Nationwide consumer spending per person grew about 5% last year, according to official statistics, but dozens of third- and fourth-tier cities grew significantly faster than that rate, according to a survey of official data by The Paper. By contrast, first-tier cities saw lower growth rates, with Shanghai recording a 0.4% increase.
fredag 25. april 2025
Small City, Big Spenders: The Rise of China’s New Consumer Class
China has around 700 cities, unofficially classified into multiple “tiers,” arranged in a pyramid structure based on their population and economic size. A few megacities, like 25 million-strong Shanghai, sit in the first tier, while most provincial capitals are classed as second-tier. Li’s home city of Yongkang is often placed in the fourth tier along with hundreds of others.
Nationwide consumer spending per person grew about 5% last year, according to official statistics, but dozens of third- and fourth-tier cities grew significantly faster than that rate, according to a survey of official data by The Paper. By contrast, first-tier cities saw lower growth rates, with Shanghai recording a 0.4% increase.
Nationwide consumer spending per person grew about 5% last year, according to official statistics, but dozens of third- and fourth-tier cities grew significantly faster than that rate, according to a survey of official data by The Paper. By contrast, first-tier cities saw lower growth rates, with Shanghai recording a 0.4% increase.
