Brief Introduction

Main Contents and Sources of Data

I. This chapter consists of two parts: summary data on the national economy and social development and data on the social and economic development of the ethnic minority autonomous regions, which are compiled by the Department of Comprehensive Statistics of the National Bureau of Statistics and by Department of Economic Development of the State Commission on Ethnic Affairs respectively.

II. The summary data on the national economy reflect the overall situation of the economic and social development by presenting further processed statistics including growth, structure, ratio and efficiency data derived from other chapters.

III. Data on the ethnic minority autonomous regions and the ethnic minorities are composed of two parts:

(1) Data collected from the surveys conducted by areas. A statistical reporting form system on the economic and social development in the ethnic minority autonomous regions has been established jointly by the State Commission on Ethnic Affairs and the National Bureau of Statistics and implemented by the ethnic affairs commissions and the statistical bureaus of 20 provinces and autonomous regions. The reporting form system covers all units under the jurisdiction of the 5 ethnic minority autonomous regions, 30 autonomous prefectures and 120 autonomous counties. Duplicated counts are excluded in the national tabulation. Methodology of data collection is complete enumeration. In addition, data on the public health of the ethnic minority autonomous regions are provided by the Ministry of Public Health, and data on the divisions of administrative areas of the ethnic minority autonomous regions are tabulated and prepared in accordance with the Concise Edition of the Divisions of Administrative Areas compiled by the Ministry of Civil Affairs.

(2) Data collected from the surveys mainly on the ethnic minorities. They primarily show the social development of the ethnic minorities. Among them, data on the students and teaching staff of the ethnic minorities are provided by the Ministry of Education; data on outstanding athletes and coaches are provided by the General Administration of Sport of China; and data on the publications of the ethnic minority languages are provided by the Administration of Press and Publication.

IV. The Regulation on the Classification of the Registration Status of Enterprises, jointly developed by the National Bureau of Statistics and the State Industry and Commerce Administration, has been in use in compiling the annual statistics since 1998. Since 2003, a new Industrial Classification of the National Economy has been put into use within which 4 major divisions, 3 divisions, 28 major groups and 67 groups have been added in comparison with the previous classification.