ECONOMIC GROWTH NEW DRIVERS INDEX INCREASES BY 12.5 PERCENT

BEIJING, AUGUST 28 /SRNA/ – China's index of new drivers of economic growth increased by 12.5 percent last year, with the transformation and upgrading index and the innovation-driven development index together accounting for nearly two-thirds of the increase, according to data from the Institute of Statistical Sciences of the National Bureau of Statistics /NBS/.

The index of new drivers of economic growth reached 153, with the value for the base year of 2022 set at 100.

All four sub-indexes increased compared with the previous year, according to data from the Institute of Statistical Sciences.

The transformation and upgrading index rose by 22.7 percent, the fastest growth among the four sub-indexes, contributing 34.1 percent to the overall increase in the index, the China Media Group reported.

The innovation-driven development index increased by 12.9 percent, contributing 31.4 percent to the overall growth, bringing their combined contribution to 65.5 percent.

This marks a change from 2024, when the digital economy made the largest contribution to growth, while transformation and upgrading accounted for 16.7 percent.

Liu Haiqi, head of the NBS Institute, said in an analysis that China’s new growth drivers continued to expand in 2025, with innovation playing an increasingly prominent leading role, while transformation and upgrading gained momentum.

"Progress in these areas has helped China make further advances in high-quality economic development," he stressed.