China’s current level of development underscores a dual reality: the country is both developed and developing, depending on provincial and regional lines.

In 2024, Beijing’s GDP per capita, the highest among China’s provinces, regions and municipalities, reached
USD 32,038, roughly the same as Japan’s, while Shanghai followed closely at USD 30,486, comparable to Bahrain. If compared to world economies, Beijing and Shanghai would rank around 40th worldwide, similar to the average for Europe & Central Asia. 

Jiangsu, at USD 22,564, is slightly below the level of Hungary, while Fujian (USD 19,366) matches Trinidad & Tobago, and Zhejiang (USD 19,029) is comparable to Panama.  

At the other end of the spectrum, Gansu’s GDP per capita of USD 7,416 aligns with Moldova, and Heilongjiang’s USD 7,556 matches Botswana, underlining the large spread between China’s most affluent and poorest regions.

The data shows a clear geographic divide: the GDP per capita of coastal and urbanised regions such as Jiangsu, Fujian and Zhejiang cluster near upper-middle-income global peers like Hungary and Panama, while most western provinces, including Gansu, Guizhou and Qinghai, are near the income levels of lower-middle-income economies such as Armenia or Georgia. This divide reflects decades of export-led industrialisation concentrated along China’s eastern seaboard.

Despite these internal variations, China’s overall GDP per capita reached USD 13,445 in 2024, almost 14 times its 2000 level of USD 969, growing at a CAGR of 11.5%. That places China slightly below the world average
(USD 13,664) but above Latin America & the Caribbean (USD 11,045). Few countries have achieved such a rapid rise from low-income to near-global-average levels within a single generation.