The Fifth National Economic Census Achieved Major Outcomes

National Bureau of Statistics of China

Office of the Leading Group of the State Council

for the Fifth National Economic Census

December 26, 2024

In accordance with the decisions and arrangements made by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the State Council, all regions and departments strictly implemented the Regulations on National Economic Census and the Notice of the State Council on Conducting the Fifth National Economic Census [No. (2022) 22], coordinated planning and implementation, strengthened collaboration and cooperation, and took solid and orderly steps to implement the fifth national economic census. With the joint efforts of over 2.10 million enumerators, the work of data collection, review, aggregation and evaluation was successfully completed. This census presented a general picture of the secondary and tertiary industries, reflecting the new achievements of China’s economic and social development. Results from this census showed that the number of units from the secondary and tertiary industries increased substantially, with more people being employed. Enterprises assets continued to expand, business revenue grew fast, the ability for scientific and technological innovation continued to develop and labor productivity was improved. Industrial structure was optimized and upgraded, digital economy grew stronger, and the coordinated and balanced regional development was strengthened. Over the past five years, significant progress was made in China’s high-quality development.

I. Main Objectives and Content of the Census

The main objectives of the fifth national economic census were to take a complete survey of China’s secondary and tertiary industries in terms of their scale, layout and performance, to get a clear picture of the basic situation of all types of units and grasp the economic linkages between sectors of the national economy, and to objectively reflect the progress in promoting high-quality development, creating a new pattern of development, building a modernized economy, deepening supply-side structural reform as well as in innovation-driven development, coordinated regional development, ecological conservation, high-standard opening up and development of public service system. The census will assist to consolidate the foundation of statistics and advance the statistical modernization reform, thus providing scientific and accurate information support to strengthen and improve macroeconomic governance, formulate medium- and long-term development plan in a scientific way and build China into a modern socialist country in all respects.

The fifth national economic census is an essential survey of national conditions and strength. Over two years since November 2022, the work in census agency establishment, publicity and mobilization, formulation of plan, pilot tests, personnel training, demarcation of census areas, inventory checking, field enumeration, data review and acceptance, data quality check, data aggregation and evaluation has been completed successfully. At present, the census has entered the phase of dissemination of major data, and development and application of data.

II. Main Features of the Census

1. The census was carefully planned and implemented with guarantee measures efficiently taken. The CPC Central Committee and the State Council attached great importance to the fifth national economic census. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out that the fifth national economic census should be carried out solidly. All regions and departments concerned included the census into their priority agenda, strengthened coordination and leadership, and ensured the  responsibilities for the census were fulfilled. Local governments at different levels set up census agencies in time, enhanced coordination and broke down tasks in detail. The Office of the Leading Group and member departments actively fulfilled their duties, advanced information sharing and provided multiple guarantees, laying a solid foundation for the successful implementation of the census.

2. Top-level Design was Strengthened and Census Procedure was Strictly Followed. After conducting special pilot tests and comprehensive pilot test, the Plan for the Fifth National Economic Census was formulated and corresponding implementation measures were developed by all regions and relevant departments. Strong census teams were organized at local levels, multi-level and systematic professional trainings were conducted for over 2.10 million enumerators and enumeration instructors, and inventory checking, field enumeration and sample survey of self-employed units were implemented in a normative and orderly manner. Finance, railway and some other government departments as well as relevant units conducted the census of their own sectors. Quality control of census data was stepped up, data review and check were conducted synchronously with the census so as to ensure that the source data were authentic and reliable.

3. Census Quality and Efficiency were Improved and Input-output Survey was Conducted Synchronously. To facilitate the alignment of economic aggregate data and structural data, the census incorporated the input-output survey while taking into account the differences in survey content and methodology, which effectively integrated business procedures with separate goals and demands accommodated. A unified electronic ledger for nearly 80,000 units for input-output survey was formed for the first time, which enabled early preparation of survey data by respondents, thus effectively reducing their reporting burden. The comparison and checking of input-output survey data with census data were strengthened to make the data better coordinated and aligned.

4. Census Approach was Innovated with Census Efficiency Improved. Data sharing and application between government departments were further intensified with administrative records from departments including staffing, civil affairs, taxation and market regulation effectively integrated, providing data basis for inventory checking and census registration. The application of modern information technologies was promoted. A data collection and processing system with a unified collection mode was innovatively developed, which enabled a combination of online reporting and field data collection via mobile terminals for the census, and allowed the respondents to report data online on their own. Therefore, the census quality and efficiency were improved comprehensively.

5. Census Fraud was Prevented and Punished to hold the Lifeline of Data Quality Resolutely. Following the guideline of census by law, in a scientific manner and for the people, the whole-process data quality management was strengthened and statistical fraud was prevented and punished to ensure data authenticity. Publicity and mobilization were carried out extensively with a variety of educational and engaging activities held to strive for understanding and support from the census respondents and to foster a good social atmosphere. Census related acts in violation of laws and disciplines were investigated and handled with seriously, and non-standard practices were corrected timely to ensure the quality of the census source data.

The post enumeration check of the fifth national economic census showed that the combined error rate was 4.7‰, which has reached the standard set for data quality.

III. Major Data of the Census

1. Units. At the end of 2023, there were 33.270 million legal entities engaged in the secondary and tertiary industries, an increase of 11.481 million or up by 52.7 percent compared with those at the end of 2018 (2018 was the year for the Fourth National Economic Census, the same below); 36.360 million establishments, an increase of 11.810 million or up by 48.1 percent; and 87.995 million self-employed units, an increase of 25.036 million or up by 39.8 percent.

