Official data from the National Bureau of Statistics shows China's GDP grew 5 percent year-on-year in 2025, reaching 140.19 trillion yuan and surpassing the 140 trillion yuan threshold for the first time. Carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP fell 5 percent, while air quality continued to improve.
In 2025, China's economy achieved 5 percent growth, with GDP totaling 140.19 trillion yuan (about $20.4 trillion), remaining the world's second-largest economy. Sheng Laiyun, deputy head of the National Bureau of Statistics, stated: "With GDP expanding 5 percent year-on-year in 2025, China's economy exceeded 140 trillion yuan for the first time, successfully accomplishing the preset annual growth target." This growth equates to an increment of more than 5 trillion yuan, reflecting improvements in industrial and agricultural production capacity and the unleashing of vitality in the services sector.
On energy and environment, carbon dioxide emissions per 10,000 yuan of GDP fell 5 percent, while energy consumption per unit of GDP declined 5.1 percent (excluding energy used as raw materials and non-fossil energy). Power generation from clean energy sources reached nearly 4.25 trillion kilowatt-hours, up 14.4 percent. New energy vehicle production totaled over 16.52 million units, a 25.1 percent increase; by year-end, vehicles in use numbered 43.97 million, up by 12.57 million. Among 339 cities at or above prefecture level, 72.6 percent met air quality standards.
Air quality hit record highs during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25). Li Tianwei, head of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment's Department of Atmospheric Environment, noted that over the past five years, GDP expanded 30 percent while PM2.5 density fell 20 percent, with compliant cities rising from 206 to 246. In 2025, the average PM2.5 concentration in prefecture-level and above cities was 28 micrograms per cubic meter, with heavy pollution days at 0.9 percent. Beijing's annual PM2.5 average dropped to 27 micrograms per cubic meter. Li said: "These cities all recorded significant improvements in air quality during the 14th Five-Year Plan period. Their tangible results demonstrate that economic growth and environmental protection can advance hand in hand."
Additionally, 25.74 million new businesses were established nationwide, averaging about 26,000 per day. Research and development spending rose 8.1 percent to 3.93 trillion yuan, or 2.8 percent of GDP; basic research increased 11.1 percent to 277.8 billion yuan. China's growth contributed around 30 percent to global economic expansion, serving as a key stabilizing force.
