Chongqing's landmark, Jiefangbei, has witnessed the surge of tourism and the service economy in the city. (Photo/Chongqing Daily)
Chongqing - Chongqing’s economy is growing faster than China’s national average as the western Chinese megacity pushes ahead with industrial upgrading and higher-quality growth.
According to a review released by the Chongqing Municipal Bureau of Statistics on May 13, the city recorded average annual GDP growth of 5.6% during the 2021–2025 period, 0.2 percentage points above the national average.
In 2025, Chongqing’s gross domestic product reached 3.38 trillion yuan (around 467 billion U.S. dollars), ranking 16th among China’s provincial-level regions, up two places from 2020.
The development of the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle remained a major driver of regional growth during the period. From 2020 to 2025, the region’s combined GDP increased from 7.37 trillion yuan to 10.14 trillion yuan, accounting for 7.2% of China’s national economic output.
Meanwhile, Chongqing has continued upgrading its economic structure, with smart agriculture expanding rapidly in the primary sector, as the city’s total output value of agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fisheries reached 338.57 billion yuan in 2025, up 20% from 2020.
In the secondary sector, advanced manufacturing continued moving up the value chain. Strategic emerging industries accounted for 36.3% of industrial output above designated size, 8.3 percentage points higher than in 2020.
The tertiary sector also expanded steadily. Revenue from large-scale service industries reached 707.26 billion yuan in 2025, 1.5 times the 2020 level.
Innovation capacity continued to improve. In 2024, Chongqing’s research and development spending reached 79.73 billion yuan, up 27.05 billion yuan from 2020. R&D intensity stood at 2.48%, ranking second in western China.
By 2025, the city had 243 municipal-level or higher key laboratories, including 11 national key laboratories, an increase of 61 and one, respectively, compared with 2020. The number of invention patents granted also rose by 6,589 over the same period.
Investment growth remained strong during the 14th Five-Year Plan period. Industrial investment increased by an average annual rate of 10.5%, supported by projects in automobiles, motorcycles, and equipment manufacturing.
Infrastructure investment rose 5.3% annually as construction accelerated on major projects including high-speed railways, urban rail transit systems, bridges, and tunnels. Investment in social sectors such as education and healthcare grew by an average of 14.6% annually.
Consumer spending also continued to recover. In 2025, total retail sales of consumer goods reached 1.67 trillion yuan, 1.4 times the 2020 level.
The average number of household cars and air conditioners per 100 urban households increased by 14.2 and 55.7, respectively, compared with the end of 2020. Chongqing received 2.15 million inbound tourist visits in 2025, while inbound tourism spending reached $2.4 billion, up 14.7 times and 22.2 times respectively from 2020.
Livelihood indicators also improved during the period. The surveyed urban unemployment rate remained below the government target of 5.5%, while more than 110,000 housing units in shantytowns, urban villages, and dilapidated urban areas were renovated.
By 2025, the number of people covered by basic pension insurance, employee medical insurance, and unemployment insurance had increased by 4.14 million, 714,000, and 1.04 million, respectively, compared with 2020.
The city also established six districts meeting standards for balanced compulsory education, added 100,000 new basic education enrolment slots, and expanded public cultural infrastructure to 152 museums and 42 public libraries.