In terms of sectors, the top three sectors with the largest number of legal entities in the second and tertiary industries were: wholesale and retail trade with 10.197 million, taking up 30.6 percent; leasing and business services with 4.609 million, taking up 13.8 percent; and manufacturing with 4.049 million, taking up 12.2 percent.

In terms of regions, there were 17.941 million legal entities in the eastern region, accounting for 53.9 percent, down by 2.0 percentage points compared with those at the end of 2018; 7.334 million in the central region, accounting for 22.0 percent, up by 1.4 percentage points; 6.372 million in the western region, accounting for 19.2 percent, up by 0.6 percentage points; and 1.623 million in the northeastern region, accounting for 4.9 percent, maintaining generally the same share as that at the end of 2018.

2. Persons Employed. At the end of 2023, there were 428.984 million persons employed by legal entities in the secondary and tertiary industries, an increase of 45.748 million or up by 11.9 percent compared with those at the end of 2018; of the total, 170.474 million were female. There were 164.295 million persons employed in the secondary industries, a drop of 8.263 million or down by 4.8 percent. There were 264.689 million persons employed in the tertiary industries, an increase of 54.012 million or up by 25.6 percent. There were 179.564 million persons employed by the self-employed units, among which 84.200 million were female.

In terms of sectors, the top three sectors with the largest number of persons employed by legal entities in the secondary and tertiary industries were: manufacturing with 104.815 million, taking up 24.4 percent; wholesale and retail trade with 53.258 million, taking up 12.4 percent; and construction with 51.172 million, taking up 11.9 percent.

In terms of regions, there were 224.328 million persons employed by legal entities in the secondary and tertiary industries in the eastern region, accounting for 52.3 percent, 1.8 percentage points lower compared with that at the end of 2018; 98.907 million in the central region, accounting for 23.1 percent, 1.1 percentage points higher; 86.320 million in the western region, accounting for 20.1 percent, 0.8 percentage points higher; and 19.428 million in the northeastern region, accounting for 4.5 percent, 0.2 percentage points lower.

3. Assets, liabilities and business revenue. In terms of assets, at the end of 2023, the total assets of legal entities in the secondary and tertiary industries were 1,439.1 trillion yuan, among which, those of the legal entities in the secondary industries were 252.1 trillion yuan and those of the legal entities in the tertiary industries were 1,187.0 trillion yuan. In terms of liabilities, the total liabilities of legal entities in the secondary and tertiary industries were 975.4 trillion yuan, among which, those of the legal entities in the secondary industries were 150.2 trillion yuan and those of the legal entities in the tertiary industries were 825.2 trillion yuan. In terms of business revenue, in 2023, the business revenue of corporate enterprises in the secondary and tertiary industries was 442.6 trillion yuan, up by 50.2 percent compared with that of 2018, among which, that of the corporate enterprises in the secondary industries was 188.8 trillion yuan, up by 31.3 percent and that of the corporate enterprises in the tertiary industries was 253.8 trillion yuan, up by 68.3 percent.

4. Core industries of digital economy. At the end of 2023, there were 2.916 million corporate enterprises engaged in the core industries of digital economy, with 36.159 million persons employed. The business revenue of the year reached 48.4 trillion yuan. Specifically, 262 thousand were engaged in digital products manufacturing with 13.372 million persons employed and 20.5 trillion yuan in business revenue; 274 thousand were engaged in digital product services with 1.519 million persons employed and 4.2 trillion yuan in business revenue; 1.430 million were engaged in digital technology application with 14.609 million persons employed and 14.0 trillion yuan in business revenue; 950 thousand were engaged in industries driven by digital factors with 6.659 million persons employed and 9.7 trillion yuan in business revenue.

5. Emerging industries. At the end of 2023, there were 96 thousand industrial corporate enterprises above the designated size engaged in the strategic emerging industries; 62 thousand service corporate enterprises above the designated size engaged in the strategic emerging industries. There were 53 thousand high technology manufacturing corporate enterprises above the designated size with a business revenue of 22.5 trillion yuan; 65 thousand high-technology service corporate enterprises above the designated size with a business revenue of 15.7 trillion yuan. In 2023, the full-time equivalent of R&D personnel in industrial corporate enterprises above the designated size was 4.817 million person-years, and the R&D expenditure was 2.1 trillion yuan.

IV. GDP Revision of the Census Year

According to the system of national accounts and international practice, the National Bureau of Statistics of China has revised the GDP of the census year (the year 2023) based on the data of the Fifth National Economic Census and relevant administrative records, the process of which has also factored in the change of the accounting approach of the owner-occupied housing services of urban households. The revised GDP of 2023 was 129.4272 trillion yuan, 3.3690 trillion yuan more than the preliminary accounting, or up by 2.7 percent. The details of the revised data will be released on the official website of the National Bureau of Statistics of China soon.

Generally speaking, the Fifth National Economic Census has yielded fruitful results with its major data objectively reflecting the latest progress and achievements of China’s economic and social development over the past five years. For the next step, we will firmly implement the spirits of the Third Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee, focus on the reform targets and tasks set by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council and promote the implementation of statistical reform tasks. We will release more detailed census results successively to the public through multiple channels such as economic census yearbook and interpretation reports, and actively organize in-depth development and application of the census data to fully leverage their value so as to provide authentic and reliable statistical support to the comprehensive deepening of the reform and the advancement of the Chinese modernization.

(In case of any differences between English translation and the original Chinese text, the Chinese version shall prevail.)