Beijing sees steady economic and social gains in 2025

As 2025 draws to a close, Beijing is reporting steady progress in economic growth, industrial upgrading, and public services, marking the final year of the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025) with solid results.

The Chinese capital maintained stable economic performance throughout the year while strengthening its role as a key driver of national growth. Beijing is moving steadily toward becoming a city with an annual economic output of 5 trillion yuan (US$710 billion).

High-end manufacturing expands

Beijing continued to shift its industrial structure toward high-end manufacturing and advanced technology. It posted strong growth in the outputs of new energy vehicles, integrated circuits, 5G smartphones, and lithium-ion batteries, which reinforced the city's leading position in high-value manufacturing.

From January to November, Beijing's industrial output above designated size exceeded 2.5 trillion yuan, up 5.2% year on year. Value-added industrial output rose 6.6%, 0.6 percentage point higher than the national average, according to the municipal bureau of economy and information technology.

Vehicle production reached 1.34 million units in the first 11 months, up 27.6% year on year. New energy vehicle output surged 150% to 624,000 units. Production of integrated circuits and 5G smartphones increased 17.4% and 34.3%, respectively, while outputs of wind turbines and lithium-ion batteries rose 37% and 110%.

Beijing also strengthened its lead in artificial intelligence. The city has registered 201 large language models, accounting for about 30% of the national total. AI products developed by local firms now serve more than 30,000 institutions nationwide, with daily calls reaching 746 million.

Revenue from the information software sector, Beijing's largest pillar industry, exceeded 3 trillion yuan in the first 10 months, up 15.1% year on year, 2.8 percentage points above the national average.

Consumption driven by integrated development

Consumption growth was supported by deeper integration of culture, commerce, tourism, sports, and exhibitions.

Large-scale concerts, sports events and e-sports competitions at venues such as the National Stadium attracted record crowds. Cultural exhibitions and music festivals along the Grand Canal also boosted visitor spending.

From January to November, service consumption grew 4.8% year on year. In November, the city's consumer confidence index returned to the "strong confidence" range.

Box office and live performance revenues also posted double-digit revenue growth. Total inbound and outbound passenger flows through Beijing ports surpassed 20 million, the highest level since 2020.

The structure of investment continued to improve. Fixed-asset investment rose 5.8% in the first 11 months, supported by infrastructure projects and high-tech industries. Investment in high-tech sectors jumped 43.2%.

Public services and urban governance improved

In the past year, Beijing expanded public services in healthcare, eldercare, housing, education, and employment.

The construction of the new campus of Beijing Children's Hospital marked a key milestone recently. Once operational, it will further expand the city's pediatric medical capacity. The city launched its first age-friendly housing renovation model homes in multiple communities to support home-based eldercare.

To ease housing pressure on young people, districts including Haidian and the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area offered fully furnished rental apartments for recent graduates.

Employment remained stable. From January to November, the average surveyed urban unemployment rate stood at 4.1%. The city added 314,000 new urban jobs, exceeding the total for all of 2024.

In education, Beijing added 24,000 primary and secondary school seats in the first three quarters, opened new schools in several districts with more under construction.

Urban governance became more digital and refined. All traffic signals within Fifth Ring Road and the sub-center are now networked, with 200 additional intersections upgraded with smart control systems. 

As the final year of the 14th Five-Year Plan concludes, Beijing will continue policy implementation and work to ensure a stable start to the 15th Five-Year Plan period (2026-2030).