambition, China balances immense scale and concentrated leadership with rigorous internal discipline, projecting global influence while carefully managing its internal complexities.
Society
- Internet users: 1.09 billion in 2023
- Mobile phone subscriptions: 1.72 billion in 2023
- 5G base stations: over 3.6 million in 2023
- High-speed internet penetration: 75% household in 2023
- Literacy rate: 97.15% for ages 15-24
- PISA 2022 scores: Math 578, Reading 510, Science 523 (top globally)
- University enrollment: 47.6 million students in 2023
- Suicide rate: 8.1 per 100,000 in 2019 (latest)
- Happiness rank: 60th in World Happiness Report 2024
- Gender Inequality Index: 0.168 (medium)
- Labor force participation rate (female): 60.5% in 2023
- Domestic tourism trips: 6.57 billion in 2023
- Film box office: 55 billion yuan in 2023
- Nobel Prize winners: 9 (8 in science, 1 Peace)
- Olympic medals: 88 (gold 40) in Tokyo 2020/21
- Electric vehicle ownership: over 20 million in 2023
- Hanfu wearers: estimated 10 million enthusiasts in 2023
- Spring Festival TV audience: 1.5 billion in 2024
- WeChat monthly active users: 1.38 billion in 2023
- Douyin (TikTok China) users: 766 million daily active in 2023
- Online shoppers: 904 million in 2023
Society Interpretation
China's digital society, where a billion citizens are hyper-connected, globally competitive in classrooms, and active in commerce and culture, exists alongside a search for happiness that hasn't yet cracked the top 50.
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