China’s GDP Grows 4.7% Year-on-Year in First Half of 2026

DailyEconomic – July 15, 2026

On July 15, 2026, the National Bureau of Statistics officially released data showing that, according to preliminary estimates, China’s gross domestic product (GDP) reached 69,570.4 billion yuan in the first half of 2026, representing a year-on-year growth of 4.7% at constant prices.

I. Core Breakdown

  • Quarterly Performance: GDP grew 5.0% year-on-year in the first quarter and 4.3% in the second quarter, with a quarter-on-quarter increase of 0.9% in the second quarter.

  • Industrial Structure: The primary industry added value reached 3,152.2 billion yuan, up 3.7% year-on-year; the secondary industry added value reached 25,047.3 billion yuan, up 3.9%; and the tertiary industry added value reached 41,370.9 billion yuan, up 5.2%.

  • Incremental Scale: The first-half GDP increased by 3.6 trillion yuan compared with the same period last year, marking the largest increment for the same period in the past five years.

II. Economic Highlights

  • New growth drivers contributed more than 40% to economic growth. The added value of the equipment manufacturing industry and the high-tech manufacturing industry grew by 9.3% and 13.3%, respectively, with notable growth in output of products such as 3D printing equipment and industrial robots.

  • Employment and prices remained generally stable. The average urban surveyed unemployment rate in the first half of the year was 5.2%, and the CPI rose 1.0% year-on-year, remaining within a reasonable range.

  • Foreign trade performed strongly. The total value of goods imports and exports in the first half of the year grew 16.9% year-on-year, with the growth rate for June alone reaching 24.2%.