On February 29th, China's National Bureau of Statistics released the "Statistical Communiqué of the People's Republic of China on the 2023 National Economic and Social Development"(hereinafter "Statistical Communiqué").

According to the Statistical Communiqué, by the end of 2023, China's population was 1.4097 billion, a decrease of 2.08 million from the previous year, with urban permanent residents totaling 932.67 million. The annual new births reached 9.02 million with a birth rate of 6.39‰, while the deaths hit 11.1 million with a death rate of 7.87‰, resulting in a natural growth rate of -1.48‰. In terms of human resources, the average years of education for the working-age populationhas increased to 11.05 years, and the total number of human resources, scientific and technological human resources, and R&D personnel ranks first in the world. The "demographic dividend" is accelerating its transformation into a "talent dividend".

The data shows that in 2023, graduate institutes enrolled 3.883 million students with 1.302 million entrants and 1.015 million graduates. Total enrollment in undergraduate programs in regular and vocational higher education institutes was 37.750 million with 10.422 million entrants and 10.470 million graduates.The number of students who graduated from compulsory education reached 95.7 % of the total enrollment, and the gross enrollment ratio for senior secondary education reached 91.8 %, both up by 0.2 percentage points from the previous year.

China's employment situationremainedstable overall in 2023. The urban surveyed unemployment rate averaged 5.2%, down by0.4 percentage points over that of 2022. The newlyincreasedemployed people in urban areas numbered 12.44 million, 0.38 million more than that of the previous year.

As calculated at comparable prices, China's economic increment exceeded 6 trillion yuan in 2023, providing a solid foundation for expanding employment opportunities. The service industry's added value accounted for 54.6% of GDP, representing a 1.2 percentage points increase from the previous year and surpassing pre-pandemic levels.

China's economy continued its steady ascent in 2023, with the GDP surpassing 126 trillion yuan, a growth of 5.2% from the previous year, meeting the expected target of around 5%. Comparative analysis indicates that China's economic growth rate significantly outpaced that of the United States (2.5%), the Eurozone (0.5%), and Japan (1.9%), with a potential contribution to global economic growth expected to exceed 30%, remaining a vital engine of global economic growth.

In addition, China's expenditures on research and experimental development activities (R&D) were 3.3 trillion yuan in 2023, accounting for 2.64% of GDP, with a notable 9.3% increase in expenditure on basic research programs. Noteworthy achievements such as domestically produced large aircraft, large-scale cruise ships, and the manned submersible"Striver" underscore China's prowess in creating cutting-edge technologies. Furthermore, the steady growth in invention patents solidifies China's position as the world's first country to surpass 4 million valid domestic invention patents, with high-value invention patents accounting for over 40%. 

The Statistical Communiqué shows that in 2023, the number of newly established business entities was 32.73 million, with an average of 27000 new enterprises per day.The vitality of the private sector continued to flourish, with the proportion of imports and exports handled by private enterprises rising to 53.5%.

Furthermore,the year 2023 witnessed the establishment of 53,766 enterprises with foreign direct investment, up by 39.7% over that of the previous year.The value of imports and exports between China and countries along the Belt and Road took up 46.6% of the total value of imports and exports, an increase over that of the previous year. In addition to strengthening ties with Belt and Road partners,Chinaaccelerated the establishment of new platforms for foreign trade. The proportion of imports and exports handled by Free Trade Zones surged to 18.4%, indicating the rapid development of new avenues for international trade and investment.

2023年中国GDP超126万亿元

2月29日，中国国家统计局发布《2023年国民经济和社会发展统计公报》（以下简称“统计公报”）。　　

统计公报显示，截至2023年末，全国人口为140967万人，比上年末减少208万人，其中城镇常住人口93267万人。全年出生人口902万人，出生率为6.39‰；死亡人口1110万人，死亡率为7.87‰；自然增长率为-1.48‰。从要素禀赋看，我国劳动年龄人口平均受教育年限提升至11.05年，人才资源总量、科技人力资源、研发人员总量均居全球首位，“人口红利”正在加快向“人才红利”转化。

数据显示，2023年全年研究生教育招生130.2万人，在学研究生388.3万人，毕业生101.5万人。普通、职业本专科招生1042.2万人，在校生3775.0万人，毕业生1047.0万人。九年义务教育巩固率为95.7%，高中阶段毛入学率为91.8%，均比上年提高0.2个百分点。

就业基本盘总体稳定。2023年，全国城镇调查失业率均值为5.2%，比上年下降0.4个百分点；城镇新增就业1244万人，比上年多增38万人。

2023年，中国可比价经济增量超过6万亿元，为就业规模扩大提供了坚实支撑。2023年服务业增加值占GDP比重达54.6%，比上年提高1.2个百分点，已经超过疫情前水平。

2023年，中国经济总量稳步攀升，国内生产总值（GDP）超过126万亿元，比上年增长5.2%，实现了5%左右的预期目标。有分析指出，横向比较，我国经济增速明显快于美国2.5%、欧元区0.5%、日本1.9%的经济增速，对世界经济增长贡献率有望超过30%，仍是全球经济增长重要引擎。

同时，2023年，全社会研究与试验发展（R&D）经费支出3.3万亿元，与国内生产总值之比达2.64%，其中基础研究经费支出增长9.3%。国产大飞机、国产大型邮轮、奋斗者号载人潜水器等“大国重器”亮点纷呈，彰显中国创造硬核实力。发明专利平稳增长，我国成为世界上首个国内有效发明专利数量突破400万件的国家，高价值发明专利占比超过四成。

统计公报显示，2023年新设经营主体3273万户，日均新设企业2.7万户。民营经济活力不断释放，民营企业进出口额占进出口总额比重提升至53.5%。

此外，全年外商直接投资新设立企业53766家，比上年增长39.7%。2023年，我国对共建“一带一路”国家进出口额占进出口总额比重提升至46.6%。对外开放新平台加快构建，自贸试验区进出口额占进出口总额比重提升至18.4%。

文｜记者 陈泽云
  图｜记者 郑明达
翻译｜麦芯羽